The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-04-04
(From the Faribault Herald.)
The Boundaries of MINNESOTA. Il

(From the Faribault Herald)
The Boundaries of TTflillesOta. lA9a
In the article published in your PAPER 0
last week, an attempt was tfiatfe to shoT from
tie map that the State Of Minnesota, is Dr.
posed by Congress, WITH the north isa sontl
line, would in point OF regularity ard c,n
pactness OF form possess decided sula,. j.
Ority over the State proposed to be prmeo
by an east and west division. as y-elg IL over
a large majority of the States now TN the
| Unioli. 1t is unnecessary to en!e. ujF1.l aay
lengthy discussion to prove the ,ob.pi in
portance of this geograp hical fact. We viii
only say, by way at once OF iitustr8 zion and
argument, that the same convenience and
economy which would render it desirable
that a farm should lie i'll a 'ompaet tqriu
2 m'SsS tt Of! ,9nsl5 he g.sged a. f. # tie
graphical fact is established, and any man
who doubts it can refer to the map Cor him
self, were no other reasons to be offered in
behalf of the north and south line, this alone
would be sufficient to demonstrate its supe-
riority in the absence of other prevailing
considerations. We might stop here and ask
the friends of different line to produce
those considerations, and if they failed to do
so the balance would be against them. But
waving the advantage and all logical rights
let us endeavOr to asc rtain as near as may
be, what kind of State an east and west d.
vision would give us. The eastern portion
lying between the Mississippi and Big Sioux
rivers has been thoroughly explored under
the authority of the United States govern
ment. 1t is also generally known that a
large portion of that tract of country has
been tested by actual settlement and i'm
provement No citation of authorities is
needed to show that so far as agricultural
capacity is concerned it is superior to any
other equal extent of territory within the
limits of Minnesota. While the prairie pre-
dominates there is tolerable supply both of
wood and water, except west of the Blue
Earth river, beyond which, according to the
report OF travellers and the field notes of the
Mendoza and Big Sioux road, open prairie
prevails to the almost entire exclusion of
timber. We are not aware that any official
exploration of the country between the Big
Sioux and Missouri rivers has been made
The researches of Nicollet, Capt. Pope and
Robert Dale Owen, were entirely confined
to the section lying to the north and east
Our only sources of information are the ac-
counts given by travellers who have passed
across the country or up the Missouri,
and by hunters and Indian traders. The
Information is meagre but if it be objected
to on that account, the only question is
whether We had better act by such light as
we have, or because that light is dim and
imperfect, utterly refuse its assistance g.
Sunlight is better than moonlight, but moon
licut is better than darkness. SO far as we
have been able to ascertain, all accounts
agree in representing the region between
the Big Sioux and the Missouri, to he very
poorly supplied with water and wood. AS
usual, the margins of the rivers are skirted
with narrow frin2cs of timber, while the
balance of the country is prairie without the
portions Of tue Territory. So far as can be
gathered from the narrative of the United
States expedition and the harmonious testi-
mony of travellers, the valley of the Missou-
ri is SO sandy as to be almost worthless, and
the section adjacent both on the Nebraska
and Minnesota side is of similar character
On the Nebraska side the "Mauvasc Terre,"
or Bad Lands" are situated, and it would
seem that they extend from the Black Hills
on the west to or near the base of the
"Coteau DIES Praires," or ''Prairie Hills" on
the east side of the Missouri We have
been informed by gentleman OF intelli-
gence and ability now living on the Mime
sofa river who has resided upon the Big
Sioux three years, and has been at great
pains, by personal survey and travel as well
as by inquiry to collect information on this
subject that the surface of the country west
OF the Big Sioux is extremely broken, that
there is a remarkable scarcity Of water and
timber amounting almost to restitution, that
the valleys of tie Big Sioux and James riv-
els and the highest lands upon the elevated
p!atcaus possess rich and fertile soil, while
the slopes and the balance of the country
generally, produce a short, stunted bunch
grass three or four inches high, the surface
OF the gI ound being covered with what he
describes as broken slate. After residence
of nearly thirty years in the territory, and
extensive travels over the greater part of it,
the same gentleman gives it as his opinion
that the tract lying between the Big Sioux
and the Missouri is the poorest part of
Minnesota without exception.
To speak Of the commercial advantages Of
tie East and West line State, we should
have on the East the navigation of the Miss
issippi, on the West the uncertain, difficult
and dangerous navigation of the Missouri,
and the limited navigation of the Minneso-
ia, Big Sioux and James rivers in the interior.
Except at St. Anthony and St. Croix
Falls, we find generally admitted and re-
GREETED deficiency of water power in the
southern part of the Territory. We have,
then, upon the whole, by an East and West
division, State embracing within its boun-
diaries the finest agricultural portion of the
Territory upon the East, and on the West
the poorest. We have the navigation of the
Mississippi, of which it is unnecessary to
speak, as everybody knows it to be of very
great value. If we can believe accounts, the
Missouri, Big Sioux and James rivers flow
through region which furnishes no mate
rails for an extensive commerce, even if the
rivers themselves were adapted to it. We
are not aware that any other resources than
those enumerated, are claimed for the East
and West line State. To repeat the ques-
ton with which we set out. what kind of a
state does that line give us The answer
must be, an almost exclusively agricultural
State.
Now let us inquire, on the other hand,
what kind of state the North and South line
would give US. 1t will be recollected that
the southern part of this line, as proposed
by the Enabling Act of Congress, runs a
few miles East Of the general course of the
Rio Sioux river So that II omhraces the