Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-05-14
That IS Long Winter Roads,

The Montreal Gazette, of April 23d, in re-
ferring to the early termination of the charter
OF the Hudson Bay Company and to the pro-
posed routes of communication between the
Provinces and the Red River of the North, of
| which some account was given in yester-
day. Press and Tribune, has the following:
"The explorations heretofore undertaken
may be satisfactory enough, but they have all
begun at the Western end of Lake Superior
But what of that long winter road along the
north shore of Lake Huron and Lake Supe-
rior, along which only communication over
British soil can be maintained in winter, between
this Province and the Territory? Will not
the more natural outlet for it's commerce to
the see be, in time, through the passes of the
Rocky Mountains to the Pacifc-not east
ward?"
We can tell the Gazette what must be done
to avoid " that long winter road alo1e tho
northern shores of Lake Huron and Lake Su-
perior." Take the railways already completed
from Detroit to Lacrosse. Stop over" at
Chicago, both you and all your English and
| Canadian friends and we will insure you a
| right, warm Western welcome. By the time
you can establish any considerable settlements
they soiL be extended to st. Paul, and thence
to Pembina, and we give you free license to
extend them onward through your own pos
sessions to the Pacific. You shall have priv
ilege cheerfully granted to travel for your
money and to ship your goods over our roads
and at reasonable rates.
But we presume John Bull will shrug his
massive shoulders at the thought that this
route is not through the royal domain, and in
case of war he would be cut off in winter
from his valuable possessions around Lake
Winnipeg. Avaunt to all provision for the in
satiable NAV of the war god. Let commerce
interlace so thoroughly all the interests of the
| Anglo-Saxon race, that a war between any
two of the branches of it shall hereafter i'm
possible.
But seriously, the outlet for the country
around Lake Winnepeg, especially in the soin-
ter, aods at,aquestionably designated by nature
to be through Minnesota. The long sketch of
country along the northern shores of Lakes
Huron and Superior, is mountainous, barren
and could, and it would be almost impossible
to build and maintain railway there in sum-
mer, to say nothing operating it through the
Arctic winter which prevails there
/ AS to the trade of that region seeking the
Pacific instead of the Atlantic cities, it would
divide naturally according to the sources from
which it came. Silks, teas, spices and Ash
! attic goods of all kinds if railway or any
means of cheap communication were opened
West, would come from the Pacific; manu-
factured goods of all kinds would come from
the United States and Europe. The exports
would almost all come eastward. For years
hence the entire traffic of that extensive coun-
try must pass through the United States and
Canada. We hope, therefore, our Canadian
cousins will give themselves no further trou-
BILE about " that long line of winter road north
of Lake Huron and Lake SUPERIOR" but ad-
dress themselves vigorously to the work of
settlement in that vast and fertile country,
which may be regarded as the basin of Lake
Winnipeg. They are hereby rendered the
use of all needed avenues to reach those set
Elements through the Western States both
summer and winter.-Chi. Press and TTib.