Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-06-04

There is daily mail TO tnlS pace anu Sauk
Rapids, tri-weekly from here to Crow Wing,
and weekly is to be commenced next month
to Breckenridge 1t is already point of i'm
portance. ). ID.
SAUk RAPIDS, May 9th, 1859.
After finishing letter from St. Cloud, this
forenoon, paid visit to this place. find
a very pretty place, and one worthy Of atten-
ton indeed, this whole upper country is
beautiful, and what is said of one part will |
apply equally well to almost every other part.
SAUK RAPIDS is the County Seat of Ben
ton County. 1t is on the northwest side of
the river, opposite and two miles or over
above the upper extremity of St. Cloud. It
is in plain sight, and seemingly but little
way, but I was some forty odd minutes by
the watch in walking the distance, and close
by proved to be not SO close after ALL 1t is
situated on fine table of prairie, but slight
ly elevated above the river, right abreast of
the rapids, just below the mouth of Sauk
River, whence the name is derived. The
rapids are long fall, so steep as to prevent
navigation up stream but not down stream,
(though the old Nerth Star steamboat was
warped up over it, and susceptible of afford
ing superior water-power. The facilities for
improving the water-pOwer are excellent A
ledge of rock forms the bed of the river at
the head of the rapids, nearly across, over
which, on the village side, in low tide, the wa
ter falls some two feet perpendicularly. lam
informed there is plenty CT stone for dam,
and the chance for making one is good. The
ground is also most favorable for wide cam
al, extending from the dam to the foot of the
rapids, affording excellent sites for mills and
machinery. How great the fall is have been
too hurried to ascertain precisely. l have
asked several, and the answers Iget range all
the way from six to sixteen feet The enter
prise Of improving the power, erecting the
dam, and a free bridge over it, to afford ac-
cess to the Sauk Valley country, is cher
ished one of the place, and 1 am informed
that exertions are making to accomplish it.
counted the buildings of good character
and considerable cost, comprising dwellings
stores, and places of business, leaving out loe
houses, barns, shanties, &C., and the mum.
three stores, and steam Touring mill, and
steam saw mill.
As at st. Cloud, the Improvements here are
all Of excGllent character The largest build.
ing is DAYS HYPEBBoREAN HOTEL. 1t is
four stories high, minety:1sue feet front on
Broadway, and SIXTY Jfoe feet front on
Warren street, with kitchen attached,
twenty-four feet by thirty-two feet, two
stories high. Fronting Broadway it contains
hall thirty feet wide sirty:1fue feet long, and
t,celve feet high. 1t is used for Dancing
Hall, Public Meetings, the Masonic Lodge,
and for the Court Room. 1t is indeed spa
cious, fine hall, and reflects credit on Mr.
Day for supplying the wants Of the people in
this respect so well. Many village of five
or even ten times the size Of this does not
contain so good a hall. 1t will be all the
Court Room and large public hall needed for
several years to come. Attached to the hotel
is barn forty taoo feet by serenty.f feet,
capable of holding t,cedtyJfoe tons Of hay,
and stabling serenity horses at one time.
The name Mr.. Day has given his hotel, the
Hyper6oreana, may possibly bring shudder.
ing chill over the readers, but l can assure
them there is nothing hyperborean about i,
but the name; for l find it as warm and
pleasant here as hundreds of miles farthe,
south, and Mr.. Day himself manifests geni.
ality that would thaw out pretty huge ice.
berg. And that all the readers of THE MIN.
NEsoTlAN may have standing reminder Of
his whereabouts, he has given me his card to
send for insertion.
The FIGURING Mill, under the superinten-
dency of Mr.. Hicks, seems to be doing large
business. Two runs of stones were grinding
wheat, and wheat of most excellent quality,
making as fine an article of -four as one need
ever see; several teams were waiting for
grists and by the huge pile of printed flour
sacks l saw, the evidence indicates large
business.
Below this village, upon beautiful plateau,
opposite the extremity Of upper-town, st.
Cloud, is the plat of village laid out, called
benton CITY. A large warehouse is all the
building it contains. Opposite lower town,
St. Cloud, directly across from the Stearns
House, and three miles, or over, from here,
is another village laid out, called EAST ST.
CLOUD. 1t contains a warehouse, a good
hotel, and two dwellings. The EMERSON
House is kept by Mr.. JOHN EMERSON, a portly,
genial old gentleman, full to oyerAowing of
spicy humor, and true disciple of an ideal
Boniface. He appreciates his own and the
public interest by ordering the Daily, and
disbursing the money for it-an evidence that
the good public appreciate him by patronlzlng
him to the lining Of his pockets.
cannot help reaecting upon so much ":is-
directed effort, as saw in perambulatlng st.
Cloud, and in my walk to-day through East
St. Cloud, Benton City, and over this place.
It seems to me that at this rapids, or just
below where boats can come, and where there
is such an excellent opportunity for water
mower, is where the great city should be
thot;t should have covered both sides Of the