The emigrant aid journal of Minnesota. [volume] (Nininger City, Minn. Terr. [i.e. Minn.]) 1856-1858, 1858-05-05

THE EN- A n l
! Ihe city Of Nininger-lis Rise, Progress amd
+; PrOspec(s. ~
Nininger is situated on the west bank Of the Mississippi
ri rs miles below st. Pau. by water, amt II miles by
land, ~ifcrrying at Nininger J M9a gtp2aMA $3.50 Fl
Those who visit Mimi ger now and recollect the ap-
rearance of the landscape when they paused to admire
, it eighteen months ago viii surely exclaam, 'trutt Is
s,ral. ger than fiction Were not for the indelible i'm
preston made ON their minds by the rare beauty OF the
| location and it's pronincn, landmarks assuring them 1t
was the same spot, they could scarcely believe that i" SO
short a period Il thriving town Of seven hundred inlabl-
tauts could arise. where OH their previous visit they could
onlR discern TIVE lonely dwellings. Part OF this aston.
ishing progress, be it noted, has been realized during u
rcvu;sIou almost unparalleled, ana Willie other places
were stationary or .eiHngtading.
The natural advantages Of the spot rs a site for q
large city are such as could not long have been over
looked. 4 party Of shrcwd business men determined to
turn these natural advantages TO account, and went to
work in the right way. They sold building lots at cost
price to parties who joMMo hems Ices 6Y covenant to put
up a certain amount of improvements within two years,
or forfeit the lots. They gave due publicity to the pro-
ject, and as every lot scli at cost price would within
:wo years Gull forth a stipulated amount Of improve
mcn,s, the certainly of the town getting a good start
was beyond a doubt. TN his stipulated Improvements
ucre PIT up, 40 m,on ,rho bouyht at cost price could get u
legally p,tfct Tile Dred for his lots. Some lots were
reserved by the proprietors, and sold at high prices with.
out an improvement clause. The Deeds for these are
perfect.
1t is also the most accessible point to the vast tracts
of land of unsurpassed richness in the beautiful valleys
of the Cannon, Vermillon and Straight rivers. The
distance to the fouriShing tuwis back of Us is a. follows
cannon Falls l6 miles, Lewiston II, Waterford p,
Mortified %, Faribanlt 35, Rosemount 10, Lakeville
20, Shieldsville 80 miles.
The location of Niningcr is an admirable one for q
distributing river town. and the settlers in the fertile
valleys Of tae Vermiliion and Cannon rivers, and the
Cottage Grove district, congratulate each other on the
advent OF u river town at the precise point best suited
for their wants. We have already two Saw. mills and a
, Sash, Door an Blind Factory. All the machinery for
a FIRST rate new Grist mill is on the spot, and the mill
will so.,n be doing the farmers some service. There are
Carpenters, Plasterers, Biacksmiths, Wheelrights and
Shoemakers Grocery aud Dry Good stores, Stove and
Tin-ware and Hat, Cap, and Shoe stores. The Nininger
Lime is in high repute. On the additions to the town
there is frstrate clay for ~Brckmaking, and any COM
petent party commencing that business here soon should
succeed we'll. The building stone is excellent. There
! is abundance of timber for 6rewood near at hand, and we
learn that coal has been found about twenty miles south.
west. We have Schools and a Lyceum, and divine ser
vice every Sabbath by ~clergymen of the leading denom-
nations. Here the Em;yrunt Hid journal is publish.
cd. There arc favorable opportunities for parties to
commence business. A wholesale Grocery and Provis-
ion store a Foundry and Machine shop; an Agricul-
tural Implement Mandatory; a General Hardware
WI q AN'~A III AAROSHSNNH } - A~oOn
seller and Stationer u Hair Dresser ; a saddler
a Gunsmith, and y Forwarding and Commission estab-
Iishment are required, and many other businesses could
be established here with reasonable probability of sue
cess. During the season of navigation steam packets
pass the town daily. Building lots can be bought on
easy terms, 50 that persons Of moderate means can get
along with less capital than is required to settle at many
places where th.re is less work going on than at Mimi.
ger.
We doubt if there is another place in the whole coun-
49,. rLD : = ourlc10r ~ <~nIo t~< co~~ IN nj eI,
{ 80 lightly as is this town. If it did interfere with the
prosperity of the town somewhat, and stopped the pro:
gress of certain classes of business, its effect on the
spirits and hopes of the people was hardly perceived
They have kept busy-usefnlly cmployed-and enjoyed
3 themselves heartily, but temporarily. A regular weekly
dance has been kept up two evenings, in the fine large
room in fremont HaIl-the second one was started be-
cause the attendance was too large to allow many to ell.
joy it all they desired. Both Of them close precisely
al. II o'clock. 1t may be mentioned tc the credit OF
our town, and especially to their managers, that no
indulgence in spirituous liquors has taken place on any
occasion Of public festivity, there has, consequently
been no disturbance or rictous proceedings through all
Y the winter.
The past of a town is often an index Of it's future.
particularly where that )ast has depended on Internal
force and not ora fortuitogs circumstances. Where,
, however, q town has grown because it has been borne
up by the general advance of the country, and has had
no rivals to contend against, no argument is Furnished
for it's future succe g when arrayed against active ant
energetic FiValS.' IN Tue HlStCEy or NlnlnSer IL must u
observed that it has attained its present position in the
face of the opposition Of the then most prosperous town
in Minnesota Its strength has thus been thoroughly
tested. 1t has also been effected by the worst possible
condition Of monetary affairs, during the late crisis. l,
must therefore be borne in mind that our past career
has not been one Of easy and natural growth. We have
{ had to fight our way agai2s al kinds of obstacles, and
whatever We have achieved has been by perseverance,
and determinations n
What better pledge can We offer the newcomer for
our future than the mere rec I'll Of. these facts: Such u
crisis as that Of 1857 ia tot again expected to occur in
the next twenty years. The opposition we at first en-
countered is every day growing less.
Now let us examine what resources we have for the
I future.
r In the first place, we anticipate fairly and reasonably,
a proper share of that growth which it is hoped tht
coming spring will bring to the whule Of the great West
o In the next place, one material fact which initiated
< greatly against us in the past, will during the coming
spring be obviated, viz the opposition heretofore ex
perienced from the steamboats,. This will be removed
in two ways FIRST, by the fact that Nininger is now
made an advertised point at which the mail boats must
leave the mai, and it is the determination of many OF
cur citizens to take legal measures against the lnail con
tractors if they fail to perform their duty secondly
= our Town Council contc mplate at once extending thu
leyee TO I3assett's Landing, (which will at once remove
I all possible objections on the part of the steamboats, to
3 landing here, for it is a we'll known fact that for seven
years past Bassett's Landing has held a high reputa
ton among steamboat captains as a landing place, and
= that too, long before a town was thought Of here.
In the third place, the %emieront who visits our town
during the COPING year, will find our citizens busy i'll
=, making various Ornamental and useful improvements.
= lie will see the work On the levec going on he will SET
j various streets being graded he will see board walkr
being built around some Of the main blocks, and he vii
see that all these works distribute among the citizens Il
large amount Of money, which must rebound to the
prosperity of the whole place.
III the next place, ? careful sxamiaat;opof the i'm
provement clauses contained in the deeds Of those who
= bought under the covenant set forth abose, will convince
any one that a large amount Of benefit will be derived