St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1865-11-02

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full and fertile. regions in the State. IL
decd, much the greater part Of countr
west OF St.. Cloud, clear to tn
Red River, is we'll adapted to cultivation
and only awaits the improving hatd Of iiiai
to make it blossom as the rose. Even no,
it is gradually being filled up with a hard,
ana industriou, class of population. an;
when the railroad shall be completed to st.
Cloud, the present rivulets of Immigration
will be converted into border streams. -
| St. Cloud is important now AZ the poin
o. divergence for the lines Of travel tha
stretch out in one direction to Fort Aber
orombie and Pembina. an in the other e
Fort Ripley and Grow Wing. They usual
" 60 crowded with psssen gers in both di
rections. ,t.s...c s,-..''s>.. -. -.
The Red River trains-conposed a
those singular looking vehicles Of semi
civilized society that has so awakened in.
curiosity Of travellers in this reeion--cor.
| tinue to make their annual pilerimaoe r.
St: Paul; Or rather they now STOP at Eli
River, tho railroad terminus, to which
point their goods are shipped to them. A
year hence they will I'LL stop, At St., Cloud,
and there obtain many Of their supplies
which they now get from St. Paul. These
trains altogether contain from 500 to 800
carts. each capable Of carrying about 700
POUNDS. They are made up by the resi-
dents OF Selk'rk. Fort Garry, Pembipa.
and st. Joseph-settlements scattered about
IN the valley Of the Red River, near the in
'ernat'onal boundary. The carts are all
made of wood-not particle Of iron enter
ing into their composition-and thus II
.hey break down on the way, as they some
times do in crossing rivers aud sIoue
they can readily be repaired. Their CON
structlon. as may be supposed, is OF he
toughest aud simplest kind. Each cart is
Drawn BY single OK, placed between tho
shafts, ana arraycd with strips of raw-hide.
nc not very ar,is'icslly fashioned into harness
Thus, in single 6ie, passes along the Red
olver 'ra'l, the long line of carts, sccom.
ra"'ea oy inc s"arthy voyageurs having
hem In charge. These attendants are a
curious "dmlAtnre of nationalities. The
Pre'1'"ng cast Of countenance is that of
tne aoorig'ne' but intermingling with the
lnN,a" % o'ood there are visible traces of the
cary french. Scotch, English, and occa-
S'on"'y american. settlers and adventurers
-'"e result being race Of careless, reck-
'ess' s"Perstitious, happy and Independent
en'-narbarlans. Their dress usually con-
s'sts OF flannel shirt. loose trousers, red
sash around the waist, moccasins, and q
]aunty cap or an indescrible sort of hat
the whole forming \ tout ensemble that may
DC best stunned up in the single phrase
''devil-may-care." Tobacco, a s.ubby
pipe, whisky, and cards, are their .:strong
w"keness,' as Private Miles @ Riley would
say. while ha!f-savage songs, wild yet
pia'ntlvc. TIE ehttvening sounds of the i'd
dle: and a free-and-easv dance. constitute
their amusements in intervals of leisure.
The great event of their lives is the annual
trip to St. Paul. and when they die I sus-
pect they Imagine themselves going to the
same place.
It was Dt. Johnson, Think. who upon
getting into stage-coach for a iournev
from London to "he Provinces" exclaimed,
with such gasto as only the Great Bear was
capable of manifesting, '1h;s /, comfort !''
DR.. johnson, occupying, together with his
faithful Boswell, m entire English STAGE.
coach and riding upon smoothly Macad.
am'zed road, may have regarded such an
event A. one to congratu ulate himself upon,
My experience of yesterday has impressed
me differently mud fancy my seventeen
companions in travel will bear me out in
saying that in even the person of Johnson
the milk Of human kindness, for which he
was not famed. and the slices Of philoso.
ply. for which he did get credit. would
have been terribly )arred and badly sottee..
ed by the ride from Elk River to St. Cloud
had he formed one Of the company. Bu,
all bitter experiences come to an end soon
er or later. Our trials and vexations were
sloughed off at st.. Cloud, at least, for q
period. On Saturday morning, immediate.
~ after breakfast, the stage driver loudly
yociferated, for the information of interest:
ed persons, 'All aboard for Grow Wing ~
This meant us, md Oriole and I took GU,
seats inside-my favorite position beside
the driver having been usurped by that
useful individuals better halt, who was
like myself, bound northward on journe,
Of discovery to the .mysterical region O.
Grow Wing. The morAing was delightful,
and as We rccrossed tho Mississippi to tn.
east bank, thought had never seen more
beautiful scene than that which presented
itself as the eye followed the wiodires q
the majestic stream, now made resplenden
by the golden beams Of the rising sun fall
ing aslant upon its tremulous breast.
painter might copy the beauties Of tn,
scene. but could not do it justice the pei
is still more unequal to the task.
Three miles above St. Cloud. opposit,
the confluence of the Sauk river with tn,
Mississippi, and on the east bank of tn,
latter stream, is the village OF Sauk Rapids
[; contains, probably, some two or thre,
hundred inhabitants. The site is a beau
tiful enc, but the town itself is in the ser,
and yellow leaf. Its summer Of prosperit,
is past. Once a rival of St.. Cloud. and il,
superior Id population. it is now slmos
literally q deserted village few
of its inhabitants having taken up thei,
abodes II the more favored locality of ST
Cloud. a large three: story buildine-onc,
the resort If travellers, but now unocoupiet
still carries .loft = conspicuous sign bear
ing the inscription. s'Day's Hyperborea,
Hotel.' In letters Of magnificent gilt. Else
where is to be seen the sign Of ..7Xe Ne.
Era" offce--from which the lever thu
moves the world no longer disseminateI
startling Information concernfne the Won
derful progress Of Satk Rapids, or gives /,
an expectant people the delicate fancie.
and poetic idess Of Minnie Mary Lee.
"A Louisiana paper declares that tn,
town Of Nachitoches has deas that cai
janp high Or, quicker. bite harder. ou
dodge, and run faster than any other fleas