The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-02-14
From the Chicago Democratic Press.
Climate and Resources Of the North
Western Territory. &sskt

CH1m0t6 ana kGe0Oufe0o Oh tm0 NORM
! Western Territory. 'ks
The readers of the Press have on various
occasions had an opportunity of perusing the
evidence of travellers, tourists and others
relative to the climate and resources of the
Northwestern Territory. But as the pub
lie have long been led to believe that it is a
region fit only for the habitations of Indians
halfbreeds, and acclimated trappers, any ad.
ditional testimony of reliable nature, that
will remove the false impression, cannot fail
to be interesting.
We have already published letter from
Prof Blodget, the celebrated climatologist
on the climate of the Northwest, wherein
he demonstrated that the lowness of tenn
perature in that region was counteracted by
the dryness and clearness of the atmosphere.
In more recent letter to the N. Y. Tribune,
the same gentleman says:
"On the west side of the Rocky Noun
tains, at Alexandria, Fort George, and Fort
James Oh Frazer's River 524 to 52aa degrees
north, wheat is grown abundantly; tits raised
with profit at Fort Lion, in latitude 60 deg.
min north, longitude l22 deg. west, OH the
sources of the Mackenzie; and il barely
comes to maturity at Fort Simpson on the
Mackenzie, latitude 90 degrees; the absolute
! limit of the cereals here being the 81 tn par
allel.
Of Indian corn "a profitable crop can be
chewan) in Rupert's Land" "Garden cul-
ILL
extend its cultivation here even higher than
in England" Other grains are noticed as
being cOrrespondingly extended; barley go
ing farthest as in Europe. The prairie
slope, narrowing as it goes north, runs out
at the Goth parallel" Oaks, elms, naples,
tie Virginian clematis, &c. 60 to the 54th
and 5jth parallels, and beyond these lie the
dark belt Of spruce and evergreen forest.
The area of what may be called the new
| or unknown region Of the Northwest is not
less than ten degrees of latitude by twenty
four of longitude; lat. Il deg. to 81 deg, and
lon. l04 deg. to 1913 deg. on its southern
border. 1t lies in rhomboid form, parallel
to the bend in the Rocky Mountains, and
the Pacific coast. 1t is as large as all the
country tributary to the Baltic in Europe,
north of the tiftieth parallel, and though
more broken by mountains, it has immense
habitable areas, and cannot fail ultimately
to develop resources and measure of COM
mercial importance which would appear ex-
travagant if stated now"
In addition to the above, we extract from
Mr.. Ryerson's letters on the Hudson Bay
Territory, description of points along the
route from Lake Superior to Lake Winnipeg
and which We mentioned few days since
as now being explored by Capt. Kennedy.
poG RIVER.
We were three hours crossing the Lac du
Chen or Dog Lake; on the other side we
entered beautiful river of the same name,
up which we padded for two hours, when
we stopped to ta'ie dinner,
| The land is beautiful, rich and we'll TIM
bered on both sides of this river for the dis
lance of more than twenty-five miles from
! its mouth. A most delightful settlement
could be formed here, and if the Hudson's
Bay Company would encourage it, 10 doubt
p. it would be formed in very short time
Along the banks Of the river Du Chen l
noticed the first Norway pine that had
seen since coming into the territory; it was
generally of the middling size, very straight
and free from knots.
THE HEIGHT OF LAND.
This day at Ave O'Clock, P. NJ, we reached
the Sayan or Swamp Portage, the height of
land between Fort William and York Depot
1t is between three and four miles long, and
a continuous cedar swamp from one end to
the other, and is therefore very properly
named the saraa or scamp portage. This
portage is the dividing ridge between the
lakes Superior and Winnipeg, and lies $40
feet above them, and 1888 feet above the
sea. In going from Lake Superior to these
high lands of swamps, which separates the
waters flowing into Hudson's Bay from those
flowing into Lake Superior, you ascend $40
feet and from thence to Lake Winnipeg you
descend S53 feet: and from Lake Winnipeg
to York Depot, at Hudson's Bay, you de-
scend $50 feet more; making the whole de-
scent from Sayan Portage to York Depot,
,GS3 feet.
| LAC-LA-PLCIE RIVER,
The Lac-La-Pluie river is a magnificent
stream of water; it is decidedly the most
beautiful river Of any have seen since COM
ing into the Territory. 1t has rapid current
and is about quarter of mile wide; its
noble banks are covered with the richest
foliage of every hue; the trees along them
are large and more varied than any have
yet seen; ash. poplar, cedar, and white
pines, oak and birch, and an abundance of
flowers Of gaudy and variegated colors every
where beautify the scene. Large quantities
of as rich and fine land as is to be found in
America, also lie along on both banks ofthis
splendid river. The climate is also very fine
and as thriving settlement of agricultur-
alists and trades-people could be formed here
as are found in Canada.
LAKE OF THE WOODS.
At IL o'clock We reached the mouth of the
Lac-La Pluie river, which empties itself into
ac-Du-Bois, or Lake of the Woods, as it is
now frequently called. The Lake of the
Woods is a splendid sheet of water sixty
, eight miles in length, and from fifteen te
, twenty FIVE miles in breadth dotted all ovel
with hundreds of beautiful islands, many o.
which are covered with heavy and luxuriant
foliage.
, THE RAT PORTAGE.
) There is splendid fall in the water at the
Rat Portage. The waters from Lac-La-Pluie
Lac-Du-Bois, and their tributary streams art
all here gathered into narrow channel no
more than six rods wide, and hurled over q
precipice between thirty and forty feet higl
t with most terrific and crashing violence.
stood looking at the jumping, leaping, ant
foaming waters, and listening to their thun