The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-06-08
RAILROAD. MATTERS.
THE 81. CLOUD BRANCHES OF THE
. ST. PAVLAND PACIFIC RAILROAD.
THEIR I1IPORTANCN TO ST. CLOUD
81 AND THE STATE.

auco OF tlnoer. 10ere are other
branches Of industry, which since =
few years have commenced to be de-.
veloped, and which will within Z short
time materially increase the business
Of tho Railroad. Extensive lodges Of
granite have been found aud investi-
gated near St. Cloud, Sank Rsplds .uo
Watab. They contain great amount
Of building material. This is tho only
locality in tho Mississippi Valley
where granite lodges are known. The
granite from Watab has already been
shipped to Chicago, and is commend.
ing to be used in that city forfronts Of
larger buildings. :
Three miles from St Cloud the track
passes over ledge Of rock, add in the
bills, rising abruptly above the prairie,
several quarries have been opened.
The blue granite, which has been used
in building the United States Custom
House at St. Paul, was taken from
these quarries. A variety of this
granite Is also used fur monuaavn.e
as it has been found to be capable Of
taxing smooth and brilliant polish.
During the last two years there
were 5000 tons Of granite transported
to St. Paul, almost entirely from the
quarries at East St. Cloud. AT Watab
new quarry has recently been opened
and beautiful variety of white gran.
ito now arrives daily at St. Paul from
that locality.
= Now that the country commences
to be better known, indications Of coal
are found in different places. When
I passed through Richmond, a Cor
man v,llsge surrounded by farms, 20
mules from St. Cloud, I found the
people quite excited on the subject of
coal. heard that coal had been
found on the Sank River and 10 .
creek three miles north of the village.
It was supposed that one or more coal.
beds underlaid the prairie and extend
ed to the south and west. Parties
from St. Cloud have leased quite au
extent Of country around Richmond,
and are now boring for coal, after hav.
ing investigated the surface bed aud fol-
lowed in quite distance into the river
bank, where it was found to increase
rapidly in thickness. Nobody was al
lowed to enter the building where the
men were at work, and I was not able to
obtain specimen of coal. The dis.
covery OF coal in sufficient quantities
would be Of inoalculable value to Min
nesota, where the extensive western
prairies have to be supported with
fuel for a number Of years, until the
farmers have planted trees in sufficient
quantities to supply their own 6rewood
The Leaf Mountains,sa range of hill.
to be traversed by the extension of the
Branch Lioe, are looked to as contain.
ing good quality of coal.
The Mississippi in its upper cours.
presents, in different Places, a series 0,
rapids and falls. Every one Of these
can be used a. motive power for ma,
chinery:: Already there have been ex.
tensive Improvements made at the
Sank Rapids. Other localities, offer
ing good opportunities for manufacture
ing, after the extension of the St. Pau
and Pacific Railroad, are Little Falls
and Pokegoma Falls.
The population of the country a)one
the Branch Line has doubled within
the last ten years, and the ratio Of in
crease in the counties further west ha,
been a great deal more rapid. Taking
for instance Becker county, which a
the present time attracts a good dea
of attention. In 1860 this count,
had scarcely any Inhabitants, tho cen
sus then only returning the number o
thirty-eight, and in 1870 it gave a re
turn Of 3O8. Douglas county, return
inx 1875 inhabitants in 1860, had
population Of ALP in 1870. Otter
Tail county, with 240 inhabitants il
1860. returned 1869 in 1870.
These aud number of other pros
porous frontier COUNTIES, which hav'
lately, and are still receiving, he larg
est share of the immigration to Min
nesota, have always been tributary t
the Branch Line, and the city Of s.
C'o'sd aoos the depot for this entire er
tent Of country.
What originally was called th'
Branch Line Of the St. Paul and Pa
ci6o Railroad will ultimately be par
of the great system ofthe Northern Pa
cific, connecting tho main trunk Of tn
Latter With the Mississippi river B!
this arrangement it becomes ons Of tn,
most important railroads to ST. Paul
bringing the capital Of the State i,
direct communication with the ricl
Territories, through which the North
ern Pacific passes, and 6oally with til
Pacific ocesn. Moreover tho Brancl
Line will he the connecting link b,
tween the Northers Pacific and th
network Of railroads covering tn
United States. It will afford to tn
northernhigh way to the Pacific At a
seasons Of the year IN outlet t, Chica
go, St. Louis, and New York. In
stead of having to b. stored At Duluth
for five or six months until navigation
opens, the wheat from the Red Rive
valley can be sent at any time withou