St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1862-01-02
Lake Superior Letter.
SUPERIOR, LAKE SUPERIOR, !
Lee. 2lst, 1851. {

SUPERIOR, LAKE SCpEA1oR,
Lee. 2lst, 1S0l.
from our Regular Correspondent.
The L. s. Miner of Nov. %, published
at Ontonagon, l60 miles below Superior
on the Lake, states that the shipments
from the copper mines Of this District for
1861 were 6,92O.73l pounds or 34G0
tons 73l lbs-Thc report Of the National
mine was truly gratifying to stock owners.
1t paid two dividends of two dollars each
the past year on the assumed capital stock
|of S25, per share, and have available as.
sets over liabilities Of S7O,728,99. The
copper shipments of 1861 were about
1900 tons from Lake Superior worth
nearly S4,O00,0)o. What pity it is
that the railroad connecting St. Cloud
and Superior cannot be built, posse sing
Land grant of over million acres.
level country, no heavy cutting, and can
be built and equipped the engineer tells
me for less than thirty thousand per mile
The iron rails can be made Of our celebra-
ted iron at Marquette, Lake Superior. A
friend writes me there is at least one
million bushels Of grain ia Stearns Coun.
ty worth only 40 cents per bus'.el, and
the total population Of Lake Superior Of
about 10000 including Indians imported
in 1861, nearly all their flour from the
lower lakes. Cannot something be done
when navigation opens? The following
rates are taken from the cards Of tie
Lake Superior steamboats,. Freight Oh
hay per ton from Cleveland, Ohio per
steamer to Ontonagon, Lake Superior 50 so
horses sl4,00 fat cattle $1,000, two years
vld COWS and steers $500, hogs 81, 90, sheep
sl,25. Chicago boats charge, on horses, to
Ontonagon SIS, fat cattle Sl3, hay, Per
ton $1,000 etc. 1t would make Stearns
County farmer stare to see the immense
quantities Of -four, corn meal, butter, feed,
hay, vegetables etc which are brought up
20 the various mines. On bill Of grocc-
RIGS, -four etc purchased in Cleaveland,
worth some $50, I had to pay about $50,
freight. Cannot this railroad be push
ed through? / only ask tor 50 miles by
October !, 1862?
I am afraid we can do but little for the
Crow Wing wagoa road The tax levy for
County purposes calls tor sr1,7S9,l5.
OF this one thousand is for roads, and brid-
gcs, SIX thousand Printing and tax sa|c,
expenses, and the balance among the
county officials. Shade Of Benjamin
Franklin, arise ana utter your protest !!
The town, State and school tax amounts
besides to S7700. l pity, McKcnty,
Marshall, Ely, Starkcy and Pettis and
Slaughter, all OF St Paul, who laid out
additions, lots 25 by 100 They were
mostly sold out by the County in 1850,
the advertising fees at 25cts per lot
amounted to some $1,000, and another
charge of thirty cents per lot will be added
in few weeks. The 1861 tax was only
from one to three cents per lot. This charge
is to warn them redcmlon is out Then
comes the tax sale in May, when all these
properties, have to be rcadvcrtiscd, sold
and bought in again by the County, al
though We own the tax titles Of September.
Great is the State of Wisconsin and its
celebrated Tax Laws hope to persuade
Horace Greeley to reside here for short.
time on one Of McKenty's addition lots.
Do you sell, buy in resell, aud buyin the
same property, in Minnesota If not
let your Legislature take a lesson from
Wisconsin. Navigation still open.
j. S. r.