The new era., 1860-02-23
Life in the Woods.
No. z.

1t was the novelty OF the thing tnat
pleased us. II was Nature In its fresh
ness and its originality. 1t was life
away from the busy whirl Of bustling
activity, and removed from the conven-
tionalities and frivolities that had become
to US fetter. and safety. Had we
found at Sauk Rapids stately palaces,
courtly lords and ladies. the probability
js we should have marched straightway
through it, and bentl our steps farther
toward the setting sun. There Sas
something captivating in the idea OF
spending a period of months, or even
years, in comparative solitude, in a
pleasant niche Of Nature, that bade fair
to become in the future, thriving town.
So that, if wearying of the monotony of
scenery, of reading Iof books, and OF
meditation, the coming in of strangers,
the building up Of houses, a general
progress of improvement would become,
at length, a pleasant diversion. And it
was a general impression, that at some
future, not distant day, Sauk Rapids
would become the one important point
above the Falls Of ST Anthony.
With water power second to but
one in the Territory-surrolnded by
land as yet unappropriated, easy of cul-
tivation and of fertile quality at the
mouth Of the Sauk River that here emp
ties its clear waters into the grand Mis-
sissippi, stream bordered on either
side mostly by belts Of forest that stand
like sentinels to beautiful prairies on
the direct route from st. Paul to Lake
Superior upon the one side. and to Penn
bina and the Red River Settlement up
pom the other /; with good farming
country stretching away to the unlimited
North, which was becoming rapidly set
tied by that class most important and of
most worth to new country-substan-
tial farmers-wth a town site unprece-
dented in beauty-who should say that
Sauk Rapids might not become, if not
Queen of the North West, at least one
of the ladies in her train That the Mills
Of Lowell or Lawrence might not
thrill her Mississippi waters, that her
surrounding eminences, adorned with
home-mansions of grace and beauty,
mighty not resound with the voice of in
dustry and advancement-that emblems
of religion and learning should not here
lift aloft their glittering spires, and that
hither should come from the east, and
the south, and from across the sea, the
poor, the fallen, the oppressed-the
wise, the beautiful and good
Was this dreaming Of ours too fanci-
full and ambitious-or are the palmy
days of this city Of the Sauk yet to be
We never hesftated for moment in
deciding to pitch our tent at this Coun-
ty Seat of Benton County. In fact
there was no act of decision about it j.
1t was thing Of course. But Fred,
wishing to attend Election" at Swan
River. thirty miles above, and we, will
ling to see all there was to be seen,
proceeded with him the second day fol-
lowing our arrival to Watab and to
Platt River. At the latter point, few
miles from the election precinct, we
spent the night. There was but the one
house at which we tarried. We were
received with apparent genuine hospi-
tality by the middls-aged matron, who
was famous throughout all this region
for her eccentricities, and for the we'll
gotten-up substantialties of her table.
We were saluted by her as we alighted,
as well as by the strong odor of pickles
that were doing" in her kitchen. She
impressively reminded us Of Meg Mer-
rifles. Three children followed her
with unequal steps" Dick. as she
called her husband, soon made his ap-
Pearance-several degrees less in size,
and correspondingly less in influence
than his energetic spouse. During that
evening. we became wise in all that re-
lated to mortal most insignificant that
had ever set foot in this goodly county
Z It was new phase of. life, and we list
tened with attention. Five years had
they been dwellers on Plat River. No
neighbors within many miles. The his
tory Of their struggles, difficulties, and
successes, was full Of incident and in
terest. This evening was not the only
one that we afterwards spent beneath
this humble but hospitable roof. The
next day we proceeded through the pine
woods to Swan River. A very hand
some location was this and an old