Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-10-16
From tho CAioago Press and Tribune, Of Oct L.

| Sound, or Frazer's River, as one which at no
distant day is to be an important avenue OF
travel and traffic. The excitement in rela-
ton to the Frazer River gold mines has brought
| the public interest upon the subject, excited
by discussion of the HudsOn's Bay COmpa-
ny's claims, to head, and elected many facts
going to show the importance and feasibility
of the route in question. We make small ac-
count of the gold discoveries on Frazer's River,
so far as mere mining is concerned; yet their
effect, in leading to thorough exploration OF
the route thither from st. Paul, in planting a
powerful colony in British Columbia, and CIV
ing the coup de grace to the lettering monopo-
ly of the Hudson's Bay Company, can be
hardly overrated.
The people of Minnesota naturally feel a
warm interest upon the subject, and with
good reason. For a number of years the
merchants of st. Paul have enjoyed quite a
| trade with Pembina, or the Red River Settle
ment, in spite of the efforts of the Hudson's
Bay Company to throw obstacles in its way,
and that trade is rapidly increasing from year
to year. AS showing the progress of improve
ment in the Red River Valley, we may again
mention the fact that among the purchases of
the traders from Pembina last year were sew
eral reaping- machines, indicating that agricul-
ture has made considerable progress there.
In the natural course of things, the four him.
dred miles of territory between st. Paul and
Pembina will before many years be occupied
fiourishing settlements and by that time a
railroad will have taken the place of the OK
teams and exclusively wooden carts of the
| Pembina trains. When these changes shall
have been effected, it is easy to see that Yam
kee industry and enterprise will bear rule in
the Red River Valley, and that a very impor-
tant trade resulting therefrom will centre at
| St. Paul.
This valley, as already shown, is on the d.
rect route to Puget Sound, and opens by easy
| access into that of the Saskatchewan, contin-
| uing on in the same direction-both together
| embracing some 10000 square miles of ter
ritory of rich soil, well adapted to settlement
The climate also is much milder than in the
| same latitude on the eastern coast the iso-
thermal lines curving northwestward at so de-
cided an angle that the temperature at Puget
Sound is as mild in winter as in Philadelphia
Proceeding onward from the Saskatchewan
Valley, there is some rough country Before
reaching the Pacific, but it's most rugged por-
tons furnish no parallel to the mountainous
passes of the Rocky Mountains on the more
southern routes to the Pacific, and wood and
water are generally abundant, to say nothing
of a profusion of game
We make reference to the advantages which
the country Presents for settlement for the
greater portion of the distance between Min
nesota and the Pacific, for tho obvious reason
that without settlements the route could never
become important as an avenue of travel ond
| traffic A few hundred or few thousand
gold-hunting adventures may indeed pass
over it while the Frazer River excitement
lasts, but that will do little toward benefting
any portion of the country, The desdera-
tum now is, to advance a line of settlements
through the fertile valleys of the Red and the
| Saskatchewan Rivers, and as much farther
northwestward as possible, as the only means
of ultimately securing railroad over which
the trade of the Pacific and possibly that of
| China and Japan may find it's way to the
heart of the continent and the marts of the
| Atlantic coast.
The importance of the Northwestern route
to the Pacific is appreciated at the South as
we'll as the North. The advocates of the
Southern Pacific Railroad are now fully salts
fed, though they do not formally admit, that
their scheme is impracticable. Upon either
of the middle routes that are practicable, in
Guiding that via the South Pass, it is pretty
certain that no railroad will be built for sew
cral years, for the obvious reason that there
will be no money in the federal treasury for
the purpose even if Congress could be induced
thus to appropriated it, and that after the dis
astrous experiences of the revulsion, private
1
The Northwestern route, therefore, is that
over which railroad is first to be built, and
glance at the geography of the country and
the experience of travellers is sufficient to
show that it must Immediately connect with
| the Minnesota system. Our British and Can
adam friends talk of carrying a road straight
through the Hudsons Bay Company's posses
sions, so as to connect immediately with the
Grand Trunk Railway, thus forming an I'M
| broken line between the Atlantic and Pacific
| coasts; but the project is clearly imprac-
ticable The desolate and broken character
of the country for large portion of the route
must forever preclude continuous settlement
the indispensable requisite to railway sue
ceSs-even if the road could be built under
any circumstances, which we greatly doubt
AT best, the construction of railroad to the
Pacific through the valleys of the Red and
the Saskatchewan Rivers will require consid-
cradle time. When completed, it will be i'm
mediately tributary to the Minnesota system
of roads, and indirectly connect with the
Canadian Railways and the ST. Lawrence
through Lake Superior during the season of
navigation.
1t is worthy of note in this connection, that
the Hudson's Bay Company have practically
recognized the Importance of the route indi-
Gated as the one which is hereafter to draw
to itself the great current of travel and traffic
A St Paul paper lately announced the arrival
in that city of Sir GEORGE SIMPSON, for long
time Governor of the Hudson's Bay Com
pany's possessions, together with the Right
Hon. EDWARD ELLIcE, a member of the Brit
ish Parliament for Coventry, and formerly