The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1856-06-28
A Chicago RdItsr.st OpinIen q M,nne,e,a.

Il
: Press, whose visit to our city and TIE,
ritory We announced some ten day
ago, has returned home, and belo,
; we give his views of Minnesota-writ
ten up in practical editorial style, and no
too long for our limited columns. We cop
from the Press of Friday last and com
mence at the point of the narrative wher
Mr.. B. leaves La Crosse on his journey u
the river:
| Early Monday morning, the fine steamer
Golden Era, Capt. Parker, made the welkiI
ring as she approached the landing, and away
we sped for st. Paul. For ninety miles t,
the foot of Lake Pepin, the same range O
beetling cliffs and beautiful slopes attend u.
on either side, and from the pilot house O
the steamer, with the kind and obligine
pilot, Mr.. William Fisher, for our cicerone
our party enjoyed most delightful ride.
Lake Pepin is twenty-five miles long BY
width Of from three to five miles. The
distance between the bluffs does not appear
to differ much from the space between them
for hundred miles, and it would seem that
the lake was made by wedding out the isl
ands, and thus leaving the base of the bluffs
to be bathed by the Father of Waters. We
amused ourselves by describing the imagi-
nary exploits Of some mighty, fabulous chief
who, standing on the lofty bluffs many
moons ago, grasped the trees, and tearing
up the islands by the roots, spread them out
over the beautiful prairies of Wisconsin and
Minnesota.
Maiden Rock is the principal point of at
traction while passing through Lake Pepin.
1t rises over four hundred feet above the
lake, two hundred of which is perpendicu-
lar wall of rock. From this rock tradition
informs US that Winona, the beautiful daugh-
ter of an Indian chief, precipitated herself
rather than to marry man she did not love-
She illustrated some of the noblest princi-
Piles Of our nature, and hence her name is
immortal, while fashionable bellies by the
thousand pass away and are forgotten for
ever. -.
Lake Pepin, and the. Mississippi for some
thirty miles above it, will now afford some
definite idea Of the extent of the lumber
trade of Minnesota The shores are lined
with logs, and it is no eXaggeration to say
we passed millions of them ON Monday af-
ternoon. Booms are plaecd across the out
lets of the sloughs, and several of them,
though two or three miles long, are COM
pletely filled with logs. The lumber trade
is an unfailing source of great wealth to the
territory.
Lest our story should prove too long, we
pass by many interesting objects and find
ourselves at once at
The change which six short years has
wrought about us is most astonishing. When
last we saw St. Paul it contained only some
five or six hundred inhabitants, cooped to-
ether in small wooden tencmens Now it
is city of some eight or ten thousand in
habitants. Substantial stores and elegant
dwellings surround us on every side. The
city stand on the east bank of the Mississ-
ippi, upon plain some eighty feet above the
river, and it is fanked in the rear by a
range of beautiful hills. St. Paul, in the in
telligence and refinement of it's citizens,
presents all the characteristics of an eastern
city, while in enterprise and substantial
prosperity it is far ahead of most of them.
On Tuesday, delightful day for the ex-
cursion, under the direction of our good
friend, G. W. Moore, Esq, of the M1NNEso-
TAN, we visited
ST. ANTHONY,
eight miles from st. Paul. Here is the first
impossible obstruction of the navigation of
the Mississippi above the Gulf of Mexico.
The river falls rerpendicularly over lime
stone rock seventeen feet. Though not so
sublime cataract as Niagara, we gazed upon
it with scarcely less satisfaction. The town
has grown W thin the past six years most
astonishingly, and if possible Minneapolis,
on the west bank of the river, still more so.
Above the falls there is a substantial wire
bridge, the first that ever spanned the Fa-
Their of Waters. After spending two or
three hours about the falls, we crossed the
river on the bridge, and drove some six
miles to
LAKES CALHOUN AND HARRIET.
These lakes are perfect gems, lying near
each other. The water is clear as crystal,
with fine psbbly beach, and the lakes are
filled with an abundance of fish. These
are truly delightful spots, but we must not
linger. Six miles more and we stand upon
the brink of
MINNEHAHA FALLS.
This is decidedly the most romantic and
the most beautiful cascade it has ever been
! our good fortune to visit. 1t is about mile
from Fort Smelling, and no one who goes to
Minnesota should fail to visit it. The stream
falls As feet perpendicularly into. beau
tiful basin below, and as the rock projects
several feet parties 60 entirely around under
the falls. Again we say visit Minnehaha.
We pass Fort Smelling without notice re-
luctantly, as it stands on commanding and
beautiful location, and find ourselves at
FOUNTAIN CAVE,
only mile or two from St. Paul. To de
scribe this curious cave would require more
space than we can spare. A little crystal
stream seems to have worn this cave from
the soft VIII te sand rock. Visitors have
penetrated it long distance. Several rods
from the mouth of the cave there is cascade
some half dozen feet high. The pool be-
low furnishes fine bathing place, our guide
having enjoyed that luxury very comfortably
in midwinter. 1t was voted unanimously
when we arrived at our hotel that we had
all seen more interesting objects and more
of them than were ever before crowded into
one days enjoyment.
MINNESOTA HOSPITALITY.
On Wednesday we had fine specimen Of
Minnesota hospitality. Our entire party
were made the guests Of his Honor Judge
Simons, II. F. Masterson, Esq, G. W.
Moore, Esq, of the Minnesotiaa, and Thomas
Masterson, Esq. We had also the company
of Col. A. s. Hoyt, Of Warwick, N. Y. Car
riages were provided, and our hosts with
their excellent ladies-sorry that We are
forced to make an exception of two of the
gentlemen who have as yet neglected one o.