Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1870-01-21
Northern Pacific Railroads.

Another railroad to connect the Pacific
ocean with our northern lakes is projected,
and it is said by shorter route than the
one now completed. 1t is to extend from
Duluth, at the head Of Lake Superior, to
Seattle, on Puget Sound-asdistance Of l.
IA miles. The Northern Pacific Railroad
Company was chartered by Congress du
ring the administration of President Polk.
The grant of Government lands already
made by Congress to the road consists of
ten alternate odd-numbered sections, or IL,
800 acres, per mile through the States of
Wisconsin and Minnesota, and twenty al
ternate sections, or $500 acres, per mile
through the Territories. Along the main
line and its branches this grant embraces
nearly Fifty Million acres of untouched
soil, stretching, in belt thirty miles wide,
from Lake Superior to tide-water son the
Pacific slope. Not only is this land subsidy
imperial in extent, but, with unusually few
exceptions, it is rich in character. For the
first hundred miles west from the Eastern
terminus the road will pass through an al
most unbroken pine and hardwood forest,
and for seven hundred miles more it will
traverse region of rolling prairie inter-
spersed with timber. which is the very
home of winter wheat, and which will, be-
fore many years, furnish bread to millions
of people living in more southern ATTITUDES.
Then comes the mountain region Of Mon
tana and Idaho with its mineral wealth
and grazing lands. Crossing the Rocky
Mountain range at point where it is so
broken down into scattered elevations as
hardly to deserve the name, the Road will
enter the fertile valley of the Columbia
river, and thence through a pass in the
Cascade Range to tide-water on Puget
Sound. Unlike the Union Pacific the pro-
posed Northern route passes through few
waste lands, arid plains, sage deserts and
alkaline valleys.
In its general course the Northerns Pa
cifc Road will follow the line of the forty
seventh parallel, passing nearly through
the center of Minnesota, Dakota, and Mon
tana, the north part of Idaho, and the GEN.
trail portion of Washington Territory.
The Cascade Range will be crossed either
at Cowlitz Pass, 4,2l9 feet above tide wa
ter, or at Sno-qualmie Pass, whose summit
| is only 1915 feet above the sea level.
A preliminary survey of the road has
been made, but we have not yet seen the
report. Should it be favorable, the work
of building the road will be undertaken by
Jay Cooke & Co., bankers, of New York.
These gentlemen have a national reputa-
ton, and the prestige of their names will
90 far to render the enterprise success.
The road is expected to be completed in
five years, at probable cost of $4,000,
900. t'e4
In conclusion the following facts regard
ing distances are suggestive: From the
Pacific at San Francisco to the lakes at
Chicago it is 2,423 miles from the Pacific
at Seattle to the lakes al Duluth it is only
LIZA miles. From Seattle to Chicago by
way of Duluth Gall raiD it is 2,140 miles.
From New York to San Francisco ria Chi
cago and Omaha it is 1928 miles; from
New York to Puget Sound via Chicago
and the Northern Pacific route it is 3,O4O
miles. Finally from New York to Shang-
hal cia Chicago, San Francisco and the
Midway Islands, it is ,423 miles; from
New York to Shanghai sia Chicago, the
Northern Pacific and Puget Sound, it is
8, 756 miles.