The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-04-28

twelve or fifteen miles. The Isolated
/ groves are generally Of oak. On the bot
toms OF the Minnesota and Mississippi, tie
huge COTTONWOOD and maple are the prevail
ing timbers intermixed with all the yarie-
ties Of the uplsnds with white and black
walnut, butternut, lime, linden, box wood
and hickory, with q profase underground Of
grape vines.
THE Lake. OF MINNESOTA.
While the picturesque combination Of
woodland and stream and prairie divest the
landscape Of Minnesota Of the monotonous
uniformity which characterizes most Of the
prairie States, It's pre-eminent charm Is de-
rived from the multitude and variety Of its
lakes, which hli it, sylvan scenery with my
RAD pictures Of romance aud beauty The
aboriginal inhabitants Of Minnesota we're
called the i" People Of the Lakes, and TO
Lieut.. Maury we owe the suggestion that
this distinction he perpctuated in the desig-
nation Of the Lake State. lie adds:
! There IL in this Territory greater number
Of these lovely sheets Of laughing water, than in
all the country besides. They give variety and
beauty 10 the landscape; they soften the air
and lend all their thousand charms and sttrac-
tions to make this goodly land lovely placs Of
! residence, We SEQ that, with those beautiful
sheets Of water nature has done for tho upper
Mississippi what Elicit proposes should be done
| by tho government for tho Ohio, and what Napo-
. Ia, Ia. Ii, r.. L.. A
| Every one Of these thousands Of lakes 10 \ res
eryoir for tbs rains in tho wet seasou, which il
reserves TO Oil up tho river in the drv--at least
that IL one OF their Offices, for they have many.
The consequence ~, that though more water falls
! from the sky upon Minnesota, in summer, than
/ you In New Yothreceivs in winter Or spring, yet
the Mississippi there Is never flooded. The diff.
ference between extreme high aud low water at
81 Paul, is not more than SIX or eight feet, -
/ while further down, a. at Memphis, the differ
encs In many times NJ great. The difference on
| the Ohio, think, 10 upwards Of thirty feet.
! Minnesota Is far from the sos, bat II Is q bet
/ tor watered country than either kansas or Ne
| braska Indeed IL may be considered the best
| watsred State In the Union, and it doubtless
! owes i,s abundance II summer rains measurabfy
| TO this lake system"
/ These lakes are scattered in chains and
groups or isolated gems all over the State,
and iced the sources Of nearly all the
streams. But they exist in the greatest
profusion east Of the Upper Mississippi,
nerth and northwest Of st. Paul, whence
| they extend south and southwest, filling
prairie aud woodland with light and beauty
| TO the "undins region" of Nicoiet on the
hcadwaters Of the Blue Earth. The sur
face Of the country" says Norwood, 81 is lit
orally studded with lakes. In some sections
i, would be impossible to travel tive miles
in any DIRECTION, without striking lake. y
Many Of the largest lakes are situated upon
! the broad summit level Of the water shed.
They differ greatly in size, from a mile to
thirty miles in length, while their shores
present every variety OF picturesque and
| graceful outline, some set in gentle grassy
slopes or trimmed with rocky shores, with
pebbly beaches sparkling with cornian
aud agates, while the oak grove or the den-
scr wood which Skin, its margin, throws its
shadow over the peucid water.
Their beds" says Norwood, care generally
pebbly or covered with small bouidsrs, which
frequently prsss out and show rocky line
! around their entire circumference. Very few
have mud bottoms The water is sweet and
clear, aud abounds with various species Of Gsh,
! Of a quality AMI flavor greatly superior 10 the
Middle or Other waFiern States Tho shores Of
many Of them werd chosen a. the sites Of vii
I lagos by tho indians, who showed their taste
/ by selecting the Most beautiful and pictur-
ssque.'
Many of the lakes upon the slopes Of the
/ watershed have marshy margins where the
wild rice and crauberrry provide the Indian
with an easy subsistence.
{ Climate is as importan, as soil or physi
! cal structure, in determining the adaptation
OF n country to agriculture or the support
Of dense population. Minnesota has suf
iered severely in popular estimation from
the very commn but absurd theory. that
climate is determined by latitude. Mime
sofa lies between the parallels Of 10 and 80
degrees north. Now the climate associa
tons Of ihi, bel, upon the Atlantic slope,
where il embraces Canada and the north.
ern New England States, have formed the
elements OF popular impression respecting
the climate # Minnesota, forgetting that
by extending this belt to the European con
iinent, the vine clad bills Of France lie 10
the same latitude with the inhospitable ~
gicus OF Newfoundland and Upper Canada,
while the latitude Of England corresponds
with tina, Of Hudson's Ray and Labrador
Latitude IL an element Of climate, but does
not control il. The eastern coasts OF con-
tinents are many degrees colder than the
corresponding ATTITUDES OF their western
coasts. The isothermaI line passing round