The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-06-13
(Prom the Chicago Democrat Press.)


is essential that we should have a definite
and comprehensive knowledge as to the ex
tent and the resources, the climate and the
general character of the country that is trib-
utary to it, md of which it is and must be
the commercial metropolis. We heard while
at St. Paul intelligent eastern gentlemen
give very disparaging opininions of the city
and speak in no guarded terms of the will
spiri, OF speculation which they averred had
siezed all classes of her people. Now we
are not quite sure that our St. Paul friends
are not justly chargable with entertaining
rather extravegant notions, and in the cant
language of the day be ng ga fast genera
tion," and We should be sorry to foster ex-
travagance or speculation in any form but
We propose to examine the geographical po-
sition of st. Paul somewhat infinitely and
perchance some of our eastern friends above
referred to, may he induced to modify, per-
haps to change their opinions.
st. Paul is built mainly on plateau, near
~ one hundred feet above the Mississippi.
with beautiful range Of hills in the rear,
affording some of the finest sites for private
residences that can be found in the Missis-
sippi Valley. 1t contains from eleven to
twelve thousand inhabitants and there is
degree of activity and hustle about its streets
that remind one of Chicago as much or more
perhaps than any other place we can think
of in the west. Seven years ago we were
there and the whole number of houses could
be told in few dozens and now there art
more substantial brick stores, with some
stone, elegant buildings, and beautiful resi-
dences in st. Paul than there were in Chi
cago nine years ago when it was our fortune
to cast our in this goodly city. Had We
in the meantime lived in some finished east
ern city and for the moment been transport
ed to St. Paul, We could scarcely have be-
lleved it possible, that SO much substantial
progress had been made in the short space
of seven years.
There are three wide awake, spicy daily
papers in st. Paul, which, both for typogrph-
ical execution and the editorial ability with
which they are conducted are an honor to
the city. The leading hotel is the Fuller
House, which for the elegance of its furn-
ture its immense pr oportlons and the nun.
her OF guests it can accommodate, will near
~ If not quite equal our own fremont, and
the kind and polite attentions of the Messrs.
Long make ono feel perfectly at home. The
Winslow and the American are also both ex-
cellent houses, and there are several others
whose names we do not remember. As a
specimen of the manufacturers of St. Panl
we advise strangers to step into the bank
ing office of Truman NJ. Smith, Esq. His
counters are marble and for elegance of de
sign and beauty of finish it is probably the
best piece of workmanship of the kind in
the United States. With some score OF
steamers arriving and departing daily, the
levee of St. Paul presents lively and bust
ling appearance. Every street, and every
thing exhibits the greatest degree of activity
and thrift.
We might fill column in describing the
building and other improvements of St.
Paul, but we leave that to the enterprisine
journals of that city. AS an outsider, VIII,
has not one CENTS direct interest in her pros.
perity or adversely, several facts have occnr.
red to US which may help others to form O
correct estimnte of her future prospects.
st. Paul is situated at the head Of nav
lgation on the Mississippi, and as such holds
the key to the country above it. 1t is true
that boats that can reach St. Paul, can al
ways 60 up to Mendoza or Fort Smelling
some six or eight miles above, at the mouth
Of the Minnesota River, and perhaps one OF
both of these places might have afforded a
more natural, and it may be more eligible
location for the CITY but it too late now to
think of that. St. Paul has obtained an ov-
ershadowing commercial Importance, which.
nothing can resist. At st. Paul steamer.
will always change their cargoes to Lighter
draueht vessels, as they are only capable
of navigating the NJ nnesota. 1t is the fact
tina, St. Paul, like Chicago, stands at the
head of navigation, and hss a large and high
ly favored region tributary to her that gives
her sagacous citizens confidence in her fu-
ture commercial supremacy. Let us take a
good map and spread it out before us-for
without it all descriptions must be vague
and indefinite-and see what that country u.s.
In the first place, trace up the valley OF
the Mi nesOta-on the old maps called St.
Peter-to the source of that beautiful river.
1t is navigable for small, light draugbt steam
ers, four hundred and fifty miles above St.
Paul. For richness and beauty, we can
speak from personal observation, that for
nearly two hundred miles it has few if any
superiors in the North Wesl, and we learn
that throughout the entire valley some five
or six hundred milese, the country is mos,
excellent. We are satisfied that this mag
nficent valley, alone, will sustain popula-
ton Of from half a million to m lion.
Now trace up the Mississippi sor twelve
or fifteen hundred miles and its tributaries,
the Rum, the Crow Wing and other smaller
rivers to their source. With slight obstruc-
tions not difficult to be overca me, the Mis-
sissippi is navigable above the Falls of St.
Anthony from seven hundred to thousand
miles. A large portion of this widely eX-
tended country is beautiful and exceedingly
fertile, and capable of sustaining dense pop.
ulation. On these upper branches of the
Mississippi are almost exhaustless groves OF
the finest pine, which for scores of years
will be source Of immense wealth. Nor
should it be forgotten that all these valleys
are settling very rapidly with the cream OF
western m;gration-earnest, intelligent en-
terprisng men--who plant schools and
churches wherever they go, and lay broad
and deep the foundations of healthy, Wig
Orous, christian civilization.
Nor are these valleys all or even moiety
of the rich territory, which will be largely
tributary to st. Paul. Trace the magnif-
cent valley of the Red River of the North
far onward to Lake Winnipeg. Do not i'm
agine that perpetual winter or any thing like
it, spreads chilling. winding sheet over the
valley of this noble river, navigable for stea-
mers for more than thousand m,ies. The
climatic lines bend fac away northward as
they turn the western point of Lake Supe-
rior, SO that it is probably as warm in the
valley of the Saskatchewan in latitude tiift--
five degrees north, as it is in Chicago. We
getables and most of the coarse grains
flourish finely in the valley Of the he'd River,
and all agree that ,tnp so,ris rich and fertile
and tbaiis - capable of sustaining dense
and highly prosperous population.
Yet more. North of the United States
and east of the Rocky Mountains in the yallev
of the Saskatchewan, the Assia;Sotm, around
Lake Winnipeg and ,hs great Slave Lake, is
an immeGSa aud highly fertile country, e.
nougpp to form a score of powerful States,
sorn to be opened to Anglo-Saxoa develop
ment and energy, and vast multitude of in.
telligent Christian saen will ere long 90 in
an posseSs this goodly land. Congress has
made provision by munificent grant of LAID
to baild a railway from St. Paul, fsa onward
toward this immense region, and highly
responsible company oftAe best men in Min
nesota have vuoeriaken to complete it. The
t;sVetser from the valleys of the Minnesota,
the Upper Mississippi, the Red river Of the
North, and the vast fertile country far on
ward toward thenorthern sea, and from the
immense region east of Puoet's Sound will be