The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1856-04-26
Northern Pacific Railread.

Mr.. Newson, of the Times, while sojourn-
ing East, has been putting in, through the
columns of the New York Tribune, a few
good words in favor of the Northern Railroad
Route to the Pacific. He states few sim
pie facts which are verified by every candid
man who knows anything about the ques-
ton; and they are facts which should he kept
before Congress and the people.
As the letter of Mr.. Newson is short and
directly to the point, we copy it:
To the Editor Of the New York Tribune.
SIR: The explorations of Gov. Stevens
of Washington Territory very clearly shows
that "the cheapest, shortest and best" route
is from "Lake Superior or st. Paul to Puget's
Sound" Last Summer took the trail of
Stevens's party at Sank Rapid, small town
eighty miles above st. Paul, where the best
place for a bridge across the Mississippi is
designated, and followed it for twelve miles.
The prairie is of a somewhat rolling charac-
ter, slightly so, however, and stretches far off
to the Missouri River, said by those who
have travelled it, to be exceedingly fertile and
we'll adapted for farming. 1t would be very
easy to construct a track over this route from
the evenness of the ground and the fact that
wood can be found good portion of the way.
As to impeachment by snow, 1 can safely as
sert that there is less in Minnesota Territory,
or the Territories adjoining, than in any of
the Northern States. Having resided for
two years in the former Territory, speak
from personal knowledge. For upwards of
200 miles on Steyens's route, snow has not
been over one foot deep during the past and
present winter, and learn from those who
have travelled further, that the same can be
said of the country for thousands Of miles
beyond. / look upon this route as being de-
cidedly preferable to any other, and as soon
as constructed to St. Paul there will be a
continuous line of railroad to your city,
where nearly the whole trade of the West is
centering. Should the route be adopted as
laid out by Gen. Stevens, it would cross at
Sank Rapids to Lake Superior. At Sank
Rapids it would be tapped by road running
from st. Paul, which road could take in its
route St. Cloud, Monticello, Anoka, Elm
Greek, Minneapolis, st. Anthony and other
embryo towns on the Mississippi. At St.
Paul it would be met by the road of the Min
nesota and North Western Railroad Compa-
ny, carried through the southern portion of
the Territory to the Iowa line, or Dubuque,
and then connected with the Illinois Central
opening section of country whose re-
sources and trade would tell amazingly on
the prosperity of our Atlantic cities, particu-
larly New York. When the fact is known
that Minnesota in IS49 had scarcely 5000
inhabitants, and now IS, OO0-when St. Paul
seven years ago, was wilderness, now a
city of nearly 1000, with seven churches
schools, colleges, and four daily papers-it
seems to me that the Northern route would
open, at least in five years, three Territories
quite as large as Minnesota, and well worthy
to be classed among the States of the Union
Trusting that the Committee in Congress
will not overlook the Northern Pacific route
l am, respectfully,
IT, M. NEWSON.
March S, 1856.