The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1864-06-22

is from ten to twenty fssf abost ttS ~,
so that bridges and culverts are frequently
crossed. The cuts are very narrow 3
passenger standing ia the baggage car door,
by extending his hond, can touch the solid
perpendicular wall Of rock, rising from forty.
to ffty feet above his head. Several Of
these cuts are in curves so sharp, that VIXEN
in the centre Of the curve, and the passen.
ger standing in the centre Of train of ten
cars, neither end Of the train car be seen
by him. From this description it is not 10
be wondered at that $3.50, 900 was soon
swallowed up in the construction Of very
short distance Of road.
A few squatters' houses or shantics, like
those which railroad laborers use, are Ill
the indications Of settlement for the firsR
few miles. These sQuatters arc all on ths
small and very rich bottom, lands, Of from
five to ten acres each. A grant cf land Of
ten alternate sections, direct to the compa-
ny, is Of great value, as some parts of the
land are covered with very heavy timber.
Five miles from McGregor is Noble Sta.
tion-as yet quite a new place, with but
two or or three houses. At place called
Giard, the foundation, race, &c.. are being
dug for Touring mill, and a wooden fac.
tory is also to be built. On the track q
few miles out from Mc5regor is q water
tank, self-supplied from spring high up on
hill side, the water being conducted by
pipes to the tank, over the top Of which il
flows continually. .-...,,
1t is only as the cars emerge from among
the rocks, dells and Oats, that the object
sought by the construction of this railroad
is manifest. All at once the train mounts
The edge of prairie, when a view than
which nothing can look more beautiful
presents itself; and as the cars proceed.
the question as to whether the road will
pay is at once set at rest. The track liz.
orally runs through wheat field, on .
prairie not merely mile or two, but at
least twenty miles across. The crops look
well; the corn is up regularly, and the
wheat and oats look, think, moro sdvanc.
cd than in Wisconsin. -..
The cars soon reach Monona, still run.
ming on the prairie, and at Luana- distant
twenty miles from McGregor-the road for
the present terminates, although three
miles more Of track is completed. I know
of no part Of Wisconsin where the traveller
can from one point take in such stretch Of
cultivated prairie as he can at Luana. For
about fifteen miles in every direction from
this place is wheat. Rpon affords f1ne
view; and as the country is older, buildings
better, &c, in some points Ripon may ha
ahead but for c1tent, think she will have
to yield the palm. And when it is known
that this kind Of productive land extends q
hundred miles beyond this point, and that
the track will run through its whole extent.
no doubt need be entertained about the
McGregor Western Railway becoming ons
of the best paying roads ever constructed.
The projected terminus of the road is
Austin, in Minnesota, distant l2O miles
from McGregor, and for this line the iron
is all bought and all on the way The main
line Of the road divergs at Postville CT
Castalia, and will thence run on the forty
third parallel of latitude through the ca.
tire State of Iowa. The company have
now under contract eighty miles Of road.
which is to be completed by the FIRST Of
January next, and on this road five hund.
red men are new employed. The people
of Decorah have subscribed forty thousand
dollars, and branch Of the road v III be run
to that point .-
The officers Of the road are 5eores
Greene, Esq, President H. II, Boody.
Esq, Vice President and Treasurer Secre-
tary, Ii. B. Whitehouse. The Superntend.
ent is Mr.. William Greene, brother Of tha
President. The road now runs twenty
miles and pays expenses. Of the benefits
to accrue to Milwaukee from this railroad
| need say nothing. They are too plain to
need comment; the fact that it commences
where the Milwaukee & Prairie du Chien
K. r. ends, and runs into one Of the larx.
est wheat fields in the world, and, that
soon, bridge across the Mississippi, will
make it continuous railroad from Nil.
waukee to the heart, if not through Min.
nesota, tells its own tale to the readers Of
the Sentinel. J.WH,
June 10th, 1864.