The emigrant aid journal of Minnesota. [volume] (Nininger City, Minn. Terr. [i.e. Minn.]) 1856-1858, 1858-01-13
For tho Emigrant Aid Journal.


It may not be known to your readers East, how our
away from the towns and cities, pass their winter
months to make them pleasant. A week ago | was
invited to spend a day with a friend residing in the Yer
Valley, and embraced the opportunity to sec
farm life in a Minnesota winter. The weather was JUS
such as to make a few hours ride agreeable, and a little
snow would have made the roads equally SO. Bur
in spite of the Eastern accounts the weather has not
been cold, nor the snow deep enough to cover the earth.
After getting on the prairie, the immense waste before
US, scarce broken by q settlement, seemed to speak Of
a d~esolation that had fallen upon the land that was so
in beautiful flowers and carolliug birds a few
dead grass that covered the bare ground or p~rotruded
through the thin patches of snow which had withstood
the warm rays Of the sun, and the dead silence was un-
broken by even the tiniest insect. 1t might have been
grand with an entire ~spotless covering; but there was
no poetry in the sedgy patches Of ground, or the twist
ed limbs of the few stunted oaks that broke the expanse.
I How uninviting thought we, az we hurried along as
fast as the nature of the road would permit, to the point
of our destination. Even the fences, which we began
to approach, made the gloom deeper, Invested of the
rich treasures which they were placed there to guard.
And now we are at the door of our friends log cabin.
A cheerful welcome from him, and the noisy greetings
Of TIL. children, in which the house animals all took part,
unrepressible BY the subdued admonitiops of the good
dame, told hew gladly they met their ~neighbors, and at
once made me feel at home.
!. A cheerful happipesaspevvaded the whole scene now.
The duties Of the field were over, and the ~profusion OF
their rich gifts heaPed in the barn, store house and eel.
lar, and ID fssacks around the premises, plainly showed
the iparto5pariictyy 81 the rest which the fields we're p~artaking.
# An hour's chat with the host made me acquainted
with the success of the summers work. BY which they
had q large supply of stores for man and beast, and to
exchange for other necessaries. The plans for the future
were explained, and the. calculations entered into, that
would consummste the hopes with which they began
their life in the wilds Of Minnesota 4oa ,isol b hta
! Bysshis time the evening meal was ready, for which
the drive over the prairie had given me an appetite al
most. voracious. After partaking Of the. ,substantials
and ,daipties 80 nicely prepared By the lady Of the house,
the neverfailing accompanied out; West-a good smoke
was INDUCED in. I spoke aofsthe absence Of neigh
pbors, and inquired about the intellectual training Of the
children. = inforned that they had . good school
house, an excellent teacher, and an, attendance of up
wards Of twenty scholars They he'd social Gathering
weekly, and ~nsighbors were near enough to make visits
Of easy occurrence. I was then informed that they bad
. Lycepm ip successful operation, which met that even
ing at the school house. .ab7eH AiofysHs
At the hour for meeting !. accompanied my host to
the school house, something less than q mile distant
onlentsripg Ne found : room we'll flled with the enter.
p,risi1ig settlers Of that beautiful valley, and With them
Their wives assS sotpe Of the young folks. Ar interest.
ing caodhhSvear alton vas partaken 70 BY All present, showing
the intellectual character Of the people. Punctpal u
the bour, the President, John Mckay, Esq, called the
nesting to ordes.nsA After some preliminary business
c~o6necsed With the society, the question for discussion
that evening vas stated It was in relation TO- the en-
tire freedom Of the public lands, in limited quantities,
to actual settlers For two hours the subject was dis.
cusssd in a mastery ~nahder; almost every man in tIe
room had something '~pssllgipent 70 say, and ~ betrayed
elear understanding Jof the subject, and showed they
had read and studied the matter as peculiarly affecting
their interest. The decision according the lands to thu
settle. IS his right, free Of al demands, except for nc
tnai ezpenss incarred for surveying, registering. and th'
|liksj WAS emphatic, and 90 would II be through the West
and Also TIL. whole nation,i if once submitted to tht
opinion Of Tie people .sasss a.ssN
The mental sxsssisn produced . e~patifying s6aes