St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1859-02-24
>COER ESio NDEN CT.
For the Democrat.
Mail Route to Puget Sound.

Mail Route to Puget Sound.
| noticed Ill your paper Of last week
the proceedings ola large and enthusiasts
tic meeting recently held in St. Paul, in
whiol, q Report was made, and Resolutions
passed, embracing many valuable Stats
ties relative to the Importance Of an
overland Mail Route from St. Paul to
Puget Sound; and a determination to
urge the General Government into active
| measures in its behalf
Congress established 3 Nail route,
during the Session of 1854, from St.
Anthony's Falls, vis It. Union, Fl,
Benton. and the Dalles, to Puget Sound
being the same Route surveyed by Gov.
Stevens. TIE Post Office Department
has, almost every year since, advertised
the Route to be It,, and has received
bids to carry the mails as advertised, fer
q reasonable sum; but, il, the exercise Of
their discretion, they have deemed the
Route Of not sufficient inpoA lance, to
incur the necessary expense to p225 it in
nncE,r7on:
Thus far, VIC have quietly acquicsced
il, tlei;.' decision, thereby admitting the
Justice Of their policy. Whatever ;:rgss
.ncnt would hove been sufficient for the
past, can no longer he justly urged to
postpone this. greaS National enterprise,
Il1c large aud constantly Increasing pep
u!ation Of Oregon and Washington icrrl-
tories, and the recent influx OF ~Ameri-
cans into Britiah Columbia, induced by
the discoveries Ct the rich Gold mines Of
Frazer river, il! connection with the ma1
vellous and rapid strides Of Minnesota in
population, commerce; and vca}th--t}c
settlement Of the Red River valley, its
navigation by one or more Steamers The
coming Summer, now being ali :'dA:tte;
fact--the organization Of the Territory OF
Dacotah ana tie e2tingulsilmc,:t Of the
Indian title to most OF The Land in that
Territory, projects that will doubtless Be
consumated during the present Congress,
the building tic Military road frolal tho
head CT Hay? ration Of the Columbia TO
IT.: Benton, a distance Of FIVE hundred
miles, ysI4,t5. Is nov in process Of construc-
ton by the yovcGn,ncnt--tlle con. pletioa
Of which, and upon the opening, the
,,resent u inter, vf the State Road from
ST. Cloud to Breckenridge, good route
will be furnished from St. Cloud to the
nay;ual,,e waite, Of the Columbia, for
Post coaches or. Emu s-cant teams.
The opening Of roaas, an: other reasons
aforementioned, furnish additional induce
n1cnts, that could not have been urG;:*d
! when Congress established this route,
! why the Department should now incur
the expense Of letting this contract.
What have said, is independent Of
the we'll known fact, that this route is
much shorter than any other overland
route to the Pacific; besides being far
superior in climate, soil, grass, timber,
and water
St. Cloud has more at stake, and would
be more benefited by the success Of this
enterprise, than any other town in the
Northwest. A glance at the map, will
prove the assertion that straight line
from Milwaukee, vio St. Paul, Breckin-
ridge, 1t. Union, and 1T. Benton, to
!, Puget Sound, would pass through St.
j Cloud, making 1t the starting point from,
i the Mississippi. 81. .-" .=.%SE
& In addition to the fact above stated
!. the narrow belt of prairie extending from
St. Cloud, Northwest, up the valley Of
Sank River, until iitsintorsects the prairieS
4 on the yaney,of. Red River, furnishes 1ht
4 only natural outlet west from the Missis.
+ sippi; end North of The Minnesota river