Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-07-07
OUR MINNESOTA LETTER.
MILFoRD, MIMI. June 90. 1871

The study of Geography. as gathered from
text books, is both easy and agreeable. but
when the science is pursued by actual obser-
walton, it is not 50 easy, but may be agreea-
bic or otherwise, just as you make it. To me
1t has been quite agreeable thus Tar 10 iInger
along the banks of This more than beautiful
st. Louis river. and gather nJ;es of early
history from the few hardy pioneers, whose
little farms occasionally appear on the banks
like the GASES of some desert. Yet it is wOn-
der, among other things. how il is that they
have so.lOng lived in these secluded retreats.
undisturbed by the savages, and unheard of
by the world. In winter they have been
shut in by the interminable depth of the snow
and i'm summer their only means of egress
has been by trail to the river, thence by birch
canoe, boat or 'dug-out" to some point on the
big lake. And what is still more surprising
so far as have explored this river. the settlers
are from Bavaria, Belgium, or some other for
eign point or place not very well represented
in America Your Yankee enterprise has
been here. and that with Yankee capital has
built mills, borrowed" pine logs of Uncle
Samuel. and ''rafted" that lumber TO a cash
market. Such has been the case at Milford,
where. some fourteen year since, one Mr..
Kelley located a steam tawmill which did
good business for ten or twelve years. but
was at length abandoned because the boilers
became unsafe. The little burg looks anti
quaied, but the boats glide by us almost
hourly on one side. and the whistliEg. rolling
rumblihg locomotive on the other. These
give signs of renewed life and the day is Tot
lar distant when at this very point, smart
little village must spring into existence.
On Wednesday of this week, so says the
chief sengiheer, the construction train will
make FOniulac. and On that day i propose
TO take ride thither. though not with any
idea OF seeing much OF what is termed" civil
izatIOn." Still, under the old classification of
"civilized, half civilized and barbarous." /
take it for granted that this belongs to the
first. Though see few newspapers and still
fewer schO1 or miscellaneous books, l find
these pioneers quite intelligent.
And now for the first time in some weeks.
the weather will warrant the removal of my
coat and | have sought quiet shade while
write this letter. And now, too. l "peep"
through an ancient garden fence and behold
few vegetables" Just springing up to catch a
warm stroke from the glorious sun; YES. and
the heretofore pale leaves OF a few stray cur
rant bushes, are actually thickening their
folds and assuming darker shades. They
seem mindful of the important fact that time
waits for no one, and the time 10 assume new
life and beauty, as well as to make hay, is
when the sun Shines And of the hay, or
grass. can saw it grows, both on marsh and
tame meadow, quite luxuriantly. | have
seen no wheat or oats growing. but see no
reason why they cannot be grown here sue
cessfullv. But corn is out of the question:
The settlers claim that potatoes can be sue
cessfulIy grown, but the few spindling stalks
have seen must must use due diligence"
or they never will "make bottom"
These feeble gardens and little patches are
shown me with great pride by the settlers,
and especially by the women and tie chill
dren. The daily growth Of puny pea vine
or the occasional rIpening of sour strawber-
~, is hailed with delight and triumph.
Anon the gentle breezes play about my
brow and serve the double purpose of allaY-
ing the increasing fever and. driving away
the inevitable gnat fly and mosquito. With
them we are victimized at every turn of the
wheel or stroke of ax or hammer. With them
we suffer martyrdom hourly. by night or
day. Yet there is nothing like getting used
To a thing or an infection; and. although you
NAV implore the Almighty to let you behold
the light of another morning. promising with
unnecessary emphasis that YOU will leave the
country If life is spared. we shall see you
still undetermined when the God of day
shall arise There are more places yet to see
md you can ''stand fire" if the settler can,
so you will draw thUSe " musqui:O bars "
more closely about you and suffer greater tor
ments from pure imagination the second
night than even the saddest reality of the
first. And still you are not TO be vanquished
by a mosquito. and at length you can wrap
your blanket about yOu and lie down upon
rock, under a tree or beside a rill, to quiet
sleep and peaceful dreams. leaving your en-
envy to sing a requium over your joys or sOr-
rows, or seek to interest some new or more
nervous victim. Such. at least. is my expe-
rience. Hence propose yet to explore the
banks of this river to its source, and take my
chances of life.
But. bstl Aud now again runs by me the
snoTtiRg locomotive, this time crOwding be-
fore it tremendous pile OF rails on car.
ties on another. timber on another, rock on
the next And this means business. -
Bets arc taken for and against, that is, the
fifteenth of July is fixed by the Chief engin-
Ger. as the time for the rails to connect be-
tween ot. Paul and Duluth. Double pay
was offered to and accepted by most OF the
laborers here yesterday. Sunday and all
along the line the labOrers arc getting in ex-
ira hours every day. Extreme good nature
everywhere prevails. ana there is real salts
faction in seeing the work go on.
And now again / turn my eyes hOmeward,
and gaze in wonder as / compare the two To-
calities. Here is a bowling wilderness where
roams the wild beast and dwells under The
unsheltered rocks and in wigwams. the TN
tutored savage. Through this rough and
rugged country little or nothing is found for
business or transportation, save luQlOef-
Yet here is the iron horse. here are steamboats,
top-sail schOOners. sailing ships and green
hacks. There are our rich end beautiful val
lies, high. romantic bluffs and broad. extern
sive prairies. nearly all covered with the rich
luxuriant grain. the care of whirh furnishes
labor, and its transportation. business. There.
too, is the commOdiOus farm house with fine
barn and comfortable out buildings. And
last though not least. there are the villages
and cities with their neat cottages. fine
houses and mansions with tlIeir hotels, busi-
ness blocks, mills and manufactures. These
behold and yet We are complaining of hard
times-no wOrk-nO money! And what can
the matter be? Ahl indeed the fault is
not in our stars but in ourselves that we are
underlings, or that we are behind our neigh
bors. and even behind this distant. rocky
wooden region. Let us make up. shake off
our sluggishness and strike for railroads and
other enterprises that will bring both BUSH
ness and wealth to our doors, An.