The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-12-09

Vermont Ind Canada roads. sAssociat:
a With hin arc Hon. r. D. Rice, Of
! Assost., No., President Of the Ken
! aSbSo aud Portland railroad J. Edgar
Thompson, Of tho Pennsylvania Cen
nal; Messrs. Wells, Fargo 4 Co.. Mr..
George W. Cas-, Of the Pittsburgh,
Fort Wayne and Chicago; Thomas Il.
Garfield, Of Burlington, VI; Mr.. jay
Oooke,. Of PHILADELPHIA; Nj. Stiason,
Of Chicago, and other gcatlomen iden-
tiled with the railroad interests Of tho
country. An arrangement was made
some months ago with Mr.. Cooke,
~Asr.hy h. va appointed the financial
agent Of the Company. But that gen.
ueman, bofor. fully accepting the posi-:
tion, washed to have . report from his
svs agent, aud engineers 10 regard to
Ne feasibility Of tho line and the fea.
lures Of the country between Lake Su:
psrior aud Puget soand, in order that
As might oct uuderst.udiosly, and 60
bafire the capitalists If the country
with such evidence IS would convince
them Of the his Oh character Of the on
terprise for the carrying out Of which
he might solicit their aid.
To accomplish this, two exploring
parties were organized last summer, one
70 examine the country from Lake Su-
perior westward, the other to commence
s Puget Sound and examine the coun-
try eastward to the headwaters of tho
Missouri Having received a cordial
invitation to spend my summer vaca-
ton with the Lake. Superior party, I
gladly accepted it, and shall long have
lively recollection Of our frst thunder
Storm, of our jolly times while toast
Ing salt pork aud pulling big logs into
camp. One portion Of our party, con-
sisting 81 Messrs. Holmes and Bayless,
Of New York, .e1plored the region be-
tween the Red River Of the North and
!She Missouri, The party starting from
Pa get Sound, trave.sed the Rocky
Mountain region, visited the various
passes in that range, aud explored tho
country around the headwaters Of the
Yellow Stone. The entire line has
,.bssp thoroughly examined during the
past season, and the gentlemen sent
eut by Mt. Cooke arc now making up
0sir reports. They we're civil engi-
assrs, eminent in their profession, and
sheir'reports will be accepted as au-
shoritativo. 1t is presumed that they
gill be given to tho public 10 due time,
and oil who are interested in this great
international highway Will be able 10
5adge Of IT. feasibility and prospective
salue.
The charter Of the Company permits
sho building of a road from Lake Su.
perior to Puget Sound, With branch
do1n 70 Columbia. The Company may
start at any point on the lake. in Wis
eonsin OF Minnesota. There are only
three ports in those States-Bay6eld,
Superior and Duluth. Duluth can
hardly be- called port at present, mas
much as the hsrbor is not yet con-
structed, but assuming that it will be,
these arc the three points from which
may be selected tho eastern terminus.
It is quite probable, however, that all
three will share the advanta ges Of a con-
ncction With the line.
A surveying party 10 now in the
field, Ct rather 10 the woods, between
the lake and the Mississippi, endeavor-
: ingzto determine the best route west
ward from the lake. The line un-
doubtedly will touch the Missouri near
the mouth of the Yellow Stone, as it
will pass up the valley Of that stream.
The country bstween the lake aud the
Red River Of the North is very level.
Beyond that stream it is most Of the
way a rolling prairie, with timber along
the streams and coal deposits cropping
out from the bluffs.
21The lioe, entering the rich valley Of
the yellow Stone, will pass through a
magnificent regioD-thc summer past
urage Of the buffalo While at St.
Paul recently we met Gen. Hancock,
who had returned from visit to Mon.
tsna. He spoke of that Territory as
being the finest region for pasturage he
had ever seen: The hills are covered
With bunch grass, highly nutritious, up.
on which buffalo, elk and deer fatteD
IN winter aud summer alike. He re-
marked that when the country becomes
settled it will produce mutton Of de-
icious favor: The Rocky Mountain
sheep and antelope Of this region are
;ssid y be superior. 70 all!others.. The
limo leaves tho valley of tho Yellow
6tone and crosses the narrow divide to
The head waters Of the Missouri,
through : depression called Bozcman's
} -, ,tA,opsh which an excellent car :
.siage toad h,s already been construct
Cd. II will probably pass through the.