The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-10-24


4 lovely morning in September found my
If and a party OF five gentlemen ready for a
art to the valley of the Sauk River, and
lie surrounding country. Well provided
it'll plenty ofprovisions and every other re-
.iSite necessary to make us comfortable, we
# st. Paul with strong anticipations OF
easant journey. Having decided on taking
70 hat may be termed the inland route, we
lon reached the ferry at Fort Smelling, hay
g found the road thither none of the best;
81 hie the descent to the river was very steep,
not positively dangerous for a heavily load
team. However, we reached the river in
tety, and having crossed over, found the
ad up almost as bad as the road down
help Of yoke of oxen, VIC assembled
plain above, jogging along by
ID road, with here and there an excep-
n, until we reached the Minnesota River
place called Bloomington, from which
10. road to Shackopee was, for the most
t, very sandy. Bloomington does not
pear to grow very fast, and very much
u ibt if it will ever be a rival of St. Paul, or
of Shaakopee. Being very heavily
led We were not able to reach the latter
,e until nearly eight o'clock and. as soon
possible after supper, we retired to our
- ches, which were hard enough, in all con-
nee, for bona fide anchorite in fact,
lid much rather have slept in the
n, ou lock Of hay. We were all placed
in bed, and yet, for such accommoda-
5, and 4 very indifferent supper, we
charged one dollar EACH
he next morning we departed before
s'r ise, and reached Carver in time for
kfast. This was a tolerable one, and
er too poor L thought for the price,
h was half a dollar. There is no sort of
IT that if the tavern keepers on the Min
ia River know nothing else, AMI they
Sac ldepts in the art Of charging.
aaving Carver we plunged into the Big
w IDS; and here our troubles commenced,
he road being a very narrow one, and
csc, shadowed for the most part by trees,
e travelling was very slow and disagrcea-
now tumbling over stumps and now
ng almost to the hub in mud of most
.c sive nature. SO slow was our progress
q, we were compelled to camp about two
this side OF Young America, not having
-.a much over twenty miles. The soil in
woods is cf great depth, and of an ex-
ngly rich character, and the prevailing
~: Jar is oak, sugar-inaple, elm, linden and
'eoa- ona!ly hickory and black walnut.
iae next day was repetition of the last,
5ni, that the mud holes were deeper and
,.ois numerous than before. We passed
o.. gh Young America early in the morn
nd found it was growing fast, and
val robably become quite smart little
p,....
vas almost dark before Glencoe was
reacl, d, SO that we had only passing glance
a -l Improvements which have taken place
sin' ny last visit, about eight months ago.
-,,7cver, enough was seen to prove that
l'iancoe is a growing town, and learned the
I5l.t iay that it has about doubled in build
ing. I'd population within year past.
next day proved to be SO rainy that
we ought it best not to proceed any far
thc- nd the consequence was, that We spent
r.tueI dull time, not being able to go out
ci doors, and no amusements of any kind
could be obtained within. Unfortunately
tpo parcel of pamphlets [ had put up for
tLo .I , was found to be among the missing;
q mere was no help for it but to call up all
TIC p..ilosophy we could muster, and, al
= e "a long one, the day finally wore away,
81 %. its close the western sky gave prom
Sc q, "a glorious morrow"
prognosticatiOn was verified, and the
~ orning we started for Harms City, and
.. for Hutchinson, reaching the latter
"; 4 the evening Harms is situated on
d. - or Marian Lake, a pretty sheet of
y -r about three miles long. This place
grows 'ety slowly, but there is good house
there now kept as hotel, but which un-
'tr-'and, Is now deserted for fear of the In.
dams. a very silly fear by the by. There is
con able improvement visible at Hutch
~, ut not so much as expected to have
.,tl
sc campcd, and the next morning start
"a e-iy and passing over very bad road,
reached Red Cedar City, where found just as
may buses as were to be. seen last year;
that exactly one! Nothing appears to be
doi1. ere, and in fact it is a miserable locs.
tior, thing around but sloughs and swamps.
anc Taat could have induced any one to Law
0ilr > iovn here | can scarcely imagine. The
co .'niry is low and decidedly uninteresting,
end it vas quite relief to get out oft.
'toce edng in northwestern direction
We ,ooa came to higher and drer lands, and
IA ,l vo or three lakes, which were by no
means pretty or interesting as they had for
tie no,s part marshy borders and muddy
bottoms Small groves break up the monot-
ony Of he landscape, which Improves as We
advance. A stray log cabin is occasionally
soea. ju- as general thing the country is
wholly unsettled between Red Cedar and
u.smoal Lakes. At the latter town has
u-eG '4,d out; but with the exception of one
a".-.er / could see no appearance of growth
~ uprovement. Diamond Lake is a pretty
sheet 90 water, but the country around is
'".! 'l. ien and full Of sloughs, and there is
on'y h'aited supply Of timber
About five miles farther. on lies Cornelian
hsSe. st east this is tie name at its eastern
extremity, while Green Lake is its ccgnomcn
at the Western 1t is certainly foolish bu-
siaess to have Two names for one lake. .,d :,
IS Amos. equally foolish to repeat the same
name in the same territory. AS there is at
least one other Cornelian and one other
Green Lake in Minnesota, the best thing the
people at both ends can do is to agree upon
some new name, and thus avoid the confu-
son which must otherwise ensue But by
Whatever name this lake may be called it is
4 very fire one, being abnut six or seven
miles in length and between five and six in
width. The main fork of Crow River comes