Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-10-15
LETTER FROM DULUTH.
Scenes from the Cabin and the Uar-The, SOIL
aud Scenery of Northern Wisconsin
Duluth and her Rival 4

Mr. CovER:-Hard, as ii is for a
busy traveller TO withdraw his atten-
ton from strange scenes, close his
eyes to attractive sights, and SIT
down to letter-writing, yet the prom
ise given is in full force, and | shall
be glad to fulfill it, For the time
being, forgotten be the inspiring cx>
citement of election news, the SHOWS
flakes flying on the cold northwest
er, and the sensations of a stormy
and perilous sail in skiff among the
white caps, while | recall something
OF the last few days.
The low competition rates of
steamboat fare on the Mississippi are
past and the two great lines have be
gun 70 advance their prices The
line | chose to take did not excel in
speed "Barnetfs lightning Express"
for the average rate between Du-
buqqe and st. Paul proved to be less
shan five miles per hour; though all
lo"ance should be made for deten-
tons from dense fogs. As | owe the
boat for no favors, except that the
ancient concern got through at last
without blowing me up, | will not
advertise 1t beyond the remark that
whichever boat lire one tries, be will
wish be had taken he railroad But
three more idle and delightful days
Of tedious travel cannot be spent. by
one who loves TO gsze for hours on
the beauteOus scenery of the liver
and Lake Pepin, dressed in all the
gorgeous tints Of October,
Spclt a busy hour in St. Paul, and
found an old friend whom the decline
of business has deprived of fine SIT.
nation on the Lake Superior Il. II.
lie reports that fewer trains are run
aud that many employees are thrown
out of situations. and That ST. Pant is
full Of men of every calling out of
empi oyment.
The peculiar soil and scenery along
The Lake Superior and Mississippi r.
Il are very unlike our own. For
while, high fertile plains, varied by
marshes and lakes almost on the
same level, and about rs many little
little r II. towns as farms; then tam
arack swamps, low pine ridges, tall
pine forests, lumber camps, and des-
olate woods where white birch and
wretched small evergreen timber
form a fitting screen for the sand,
boulders and angular rocks below.
Then huge grey masses Of granite
trap rock, and other primitive rocks
of igneous origin, rear their huge
round backs and sides in long ridges
worn smooth in the glacial 'drift pc
Rod, J" and thus we know we are in
the oldest part of the American Con.
tinent.
Geology proves that there was
once an age when no land appeared
above the ocean waves, but two strips
of rocky wrinkles on the face of the
cooling, shrinking earth; one extend
ing along the south side Of this Lake,
through Keweenaw Point, the other
reaching along the North side,
through Canada to Labrador. Be-
fore the Andes or the Rocky Noun,
tains were, these granite ridges be-
came solid land. While the ocean
rolled unbrokcn whore South Amer.
ca Was some day TO arise, its beating
waves Kissed and steamed round
these fiery Old rocks And though
Illinois or Nova Scotia may have rls-
en- asove and sunk below the waters
for thousand centuries to form q
hundred alternate layers OF sun born
coal and sea, born clay and rock, yet
these oldest upheavals of the world
never sank from sight below the
| DNAAh. Nhh hhNAOiOAO hGFEt WGiO DuI~
led under limestone beds, sand strata
or other marine sediment,
The scenery from Thomson, where
the road begins to descend The St
Louis river, to tho Lake, is grand and
startling. The rugged gorges OF the
Dalles, the black waters tumbiug
over blacker rocks and crags for ma.
ny miles till they come to rest 400
feet lower, the timber bridges, sever
al of which are 80 to 10 feet high.
carrying US over side gorges, the red :
clay bluffs in which the steep down.
grade is cut, the masses Of clay that
slide down or the track in ct wealth
err, the portions of hillside below us
that now and then slide far down
10 the river, with tho track and all,
the vast repairs OF pile-driving and
masonry, to repair such breaks and
make the hills TO know their place
and keep it-all attest the vigor Of
he Northern Pacific II II. and the
immense power OF capital. And
these grand views which two years
ago would have cost us many weary
days of foot-travel, are seen in an
hour from palace window, where
we recine on the velvet cushions )f
luxury.
We reach the lake level at Fond du
Lac ID miles from Duluth. Here the
road cuts through great quarries of
Drown freestone. better than the ia
nous Nyack brown-st no. Back ia
The Dalles, We observed slate quar-
ries of quality somewhat inferior
to Vermont slate, yet used here lit
tie. Tae road follows the North
eide of the stream and ends at tho