The St. Cloud journal., 1870-02-24
TIE PINERIES OF THE UPPER MIS-.
SISSIPPI, ##
THEIR EXTENT AND CHARACTER,
A Visit to the Camps.
Estimate Of tho Amount Of Logs that
will be Cut this Season.

Gsttn'"te of tho Amount Of Logs that &
will be Cut this Season.
Editor ST. Cloud Jodrnal. I
The extent and Importance Of the
Lumber trade Of the Upper Mississippi c
is hardly appreciated by even those j
who are engaged in it, and its value d
and extent are yearly increasing. Few =
have an idea Of the extent Of country
to be supplied with building and feoc-
ing material almost exclusively from s
the Mississippi and its branches above
st. Cloud. While the piaeries Of the
eastern part Of Minnesota have the
Mississippi for their channel Of trans
portation to southern market, and a
rival in Wisconsin competing for the
trade, the vast region of country north
Of St. Anthony's Falls, extending west
to the Missouri aud north to the settle
ments in British America, will look al
most exclusively to the pineries Of the
Upper Mississippi for Its supply Of that
i'm ortant building and fencing wood.
Looking over the maps of the country
indicated, we find sn area Of some l00,.
900 square miles Of sparscly timbered
country asyet. but partially setllel upon.
Leaving out British. America, the area
will contain thirt:cu States as large as
Massachusetts,. The wnvle vf this re-
g,on will soon call for building and
fencing materials, and the question az
rises: In what way is such material to
be transported to the points of con-
sumption? The railroads now being
built and projected will answer that
question. Tho North Pacific r. R.,
now a fixed fact, will not only supply
the transportation of the material to
large part Of the area indicated, but also
tho population to use the material; 1t.
self calling for no small share in the
shape of ties aad material for its neces-
sary depots. Nor will it make much
difference as to the value Of the lumber
whether the ROAD crosses at St. Cloud,
Grow Wing, Sandy Lake or any inter-
mediate point.
The extent Of accessible pine lands,
although apparently great, is by no
means inexhaustablc. " ears ago We. heard
much about the in ,xhaus:abls pineries
of the upper Mississippi at the pres
ent time there is but little pine lands
over which the public surveys have not
been cxteudc !, and what has been sur
veye1 is quite all taken by private par
} ties, and large part of what is yet un-
\ surveyed is covered by halfbrecd scrip.
+ I think it safe to say that ten years
+ hence quarter section Of pine land Of
r fair quality cannot be hal Of go7ern.
ment within reasonable distance of good
}, driving water. At the rate at which
i pine is at present being cut and put ir
/ the market, few years will quite cx
J. haust that which is easily obtainable
r Each year the lumberman is nccessita
ted to go farther and fartf er towards th'
headwa.ers Of the Mississippi to Gne
his pine Of good quality. AS ye
the facilities for getting near stream
for floating to market are good, bu
yearly the logs have to bc hauled far
ther to the banks, and as consequence
arc more costly to deliver to the mill
., Of the country not yet invaded by tn
% lumbermen but little is known, ye
enough to be quite certain that the sup
t. ply is limited.
1t This season, for the fist time, tn
II loggers' teams have been seen in alarg
n tract Of country near the headwaters 9
a. Willow river, over new road, some 5
miles, most Of the way through dens
timber and swamps, over which latte
expensive corduroying has been neces
sary. This road I was told cost IS
days work, nearly or quito all of the ez
pense Of which was borne by thre
firms who have large tracts Of pin
Nv near Moose, Willow and Pokegam
rivers, and this winter large crews {
ID men engaged in logging. In followin
~ up this new road to Pokegama, aft
r. leaving Pine river, the first loggin
~ :: camp is major j. B Bassett's. lie h;
10 but a small one-f'teen men and for
III horses. They have a good and easi]
Of approached landing on the Moose rive
Ill branch Of tho Willow, and calcula
ne to put in about two million feet. Th
at next camp on the road is Ankeny
~ Robinson's, Sam Lawrence, torcmal
er this camp is on Willow river, &
20 the foot Of the only rapids of suf1icier
1; Importance to make any obstruction
n. log driving in the whole length of IL
4 river. MIR. Lawrence informed II
that Ankeny & Robinson have 80 mel
ne 81 oxen and 10 horses engaged in 10!
tv ging, exclusive Of necessary teams
Of haul supplies, hay, &c., to the camp
:. BESIDES this camp on the Willow, the
b have Two others on the Moose rive
~ ~ below Bassett's. They estimate tn,
hs m they will get in 100000 feet (
q logs.
of D. Morrison has a camp on the Wi
sn lew, above J4awrence's, but l did ne
= learn how many men or teams we're Ell
=. gagged this winter. In this regio
- there is larger body of good pin
- than is generally found anywhere 0
- the Upper Mississippi, and the land
- princi pally owned by Ankeney 4 Robi'
- son, Farnham l. Co., Morrison aud Ba
re sett, and all has been entered with hal
st breed scrip ut cost of from So to $
e. per acre.
'. Crossing the Willow river, the roa
'a passes over a somewhat hilly countr,
u, through some good pine, and in abou
40 l8 miles arrives at the first cam?
a w. H. Lawrence T. Co. This fri
r. have three or four camps, and emplo
} 80 or IS men, 30 oxen and l6 horse
r, besides supply teams. The landings
s. two camps arc on Pokcyama LAX
r; They will be compelled to boom an
H. tow their logs down the lake som
IN twelve OF fourteen miles, then drivin
rs. down the Mississippi some twenty mill
nd to point opposite the southeast ca
of Pokegama, only two and halt mill
L.