The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-09-16
II PAUL. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER l6 1859

1 have come to the conclusion that the
girls are decidedly handsome--and then,
when they are mothers, their children will be
heroes.
On the 7th, KITTsoN's carts crossed the
river here under the direction of his partner,
SARGENT, with several hundred packs of
furs which had been brought down by the
steamboat to the Fort and stored there.
The passage of the carts and furs was made
on the samson Northup." The swimming
of the cattle and horses across the stream,
and their struggles to ascend the muddy
banks opposite, afforded quite an exciting
spectacle, and made pleasant mornings
holiday for the Fort people. JAW.
Red River scenery-Bad and Good Roads-Embryo
Cities-Lafayette, Dakota, and sheyenne-The
Sheyenne.
Editorial Correspondence of the Pioneer and Democrat
On THE ROAD. July, 1859.
From some misdirection, during the tenn
porary absence of Col. MOBILES at the Fort,
the train ascended the right bank of the
river, with the view of crossing on the
steamboat at Fort Abercrombie ; but this
being found inexpedient, it was resolved to
make the crossing at Lafayette, about forty
five miles farther down.
The dark bays and promontories of tim
Der which cover the spiral involutions of
the river bottoms, close with its crooked
shadows on our left, and the perpetual,
mirage-like spectre of the Leaf or Pelican
hills still hanging on the far horizon of the
East, were the only relief to the endless
platitude Of the wide sea of grass about,
until the black line of the timber on Buffalo,
which flows into the Red above Lafayette,
rose up before US, or when we caught
glimpses of the Sheyenne woods through
the parted foliage of the trees on our left.
We reached Lafayette on the 7th, and
found the crossing, from the muddiness of
the banks, so horribly bad, that the expedi.
tion will have performed material service
to the emigrant if its experience in this re-
spect should admonish the emigrant to take
another route-of which route question by
and by, when we get better posted. This I
may say now, however, upon the authority
of Sir GEORGE SIMPSON, whom we met near
Graham's Point, and of Others who had
just passed over the route that far better
road than that taken by us, is the one which
crosses the Red River at the ford some
six miles above the fort, and thence by
the old trail along the head of the streams,
which WOOD and POPE followed in 1849,
under the guidance of JOSEPH RoLErrE. Ex
cept the Wild Rice Crossing, which mig ht
be bridged in two hours by half dozen men,
the road is as smooth and as dry as the
sidewalks of Broadway the whole distance
to Pembina. The road out from the Shay
enne crossing to Elm river, passes over a
low marshy surface, intersected with numer-
Gus co,,lees and bad sloughs.
Lafayette is the name given to prospec-
tive town, laid out in the woods On the east
bank of the river, nearly opposite the mouth
of the Shayenne rive. There are couple of
log houses, whose builders seem to have
taken hint from the elevated styles of Egyp-
tian architecture, in so far as to place the
houses on piles or blocks, some three or four
feet above the ground and above the reach of
the inundations, which once in while sweep
over the valley of this Northern Nile.
Dakota City, perched with its single hut,
upon the high bank opposite, is apparently
beyond the reach of floods.
Shayenne, where the " Anson NOrthrup -
was built, is mile further down, contained
in two houses, nesting in the wooded fringe
of the river bottom, where the ways on
which the little steamer was launched and
the loose timber strown about the eventfuI
scene, are the most interesting objects.
At the close of toilsome afternoon, EN-
ployed in crossing the train, Mr.. TAYLOR and
myself took canoe ride of half mile or
so from the ferry to the mouth of the Shey.
enne. We found it difficult job to paddle
our little boat against the rapid current
hereabout, but by dexterous use of the
roots and bushes along the banks, we man
aged to pull ourselves to point of observa-
tion. We found the mouth of the Sheyenne
here nearly as wide as the Red River
itself-perhaps l20 feet-and strong,
deep, smooth current issuing from it that
indicated the immense volume of water it
collects from it's numerous tributaries in
these long van-like reaches to the south and
north. is. 9. H
I should not forget to say that Mr.. J.
W. TAYLOR Joined our party at Abercrom-
bic, on his way to Fort Garry, and enters
with a most companionable zest into the
novel life Of the camp. 'aa
Of the interior incidents of this life-of
the routine of daily travel-of the social and
domestic experiences of the camp-of sleep
ing and waking, and eating and smoking-
Of mosquitoes and smudges, and woodticks
and-worse-I will attempt to tell you
something whenever I can get round to it.
j. A. w.