The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-04-06
Land Grants 10 Railroads and
Their XHlne.

The Boston Daily Adrertiscr hasa long
article on the value of land grants TO rail-
roads, which concludes as follows:
With respect to the grant of the Northern
Pacific Railroad and its prospective value.
Congress granted to this COMPANY L, 800
acres of land to each mile OF road, conmen-
cling on Lake Superior and extending to the
eastern boundary line of Dakota, and 25,-
600 acres per mile from that line to the Pa
cific Coast. This grant was to aid in the
construction Of a railroad from Lake Super-
iur TO Puget Sound and the viciGity of Port
| land, Ore gon. and calls for about So, ,000. 600
acres, or 90 600 square miles Of land, an eX
tent equal to New York and Indiana together.
or eleven and a half times Massachuse It's.
! The route of this road. commencing in Min
nesota. on the shore Of Lake Superior. passes
! through h the tim bered lands west of that lake.
and over the region Of prairies. lakes and
| groves in Western MINES IA thence it
! crosses the wonderful! valley Of the Red River
/ Of the \ prth and strikes out over the gentle
uudu,atin and fertile prairles of Dakota,
and crossing the Missouri River at the mouth
of the Heart, il extends TO the beautiful val
| lev of the Yellowstone in nearly straight
! line; ascending this valley and passing
! through belts of timber and rich rolling lands
| it goes through the Boseman Pass OF the Belt
! Mountains into the central basin OF Montana,
and crosses the fertile valleys Of the Galiatln,
Madison. and Jefferson forks of the Upper
! Missouri going up the valleys q; the latter
and Divide Creek. it runs through Deer
Lodge Pass at an altitude under five thous~
and feet above sea level. and descenGs the
Wes tern slope 10y the valleys of Deer Lodge
Creek Hell Gate River. and Cla,k's Foul to
! Lake Pend O:eiie, where it losses the great
! grass ulain of the Columbia to Wallula.
HenCe It follows the Columbia Il yer Il rough
the Cascade Mountains tp the Pacific coast.
! The climate of this great land gTaut belt
across the continent Is bracing and unu- ual>
/ II healthful beirg free from all peculiar dis
eases The soil, as whole. is Of excellent
/ quality, producing large crops of wheat. lyP.
| oats, and barley; vegetables yield wlth ut
! parallel in the history OF h"rticuiture in
! America, and all kinds of small fruits. wild
and cultivated, yield the same as in New
England States. The nutritious grasses grow
| ing wild on the eastern and western slopes
/ of the Rocky Noun ins and in the valleys
afford sustenancc for cattle the year round,
The her being so mild AZ not to nccessi-
tate shelter for stock in the wiAter. A large
portion Of this grant is covered with forests
| Of an immense growth, the like II which
/ cannot be und on this continent. Fine
| building stone is found in almost every va
riety aud inexhaustible in quantity. The
mineral wealth Of this region seems as yet
to be hardly explored: at the present time no
portion Cf cur country promises greater
amount If the precious metals than that
| through which tins read will run. Immense
coal deposits are found underlying a great
portion Of the grant. The Committee n the
Pacific r lilroad IN the United States SeUate.
| in thnr report, February 10. 1869. say =
! Every element of wealth. every condition
Of social growth and prosperity, exist in SUI
perbundance and beyond exhaustion in the
region lying between Lake Superior and
! Puget Sound For this immense country
railroads can do more than they have done
| for Illinois, Now, if we compute the ul-
Innate eaIEe of this grant Of the Northern
Pacific Railroad at 81 per acre, the average
of the land grant sales already made. it will
amount to $iOG, 900 600; if at only IS PER
acre, it amounts to 1920 OO0, 900 if at s. =
! OF per acre. the lowest of all the grants, it
will amount to SITS .O6O 900. This latter
sum is more than twice the estimated cost of
the road. as set forth by tie most competent
engineers. These prespectiys results seem
astounding, yet it strikes not unreason-
able to believe that the financial results of
this grant shall even exceed the highest Of
these estimates inasmuch as its resources are
so immense and will be developed with so
great facility bv the railroad. Which will be
the shorter and more easily operated of our
! Pacific rOalS