St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1858-09-30

course !: While onEtfle easS the water course
LIS towards the mississippi and the south.
The average surface Is l'ege about twelve
hundred feet above She EcSei Of the ssa !.
T. .yuly 25,--At the first crossing: fthe
RED RIVER Of TnE Nolsufi. We left
Lightning Lake at five this morning and
came twelve miles Il, this place before
breakfast Were five hours conlirg. A
heavy shower accompanied by sharp hight
ming awakened us hetween two and three
! q clock, and besides tlreneAing ourselves
thoroughly, wet the most Of our luggage. IS 8
This morning VIC passed a few lakes in
which were large fooks Of peicanss These
waters are also" feeq1entcd BY swans
Within, six miles OF the Red River the
surface Of the prairie becomes entirely
Level. The view south ard west is unllt-
terupted By q solitary Object. 10 ahe
north We soc the timber which5skirts the
river; and beyoal the river, as far as slght
extends, view is caught Of '>leaf NOUN
sainsn which are Highlands covered wits
timber. As We approach The valley /
think tho grass appears o little more luxlt@
rant than what we had observed even
along the principal part Of the route, =
There is a preponderanco Of prairie or
buffalo grass mixed With weeds and tlov-
a1s. The banks Of the river are twenty
feet high and quite abrupt exoopha at the
crossing. 7 Judge that The river is forty
feet below the average prairie level. The
current is rapid and winding. We arc
now within fifteen miles in airect line
of the confluence with the Dcis des Siioax
4 considerable quantity Of pine logs is
floating down the river being bound for
Breckenridge from tho northern plnerles.
Some Of these logs aae lodged just.at the
crossing 50 as 10 obstriet our passage --
But they are quickly removed by Spencer,
whose tact and energy are worldly O! ~
n8mbrance. -..-..,..~a ..~..
4 peculiar Interest seems to attach to
this river on account of lts course and the
greatly extolled country through which it
Aows. Here its color Is by no means rcd.
Whether it is more 50 a hundred Or more
miles below where The stream rom Red
Tia. .g Joins AZ I sn ao Ias u5Ioi mere
Il tlat of clay being III similar hue to the
Missouri. Where ford it the dcpth is
| three and 81 half feet after crossing the
river its winding conrse Is observed BY fIeo
shin timber along its banks. 'Ne enta1
upon plain peaSftetly level At The end
of three miles we leave She old trail ard
take the track DIRECT for BroekSn2id; ,'~-
Twenty or thirty miles tc the notheaat
'sleaf mountains axe still discerrablo
We are going about west, and twelve mile:
! ahead we can see. the timber which SUE
rounds the settlement Of Breckinridese.----
There is something very striking. ane
grand in al expanse SO vast and level ane
fertile. Here and there we cross naeadow'
without noticing any depression from til.
general level On these the grass is be
1 tween three aud four feet in height. !
, bush may now and then be seen; but ths
4 one constant view in every direction, u
y for Thousands Of summers it has been, il
the limitless carpet Of grass rolling IL
waves under the strong hrceze and glitter
ling with al. exuberancc Of flowers. n
one can help recalling The forlorn strain
Of the poet .1 '..>
ssFull many q flower is born IL blush unsael
y And waste its freshness on the desert air,
The incidents Of barbarlc life are yet .
Fresh occurrence here, War parties Of til
Dacotahs Cor sioux) and Chippeways From
J season to season cross these lands, pursu
b ing those. hereditary hostihties which 3
Hong have been the cause. Of wretchednes
! and woe, and which can only be stoppeG
/ Ias they should be stopped, by an act 1
Eeongrcss duly enforced TO cl,astise I'll
Dacotahs Tor tlleir massacre Of e1ete
3 Chippewas at Grow Wing in April last, a
: expedition was lately undertaken by th
c Chippewas. It was long talked abou
g ana great preparations in their way wer
i made A few weeks agn,s about thfe
ri hundred started for the sssissiton villiags
i near Lake Traverse, Hole rtIla--da,
the chief did not start till daT or tta
II after the rest; and then came on in q bt;
n gy with TWO horses. But about the thir
It day the buggy broke down. They reacl
g ed the olssIton Vintage captured q re-
IL hundred dollars worth Of buffalo skin
vi cut down all the corn they found and +
4 turned. Hunger compelled i speed
+ return as they were lacking a eo1a,nissal
'e department; . deficiency which general
G. occurs IN Indian warfare. 7 N .5@=s 4
g Arrive At Breckenridge at s II NJ, ha
r ing come to-day twenty two miles.
d Jmy 26.-The settlement Of. BREoK1l
ID RIDGE, named in honor Of the vice pres
is dent, is at the mouth Of the Bots ,des ssiiou
h It is in the midst oi a belt Of oak timb
~ which generally skirts the river banks.
Sc At this point the Red River makes an 4
Of lrupt bend, going mile to make four .
r. in its main course. The Bots des SSiio,
Of having its source ID Lake Traverse, flows
il rectly north, forming II, angle
. land between the two rivers. Six 1