The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1871-10-28
Che altw Aurth 'Wtst.


l
West IL going on at a gratifying rate. On
Friday last. the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company contracted. we understand. for
the cons lruction Of about six hundred AMI
twenty miles OF railroad, on which. by The
terms of the contract. the cars are To be run
ming In fifteen months from the LIST Of the
pr. sent month.
One year ago. the lst Of July last. this
Company commenced work amid the forests
OF Minnesota west OF Lake Superior. build
ing n road through mn unbroken wilderness
toward the rich whcvt lands lying west OF
the Mississippi Those fertile acres have
been reached; the grading is completed I"
the Red River; the irack-layers are putting
down three miles If iron per day; and ear
w IN November the cars will be running |
from Lake Superior westward across the
State of Minnesota. u distance OF two hun
drcd and fifty miles. The contract just
closed includes the construction OF the Da-
koia division from the Red River to the
Missouri. n distance of two hundred miles.
/" hc completed by the 1st of July next
The contractors propose to have about htty
miles graded before the Winter sets in. AMI
will complete the work in season to enable
the COM, any I" do the frcighting business
of the upper Missouri country the coming
wear. The magnitude of that business will
doubtless astonish those who art rot con
ycrsant will, The facts. Last year. Montana
paid out about four million dollars for
trri.h, on goods and machinery sent up the
Missouri, and 10y wagons from Corinnc on
the Union Pacific road; the Government
transportation for the forts Of the Upper
Missouri amounted to nearly a. much, max.
ing n t,inl Of about eight million dollars.
This great ,ial,ic will DC transferred from
its present route to the line of the Northern
Pacific in July next. and of itself should
be sufficient To pay The interest ON the cost
ot the roatl from Lake Superior to the Mis-
souri,. The opening of the Dakota division
calnot fail of giving new life to the mining
interests of Montana, which under all its
present disadvantages Of inaccessibility, is
yielding greater amount Of the precious
metals than any other ) ate or Territory in
the Union.
Freight will be transported next summer
from Duluth to Fort Benton in about ten
days, ins,ca,l of being from forty to sixty
by the present route
The Company have also contracted for
the construction of the line from st. Cloud
to Pcmbna, distance Of about three hun.
G,x,, On, LA. al. al
in fifteen months This line runs through
the fertile Sank Valley, already tIckly
settled, and down the Red River through
It's fine wheat lands The construction cf
these two divisions the coming year will
throw open TO settlement not less than
twenty million acres of land. exceedingly
fertile, and suited to the production OF
wheat. barley, oats and other cereals and
nil this vast acreage will he within reason
able distance of railway facilities.
Possibly. important political results, a
well rs agricultural and commercial, will
grow out of the construction Of these lines
With such inviting lands open for settle
ment, there must he u continuance OF tn
present rush Of emigration toward lh
northwest The lands in Manitoba bcy"n'
the forty ninth parallel are quite as fertil
US those this side of the international houn
Diary. Sharp eyed Yankees, rs we'll as Can
adams and half breeds, will naturally lik
to come into possession Of lands that vii
yield year after year large crops Of wheat.
The Company also have contracted ia
the construction Of line 20 miles long froI
St. Cloud to Brainard, TO be completed
:. the carly spring. While doing all this in I'll
North West, they ire vigorously Mt work o
the Pacific slope, where Gj miles is undo
construction, and upon which the iron
being laid.
Such is tho progress mating on this gre'
enterprise. that was at one time regarde
by many in the community rs chmcrics
By the LIST Of July, 1872, during period
two years dating from July, 1870. abo'
075 miles of railway will have been col
s:,ncled by this corporation. which. vii
that portion of the St. Paul and Pacific co
o. st,u"ted ut the time Of It's purchase, W
% make u little more than 1900 miles OF ro'
in their hands upon the completion Of Il