East Saginaw courier., 1865-08-23


in cars without breaking bulk, and
sometimes by means Of elevators, of
which there is one on each side, and
barges, toPldu c., swheAce it finds
its way TO Milwaukee the average
amount of wheat shipped daily from
Prairie dp Chen is 5000 bushels
The freight going westward by this
route consists Of general merchandise,
agricultural implements, of which
there seems TO be no end; every freight
car, steamer and barge having on
board from one to twenty of the yari-
onsistyics of machinery in vogue for
moving, reaping, raking, or threshing,
and every freie ht house, shed or land
ing along the river route being crowd
ed with these gawdy colored weapons,
whose use is blessing Salt forms
no small item of the business of Prai-
rie du Chien, the sales at the railway
station alono averaging 10000 bbls
yearly. On their wharf we noticed
several hundred barrels, bearing the
familiar brand Of "Flagler & York,
Salina, Mich" This place is, in fact,
"A sort Of base of supplies for salt, as
also for many other heavy articles, for
considerable portion of the states of
Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota, her
rail and steamboat facilities affording
excellent means of transportation TO
tho va~iaN,A ise;,,ts on uIrsv routes, as
well as from the markets where such
articles can be most adyantageously
purchased The ultimate design in
regard to the McGregor Western Rail-
way is to extend it so as to form
connection with the Minnesota Cen
trail, .hus giving rail, as wei as
water communication with the richest
portions of that young ard growing
State, The transfer business between
Prairie du Chier and the Iowa side Of
the Mississippi, already large, must
necessarally increase with the de-
velopemont Of the country. AT present
large steam tug is constantly en-
ployed in towing barges laden with
wheat, merchandise, machinery, etc,
in cars or otherwise between the two
shores. Near Copper Creek, "a miles
north cast Of Prairie du Chen, en-
couragins indications of petroleum
have been discovered; visionary spec
ulators arc getting wild on the subject,
while the "solid men" in many in.
stances carry the air and odor of "ilo
on the brain" or in their garments.-
I Boring is to b, commenced at once;.
and prosecuted with vigor until re-
suit either satisfactory or otherwise is
attained. We saw severel vials of un-
mistakable "crude" which had been
gathered on the surface of springs
near the ''diggins," but this sort of
''indication" is SO common everywhere
now that it hardly attracts even ordi-
nary attention, In all our travels we
did not find a spot of ground which
4 the oleaginous ''kero" was not sup
posed to permeate nor a tract of
country tame or wild, where oil "pros-
pecting" was not indulged in 10 a
/ greater or less extent,
Left Prairie du Chicn Friday night,
July 2s, on steam packet Key city,
Captain Iaughton, Clerk, Mather /;
good boat, accommodating officers (;
made Lacrosse, S4 miles above, ono
Of the most enterprising cities on the
river, at 10, A. NJ, Saturday, From
Lacrosse n daily line of packets run
to ST. Paul in connection with Milwau-
& Lacrosse Railway, another line,
though only semi-weekly, runs from
st. Louis to st. Paul, making three
lines, which in addition TO those run
ming "wild," as there are several, gives
q very respectable sprinkling of steam
ers on the upper end Of the route.
We have given our impressions as
( to the bluffs and general scenery along
the river banks, the river itself is so
full of islands that it is very seldom
that clear view from bank TO bank
is afforded. All of these islands are
low, compared with adjacent scenery,
though many seem high enough for
successful cultivation, aud most Of
them are we'll wooded and covered
with yerdure; others, are simply accu
mutations of sand, which increase, di-
minish, change position, disappear and
reappear capriciously with the ever
changing channel of the river. Twen-
ty eight miles above Ia Crosse, as you
ascend, is Winona. village, or city,
handsomely located on a plain of lib
eral extent at tho foot of the bluffs,
which here Mt the widest point of tho
flats are nearly mile back FROM the
river From here the Winona and st.
Peters Railway, Of which about fifty
miles arc completed, takes its start for
tho up river regions. Altogether
there is an air of freshness and thrift
about the place which we only noticed
at one other place on. the river that was
Red Wing, the first landing above
Lake Pepin, the population of each of
these places we should judge to be
about 4, 600. -r.,,
Somewhere between Winona and
Wobasha, 45Iniles fartheron, onr craft
encountered a series of. serious sand
bars at a locality euphoriously called
Beef Slew. and amused herself by
engaging in sparring match with
the boss bar and running race with
a small island which persisted in keep
ing ahead for about tGn hours.
BY dint of q great deal of hard labor,