The emigrant aid journal of Minnesota. [volume] (Nininger City, Minn. Terr. [i.e. Minn.]) 1856-1858, 1857-08-29

0Au SklAA&C tNuu OluCCo always OutIAu IL
ont Of the sweeping food, hidden away in new OBJ
] villages, performing their necessary part, and then
ing with the red man and the wilderness.
n Down the River.
On board the Northern Light,
Aug. II, 1857,
cDIToR-l left Niningcr some ten days ago on
Iowa, and am now within u hundred miles Of
on my return. We sweep along at II tine rate
bic steamer, taking into account the low state
er, and the many insidious sand bars our pilots
old. Indeed, it is Il wonder to me how such
can thread their ways safely along a cl,anne1
20 shallow, and subject to such variation as
Mississippi at low water. Our boat, as |
is the largest Of the packets that run to ST.
e50 feet in length, and broad in proportion
&fll the Galena river as we came down from
blena, its high decks projecting far above
De stream.
pna deserves the praise of doing IA grea,
capital. 1t is one place, in this degener
s9kKN~orld that does not, unfortunately, belle
Our boat had an inviting and comfortable look
~,e1ything seemed clean and neat, the table is very good
hd all hands were attentive and ~obliging. Capt. Lod-
iick, though | have something against him for not land
4g ne at Ninnger, which l mean to settle, not by abuse,
by telling him, plainly his excuse was one that an
-.c!ent and obi'gihg officer shou0 Lave teen ashamed
q offer. In other respects l found Capt. Loawick to be
gcntlemanly and attentive commander, who seemed to
the respect and good will Of all his passengers.
to him and his boat, but the next time he must
g when | want to stop at Nininger, or | will take
bat ] have said.
N md the towns along the river all rather dull-not
= Business doing, nor very much building going on.
feel, to some extent, the partial paralysis that
ack the country generally this season ; some of
T. 4aces, which have grown too rapidly, like mash
r. seem to the passer by to feel the pressure most
Ml5 y. They have been seized with u languor such
takes an overgrown boy-there is more size than
q about them But a few years time, and the
81 ul influence of struggling and effort will cure and
% hen them. l must say that in proportion to its
a age, your own town, Nininger, is one of the most
$ aud prosperous looking places I have seen ; |
now but it is the most so, if the number aud char
n the buildings going up be a true criterion of your
and go-ahead character.
4 Buaue and Davenport have both improved consid-
since | saw them one year ago. They are prom
places, and | doubt not, will have a steady growth
armament importance. The former is the larger
~ ost city-like place, and is likely to keep the lead
~ eition it has taken. One grand improvement [
r. "a there-a new hotel almost twice the size of the
. House, St. Paul, and about to be opened. The
lice, I see, has been removed To large and commo-
Rooms near the bluff, on the principal street lead
= lex from the river.
enport is the prettier place of the two l have
liked the site Of that place its grand ascent from
Yer, the noble and graceful swell Of the bluffs, the
6cent view of the river and surrounding country it
together with the charming country by which it
: ircled. Both places have excellent steam ferries,
ri boats passing from shore to shore every few min
Jas | crossed on those boats | thought Of the little
/ 6hpne-horse apology of an affair that does the agre, IA
y the mark to persons wanting to cross the
4 As St. Paul. The last time [ crossed at the latter
lice ] was afraid the putting, snorting creature, IN its
.forts to do its best, would bust his biIer' outright, and
would be the last Of it, which you know would
Dc a serious loss to the community.
Between Dubuque and Davenport | passed over some
i the finest country | have ever seen. | had crossed
= xsw-ntry hi thsI~ road a year h1afosa: and Il the
ne had to stop the carriagt time and again to gaze at
the magnifcence and exquisite beauty Of the far-swelline
green Of the prairies, interrupted here and there BY
improved farms bearing golden crops. 4 second
Of the country but confirms my former impress
sions, AMI il is nos SO well settled and improved that
richly laden with crops, border The road almost
everywhere, presenting to the eye less OF nature M
shorn beauty, but more evidences Of human prosp 1fi;e.
Gnlenty, health, and happiness. 1t Was mid-l,arvt-t IL
kpver the reglon--reapers Were 10 DE seen and
Ff< EE~ffattling in almost every wheat field, aud better
WI ~ Nh%'- l. ~H'oA = ~ H"t"' In ''Nr
places were too heavy to hold UP their heads, and
had tn be used to cut them where they were most
Iowa is a great agricultural State; hard TO beat.
~, after having prospccted quite q nnmh"r Ut is
les pretty thoroughly.
i'm Davenport l went up to lie Claire, sone II Or
Hles distant. The place is small, but has gained
importance from being at the head Of the rapids,
ming about Rock Island or u little above. 1t is quite
BE for the lumber business. Logs are often sold
at q reasonable price rather than run the risk OF
the sale Of them altogether by hayip9stIle RATS
Efo pieces upon the scraggcd rocks projecting from
tream a little below the town. Two or three fine
saw mills are busy at work in the place, and are
q lucrative business. Another important feature
BE little town is, that it contains q place for draw
put and repairing steamboats,, of all sizes, and Is the
hest point up the river where such work can be done.
noticed the Equator, Il boat that plies up and down
Minnesota, ana two other boots, there for repairs
/ winter several Of the Galena Packets laid there all
time, getting ready to start at the earliest moment
Ipring. The place contains about 1900 people, and
Readily increasing in population, though not rapidly
from LeClaire, | took the packet for Galena, passing
Clinton, Fulton, Lyons, and several other not very
ely towns on the way. Clinton has done well, how
er ; it is only about two years old-has built up rap
y-has a railroad running west to Dewitt, the capita
Clinton Co, and bids fair to be upon an important
ilroad if the road is extended, as the citizens Of the
lace expect it to be. The place seems to be now lying
Pmparatively quiet-like many other places, waiting fol
better time:
We went slowly up the river it was night, and
kas asleep when we crawled up the Galena or Fever
liver. We then had to lay over fill twenty-four hours
Ehen We started Tor St. Paul on til" N"''h~~~ I +A-
Lodwick.
We have been compelled to travel rather slowly OF
Of low water. The weather is fine, and the loae
Of passengerspretty full. At Winona we found a Siou.
Indian, with ms wife, two children, in a canoe, watching
to tah passage on our boat. They carried their traps
on bodl, ginning, evidently tickled at the idea of being
carried along 50 rapidly, in such a large canoe, and one
such big paddles as ours had. The Indians canoe
was made by following out a log, and must be taken or
board, too, One of the deck hauds, in attempting t
skll in polling the canoe up the side of th'
wriggkd from side to side, i'll trying to kceI
balahted, until at l~st he upset, and wa.
ncontibently into the rivcr, to the amusement
bole crowd: +. DIS S.
To Correspondents.
eli>ha Nhow, Potslam, St. Lawrence County
G believe a change is about being made in th'
fansemcnts at this place. There is a good op