St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-08-12
A New Route to FraZer's River.

new gold diggins on Frazer River,
the following account of a new route
from the Atlantic coast to the dig
gings in question will be of interest.
We shall not be surprised to see the
most important results developed
from this new discovery. Probably
before the the lapse of many years an
unbroken belt of settlement will be
found stretched along this new route
from the west end of Lake Superior to
the Pacific, which will be followed by
its settlement, and enterprises in
the shape of railroads and telegraphs.
1t will be found ultimately, that this
is the only route which by its POSSIBLE
tiles of settlement, will ever warrant
the construction of a road to the Pa
cific, and that on this route it will be
constructed
The new route which it is proposed
to open from Minnesota to the Frazer
river gold mines appear to be very
feasible. 1t would seem TO present
not only much the shortest, but, as
soon as the proposed arrangements
shall be completed, the easiest means
of reaching the new gold fields From
ST. Anthony, the Mississippi is navi-
gable for large steamers as far as
Sank Rapids Thence to breckenridge,
at the head of navigation of the Red
River of the North, is a distance of
l25 miles. This part of the journey
must be made over land, but already
this district is being fast occupied by
settlers, and good road may be east
ly constructed. At Breckenridge Il
settlement has also been established.
Here commences the fertile valley of
the Red River, and from this point,
as appears from Capt. Pope's survey,
the river, which runs due north, is
navigable for steamers all the way to
its mouth, at the southern extremity
Of Lake Winnipeg. 1t begins with
four feet of water, gradually deepcns
to fifteen feet. Lake Winnipeg, which
is long, narrow and deep, receives
near its northern end the Saskatche-
wan, flowing from the west and hav-
ing its sources on the Rocky Mount
aims. This river and the country on
its banks have recently attracted at
tcntion as we'll fitted for colonization.
Taking the climate of the eastern por-
ton of the continent and of the region
around Hudson's Bay as standard,
it was long supposed that all the inte-
rior of North America beyond the
forty-cighth or forty-ninth degree of
north latitude was too cold to produce
grain crops, and unfit therefore for the
habitation of civilized men. Recent
Investigations, however, have fully
portant fact that, west of the western
end of Lake Superior, at about the
hundredth degree of west longitude, a
remarkable change begins to take
place in the climate, to such an ex-
tent that, as we proceed westward,
the limit of vegetable growth and of
the production of grain is extended
far to the north, so as to include the
whole Valley of the Saskatchewan,
which is represented as in other re-
spects well fitted for settlement.
The Saskatchewan is a river larger
and longer than the Red River of the
North, and, according to Gov. Simp-
vice,in his notes on its explorations, it
is navigable by it's northern branch,
with only one rapid to obstruct navi-
cation for seven hundred miles in a
direct line to the foot of the Rocky
Mountains. How serious an obstruc-
ton this may he, does not appear. 1t
can hardly be perpendicular fall, and
since, according to Gov. Simpson, ca
noes and tlat-boats pass over it in
safety. From the head of navigation,
it is only about two hundred miles
across the Rocky Mountains, of which
the elevation here is much less than
in Oregon and California, to the new
diggings on Thompson's and Frazer's
Rivers.
The distance from Breckenridge to
the mouth of Red Rives is estimated
at four hundred miles. Thence through
Lake Winnipeg to the mouth of the
Saskatchewan is two hundred miles.
Allowing for winnings, the navigation
of that river may be set down at a
thousand miles. Add hundred and
twenty five miles of land carriage at
one end of the route and two hundred
at the other, making in the whole
distance of about two thousand miles
from the starting point on the Missis-
sippi.
So fully impressed are some enter
prising people of Minnesota with the
practicability and advantages of this
route, that measures have been al.
ready taking for building steamer at
Breckenridge, designed to navigate
the waters of Red River, Lake Win
nepeg and the Saskatchewan, and to
be ready for that purpose by the
opening of next Spring. Meanwhile,
as the greater part of the route is
within the territories of the Hudson's
Bay Company, steps have been taken to
open communication with the Gov
ernor of that Company, and with other
persons likely to assist in putting a
line of steamers on these waters. At
all events, we are in fair way to OBJ
tain some distinct and positive knowl-
edge of a wild extent of country, as
to which our certain information is
very limited, though great expecta-
tions have lately been raised in re-
gard to it.
KANSAS ELEcTIoN.-Learenuorth, Aug.
2.-The whole vote in this city OH the
proposition for the admission of Kan
sas as State was !, 749, of which 1879
were for proposition accepted, and
LOCI for proposition rejected. This is
the largest vote ever polled in this
city.
The election, with the exception of
a slight disturbance in the Second