The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1856-07-19
From the Cleveland Herald. ]
Editorial Correspondence.

| Editorial Correspondence.
g. Pam-Es Past-Ks Preseat-L iteratugs
and Baybarism-Fae Ddy-Up Country
| Caravaa-Red Riuer -Ceuelanders-
Fremont and Freedom.
ST. PAUL, June 25, 1856.
OLD RogND TABLE: Among the marvel
Gus facts which stand out to astonish in this
land of fact and fancy is the city of St. Paul.
About nine years since a number of squat
tiers, being driven from the Military Reserve
upon which stands Fort Smelling, came down
the river five miles and squatted there.
! They they s4uatted amid the wilderness, and
within hearing OF the war-whoop the same
men, we are told are still squattiag at ST.
Paul, a city of some nine or ten thousand
people, embracing all the comforts, luxuries
and elegapcies of the century towns of the
East.
St. Paul may be considered as born in
March, 1849, for then it was made the CAPT.
tai of the Territory. In l848, the arrivals
of steamers were 47-not one each week. On
our arrival at the levee, eight steamers were
discharging and loading. Two regular daily
steamers run to Dubuque, Dunleith and Ga
lena, and "wild" boats without number
ply from st. Paul to the various points be-
low. Within fifty miles of St. Paul, in COM
ing down, we met six boats bound up. The
first school opened in St. Paul in 1847, and
the first schoolhouse was built in 1913. The
first newspaper published in st. Paul was
printed IN Cincinnati in l849, and now the
eyes OF the citizens andsojourners are greet
cd with three handsome dailies.
Churches, school-houses, massive blocks
. Iofc I,r;o nj b.,
and as lovely suburban cottages as ever
charmed the eye, now make up the city of
st. Paul and its surroundings. In no place,
East or West, have we seen SO many beauti-
full horses, and the equipages in every sense
are as complete as u Broadway q turn
out.'
St. Paul, standing upon bluff, overlooks
the Mississippi, while in rear of the town
proper rise other hills, which command a
, veW Of city and river and which are al
ready dotted with villas and country resi-
dences.
Seeing is believing, and these who are un-
| willing to believe our f" report" must come
and see this six-year old" for themselves.
But what is exceedingly creditable to the
citizens of st. Paul, is the early attention
paid to education. She has her College and
) her Institute, both elegant buildings The
very year following her organization Histo-
rical Society was formed for the purpose of
perpetuating the early events connected with
Minnesota.
True. as far as civilization is concerned
, she has brief history bit her past, as
connected with early missionaries, pioneers
and the Indians, runs two hundred years
) back, and is full of incident and romance.
! Her records are tradition, and the football of
the white man soon obliterates such records
hence the necessity of giving them substan-
tial being and form.
Honor, then, to the Historical Society of
Minnesota, as setting an example which
should shame the money getting spirit OF
older cities, which have left their early his
tory to be lost in the buried past. What
country could have a history more worthy
OF perpetuatiOn than the land visited two
hundred years ago by the Iesyit Mission
airy
In 1850, Hcnncpin baptized in its own
waters the Falls of St. Anthony, calling them
after his patron saint, and in 100 lie Seur
sent from what is now Minnesota to France
tons Of green earth which he thought to be
copper. Coming down to our day, Cass and
Schoolcratt and others have given this
country historical outline, which it is now
the pleasure of this society to fiji up and pre-
serve.
On Tuesday last, dhe city of St. Paul had
gala-day, on which this Historical Society
laid the corner stone of their build
ing. In connection with this was also the
laying OF corner stone by the Masons for
their building. The affair was a Joint one.
and the entire population of the city, with
many visitors from abroad turned out to give
joyfulness to the occasion. The crowd num-
bcrcd by its thousands. The procession
MasOns, odd Fellows, Members of the His
torical Society, Young Ladies in carriages,
Boys on ponies-was three-quarters of
mile in length, and headed by the imposing
flying battery of Buena Vista celebrity,
commanded in that desperate battle and now
by the ga liant Sherman. 1t is stationed at
Fort Smelling, eight miles above st. Paul
The corner stones of the two edifices were
laid with becoming ceremony, and the artil-
lery salute and music of the bands in honor
of the event. echoed from the hills on which
) but eight years since the smokes of the wig
wan and council-fire were seen. Was there
not the charm of magic in that scene Do
not the rts and sciences in St. Paul tread
close upon the heels of barbarism
For much Of the interest of the OCCASION
we were all indebted to Col, d. A. Robert
son, who has been hearty worker FOR the
tenefit of the Historical Society, and who
has made the interests of St Paul his own.
Fhe Col. was once well known and highly
respected res dent of Ohio.
This gala-day afforded an admirable oppor-
tunity to judge of the character and appear
ance of the people of this infant city and its
country around; and no town of its size in
these United States, could present more
credible display upon such an occasion. All
was order and responsibility, and what is pc
culiarly essential to the success of any place
or enterprise, unanimity characterized the
whole affair. Any New England city may
dress herself in her best, and behave as well
AS she knows how, and we will place ST.
Paul along side without fear for the credit of
the up-country child of a day.
OF course, St. Paul must pass through the
ordeal of speculation; such is the manifest
destiny of every fast growing town. Real
estate is already high and constantly ''going
up" A Buckeye friend, whose three past
summers have been spent here, was lament
ing that he had not bought more real estate,
for, as he expressed 1t "the worst business
[ have done here has been that of loaning
money at .fse per cent. pei month";" Yet there
is. basis for the prosperity of st. Paul.
The traffic with the country around is al
ready very large, and must become immense
no oe 10