St. Paul weekly Minnesotian. (St. Paul) 1860-1861, 1860-11-09
COMMUNICATIONS.
From Our Travelling Correspondent,

Inc gram Was pouring INTO some Oh the UP
river towns under the impressive figure OF
a /" cataract which was designed to rep
resent not the recent fall" in prices, but
a very large quantity of farinaceous psbu
lum rushing with very great velocity into
aloretime, ran violently down a steep
place into the sea :" thus shown, even ut
that early period, the tendency Of provis-
ions to take the form Of cascades. Buff the
cereal inundation at Hastings be cataract,
what shall be said of Winona "a bigger
cataract, say your and how much bigger'
How much, indeed!
Everything comes at last to statistics,
you perceive. st. Crispin measures the
Princes foot, and the nineteenth century
demands the inches Of the royal instep.
We feast him, and count the cost tell
you Of rivers of milk and honey, and you
ask how much. And so must tumble my
golden torrents over the beetling bluffs in
tabular columns of quantities, and mete
me out in bushels the metrical flow Of the
tide that goes out to Gil the veins and throb
in the hearts Of millions. But am not
yet prepared to reduce my metaphors to
dry measure. Receipts and shipments and
all that can't give you exactly. But can
tell you what they say. They say then at
Hastings that they receive from 1000 to
5000 bushels per day; at Red Wing from
1000 to 1000; at Lake City and Wabashaw
don't know what at Winona between
5000 and 5000 per day. am inclined to
think imagination fills some of these bush
els, and that some of the figures are figures
of speech. To bring 1000 or 5000 bushels
of wheat to Winona-which is probably
about the fact---requires 100 or l25 teams,
carrying 40 bushels each. When these
loo loads are converted into cash, the
empty wagons usually collect on the prin.
cipal business street, which is lined with
well filled shops, and which, toward the
close of fine afternoon. often exhibits for
the space Of two squares scene OF
vehicular compression equal to Broad
way, hundred or more needy farmers
arriving daily with an aggregate Of
about $4,000 in their collection pockets
make pretty good customers-and if as
"they say" Winona will ship from this
vars crop some 100000 bushels of all
rams, worth say 81 200, 000-a large pro.
portion Of this sum in the course of
year, We may expect, will find its way to
Winona again. So, think you will agree
with rue that there is good basis for bust
ness here. The counties Of Winona, Fill
more, Olmsted, Steele, Mower and Free
born, having total area of 4032 square
miles from the geographical cornucopia
which enpties its riches into Winona. Up
on this solid base of back country, there
is rapidly growing up here, one Of the
chief commercial cities in the State The
completion Of the Transit Railroad will
give its prosperity firm and broad root
ny in Southern Minnesota. The existing
tendencies of our domestic commerce
point, thing, distinctly to the develope-
nent-within ten years Of three and per-
haps four comparatively great cities in this
State, in which will be concentrated its
principal commercial capital. One of these
will be Winona-if she does not throw
away her trump cards. l am talking Of
the decade jus before US. Beyond that
will not speculate
When David Olmsted and others, six
years ago think, came down here from
I hold Of the interminal'le western wilder
ness. David knew what he was about
and time is but filling out the sketch which
his iorethought then drafted The numer
our friends of Mr.. Olmsted, ,amougthe ear
ly settlers Of st. Paul, will feel solicitor,
: to know where and how he is. 1t is Sac
thing to say that he has gone to his HON,
in Vermont, to die, and that the progress
: of his disease has left no hope of his re
, covery. But although so feeble as to b.
confined to his bed, he still writes with q
firm and aexiie hand, and n the genial
mood of healthy soul, to his old friends
t OF Winona, telling over again the dreams o.
life, as he goes to a dreamless sleep.
In its social aspects Winona captivates
my fancy. Did it ever occur to you tina,
the marked individuality which We ascribe
to some cities is but the grouping of indi-
yidual attributes around some central
and commanding character, which be-
comes its ideal and its inspiration!
have not time nor space to cite instances,
but it is true the world over. A half a
= dozen young men here at Winona, enthu.
siastic, ardent, whole-souled fellows, gave
their own character to the young town at
its birth, and as new elements have come
in, they have become assimilated to the
prevailing type. The Winonian is, in fact,
: new distinct species, and any Winonian
, represents, only in greater or less de-
gree Of efficiency, all the rest. All the
hopes, wishes, plans, purposes and Opin-
, ions of the individual Winonian are subor-
8 tinate to and merged in the common aspi-
rations and ideas of the specific Winonian.
) He believes in the Bible mildly--in the
, Five Million Loan soemnly--in the Trans
it enthusiastically the Cut Off frater-
nally--in Southern Minnesota serenely--
r and in Winona, which comprehends all
these institutions passionate!y and abso-
: lutsly, first and last, DOW and forever,
Amenl To the last six articles of this
creed the Winonian consecrates his life.-
: lie does not wish, indeed, to revive the
Loan Law, but he regards it as a sacred
tradition to be remembered with rever-
! ence, like the ark of the covenant under
, the new dispensation. There is. something
positively religious in his faith in all Rail-
roads except the Root River which he con.
siders too crooked for safety. He carries
the profile Of the Transit in his bosom as
the lover carries the image of his elect He
; is in correspondence with distinguished
contractors on the subject of the Cutoff.
and is on affecting terms of confidence
: with several Railroad Directors. He i'm.
presses you on the whole as having q
large amount Of information on topics init
} mately connected with the ''price of put
ty," but that reasons Of State impose .
restrain on his natural communicativeness
, He regards the Minnesota river as the
northern limit Of wheat culture, and un-
derStands St PAM To ne n collect;on IF