The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-01-24
The National Armory of the North
west.

The citizens of Rock Island and Moline.
Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa, have sent
into Congress an appeal for the establish.
ment at the former place of new armory
and arsenal for the manufacture, safe.keep.
ing, and distribution of the arms and mu~
nitions of war and the appeal, published
in pamphlet, informs US of the argument
adduced in favor of the scheme. We have
already noticed similar movement in Chi.
cago If we premise, as we very we'll do,
The necessity of an armory in the North.
west, one of the most striking of these ar.
guments lies in the fact that the govern.
ment owns the proposed sites, and thus a
heavy draft on the national treasury for
the purpose would be spared. The faciIi-
ties for transportation by the Mississippi
river and by numerous railroads are unde.
niable, the water power is unsurpassed, and
supplies of coal, lumber, iron, copper, lead,
limestone, sand, brick cay, and building
stone, are easily accessible.
Rock Island, the exact locality of the
proposed armory, is situated on the Missis-
sippi river, at the foot of the Upper Rapids,
in latitude Al degrees 81 minutes north,
and longitude Ii degrees 40 minutes west
of Washington, and is about three miles
long and half mile wide. The surface is
generally undulating, the soil of rich san.
dy loan, and most of it covered with forest
trees. AT the western extremity a ledge
lines the shore, giving the name to the ISL
and, which by the way is fayorably spoken
of as very healthy locality. AT one end
OF the island is Fort Armstrong, which
has been several times reported to Congress
as "a suitable point Tor this talked of armo-
ry. Oh the nine hundred acres on this ISL
and seven hundred and Two are public lands
belonging to the United States, and known
as the & Fort Armstrong Reservation"
The appeal from which we derive these
facts states in conclusion
In connection with the advantages which
we think balong to Rock Island, as q site
for an armory, because of its safety during
foreign wars and internal rebellion, its posi-.
ton as a central point for the West and
rapidly increasing population of the North
west, should receive attention. BY refer
ence to the map hereto attached, it will be
seen that Rock Island is in the very heart
of the Northwest, both as to its geographi-
cal position and population. Taking it
| (Rock Island) as centre and sweeping a
circle around it, with radius of three hum
dred and thirty miles, and we take in the
whole of Indiana with population of
100000; Illinois, 100000 Missouri,
100000; Wisconsin, 100000; Iowa,
100000; Minnesota, 10000; the Wes-
tern half of Michigan, 100000, and nearly
| the entire settled portions of Kansas, and
Nebraska, 100000. Thus it will be per-
ceived, that it is the geographical centre
for eight States and one territory, already
containing over six millions of people and
rapidly increasing. On the direct route
from New York to California and Oregon
via Council Bluffs, Omaha City and Fort
Kearney, which has been selected as the
shortest and best one practicable by the
thousands who, during the last twelve years,
nave sought homes upon the Pacific coast,
the route over which the great overland
daily mail for California now travels, and
by which the Geographic wires are laid
which brings the Atlantic and Pacific to.
gether; the only point on the Upper Mis-
sissippi where, by reason of the Railroad
bridge, the interruption of transit either by
the formation in the fall, or the breaking
up OF the ice in the spring, is avoided.