Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-06-22

main street, which is parallel with
the Lake shore, with few cross
streets built up for short distances.
The site was all pine forest, and the
stumps now cover the ground not
occupied by buildings or streets. I'M
mediately back of the main street
begins the slope of the bluff, which
soon becomes quite abrupt. Small
pine buildings, mainly saloons, ex-
tend somewhat thickly out Oh Min
nesota point for perhaps half mile.
From the top of the Clark House,
which commands viewof the whole
place, we counted five small Church
es, one of which-the Methodist--is
merelya part of small pine building
about as large as our Office here.
There is one Elevator, not a large
one. Several lines of fine large,
steamers run to Duluth, connecting
with all Lake ports; but there didn't
happen to be any one in when we
were there. All the shipping we
saw was two or three small schoOn-
ers, the steam ferry-boat, a couple Of
steam barges, a small sail-boat, two
or three skiffs, and one genuine, act
ual, Indian birch-bark canoe. The
town seems to be nearly all stores,
saloons and real estate agencies.
Property is held very high. Three
weekly papers exist there. One daily
paper recently played out; and an
other one, Democratic, is just started.
Where they get their support, we
can't imagine. We saw no farming
country within so miles of there, but
were told that seven or eight farms
had been opened out on the bluffs.
The l.. S. Il M. Railroad joins the
Northern Pacific "a miles this side Of
Duluth, from which point both Roads
have but one track to the Lake. This
section, passing the Dalles (rapidsl of
the st. Louis river, runs through
very rocky and hilly region, requir-
ing heavy grading, deep cutsand high
trestle-work. The scenery here is
beautiful. TheSt. Louis river, IA clear,
small mountain stream, dashes over
miles OF rocks, and furnishes an un.
| limited water-powcr. With this aid
the town Of Thomson, now small
huddle Of houses on the bluffs and
rocks, % miles from Duluth, Is ex'
pected to become great manufac
turing centre.
! Iron Is already laid on the North
ere Pacific Railroad 22 miles west
ward Of its crossing Of the Mississippi
river at Brainerd, making I39 miles
out from Duluth; and the grading il
completed overGO miles further. The
Road is to be completed between Du'
luth and the Red Riverof the North,
2i5 miles, by the LIST OF August. The
Northern Pacific Railroad, conliect-
ing the Great Lakes with the Pacific
Ocean, is expected to become the
great through route of inter-conti-
mental commerce. Duluth, as its
terminus, is therefore counted on as
the future great city of the Northwest.
For ourselves, however, we cannot
feel so sanguine of this rs most peo-
plc up there seem to. The Winters,
in that Northern region, are very
cold, the thermometer going down
to 40 and As degrees. The Lake
freezes over for a considerable dis
tance from shore, and remains>sO foi
months every year. 1t therefore
seems to us not at all improbable that
a Road will be built out TO Bayfield,,
or some other point east Of Duluth
where the Lake is more open, and
that this point mag become the prac-
tical terminus Ofthe Northern Pacific
Road, thus leaving Duluth to be a
mere way station. Whether Duluth
ever becomes a big city, or not, seems
therefore in our view very doubtful.
II it does, money may be amassed
by locating there now; If it does not
a man may easily spend all he has
there, in very short time, for moth.
ing.
The Canal, about which so much
noise has been made, is a mere cut, a
few feet in length, across Minnesota
Point, in the lower part Of the town
Of Duluth, connecting the Lake with
st. Louis Bay. The U. S. Courts
have granted a temporary injunction
against further work Oh it; but there
seems to be no good reason why the
Canal should not be completed, ex-
cept the rival interests Of
SUPERIOR CITY,
4