The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-03-26

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is a large extent Of leve! prairie bound
cd on the south and eust BY this ridge
which at times approached to the char
actor Of perpendicular Lodges thirty 0,
to:ty feet high. Frequent outcropping'
, OF this rock between st. Cloud anc
Paynesville, afford excellent opportuni
tits for quarryiny building stooe. Al
We proceed in north We terly course
Il: nearly right angles to this ridge ",
enter rolling prairie country, with scat
tered bouldcrs Of granite mingled with
lime and sand stone. In the valley o.
Ashley, a tributary to the Sauk river
and little to the ncrth tf west from
Sauk Centre, I have seen an outcrop
ping of granite in places, but Of Gears
or kind than that in the vicinity of St
Cloud. In the southeas,eru part o.
the county there are found ledges o.
limestone from which fair quality O.
lime has been made. There are also II
several places in the county, large de
posltss OF mari, one deposit joining St
Cloud and one near Cleal water hav,
been worked, and most of the lime useo
in building in the county comes from
this source.
The Sauk river enters the county
near It's northwestern, corner, and ha!
u general southeastern course for some
torty-fvc miles, when it is intercepted
oy this ridge and is turned at almos
right angles, thence running in north
eastern course about twenty-five miles
and detouch's in the Mississippi few
yards above the commencement Of ,Saul
Rapids. At the point where the bend
takes place there is Il considerable dc.
preston in the ridge, with lakes and
marshes, having a general s.,s..wes,
course, through which in times of high
water, [ have been told the Indians
were in the habit Of padding their ca.
noes to the moth fork of Crow River.
TIMBER.
The Country is we'll wooded except a
small part west and south west from
Sauk Centre, where the great trceless
plains Of the West encroach on the tim.
bcr belt. This timber belt is somewhat
peculiar, commencing south of line
drawn from Grow Wing in a northwest
cvufse towards Otter Tai! lake its
western boundary has south. $stern,
and tie caste: n southwestern course.
In the north boundary OF Stearns ceun-
ty it has breadth Of about TWENTY-FIVE
miles then Is confined principally be-
tween the Mississippi and sauk rivers
down to the bend cf the Sauk, where
1t Is about twelve miles wide, with a
line Of small prairics following the gen.
cral course Of the Sauk, thus forming
an easy route from the western plains
TO tho Mississippi. This route was
!oug ago discovered and made use Of by
the Red River traders, aud through it
Gov. Stevens passed on his railroad sur
r:cy to the Pacific ocean in 1853. From
mere the timber belt widcns, extending
IT, the Minnesota river. This track of
country is OF course not all heavy tim
Der, but has numerous prairics, inter-
srcrscd throuS hout its whole extent,
Of the richest arabic soil to be found
IN Minnesota. A few Of these pralries
will be considered when come to de-
scr':'tions Of towns.
WATER POWER AND MANUFACTURES.
Stearns coanty is exceeded by none
other in the State in advantages for
manufacturing in all Its various branch
cs. First in extent is Souk Rapids,
Just above Saint Cloud. Here the Mis-
sissippi river breaks through the gran
'te rocks whose general course and ex-
tent was mentioned in preceding par
agraph. From a point in the rapids
where the descent is greatest and the
river narrowest, having solid lodges Of
granite projecting in tho river on each
side down. stream about 1900 yards,
there is descent of over Sc zen cen
feet; and the banks on both sides OF
the river are exceedingly favorable for
tie. erection, Of mills. BY building a
dam, which need not exceed five feet
III hcight,.above the solid rock bed of
the river, and excavating a canal on
each side, the whole volume Of water
can be used to turn machinery. The
high bluff at the point indicated for a
dam on the right OF St Cloud bank
bears off from the channel of the river
lcatins plateau FROM so to 500 feet
wide. BY excayating the canal near
the foot of the upper plateau and side
cuts or fumes to the river, any sized
wheel from FIVE to twenty feet in diam
eter can be used, and the mills built
directly o, cr the fumes, will allow the
wheels to be placed in situations where
frost cannot penetrate. Sauk river and
Its branches, Ashley river, clearwater
river, and several other smaller streams
furnish large amount of water power.
COUNTY oFF1cERs-ls68.
Sheri6-Mathias Mickey.
Auditor-Barney Vossberg.
Treasurer-A. Schroeder
Register Of Deeds-John Zapp.
Surpeyor-Nicholas Schmidt.
-Anorney-E. NJ. Wright,
Judge Of Probase-L. A Evans.
Court Commissioner-L. A. Evans.
Clerk Of District Court-G. 5. Mattoon.
Coroner-B. Overlook.
County Commissioners.
1st District-H. J. Fowler, Chairman.
: I'd Martin Fielder.
Sd Bartholomew Plrz.
9TH '' Herman Terhanr.