Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-06-19
Sunny and Shady Side.

MINI, which We present to our readers ta's week
wiz ' nS,co" @ we OP,"I ,nsa .a,,omoo, amer
a,de,y I'm, o pasl.b ,bom md our r,aiefs may take
their choice"
DrrRotr LAKf. Miss. June lst, 1879.
Dear Waicbtaaa d Journal Perhaps short
letter from A " Colonist" would not he uninter-
estinp 10 n norton of yonr readers, and A. have
co,y moments Of leisure to.day. | will fulfill my
pronise To write Won. The party that left Yer
mont on the llth of MAY arrived here safely and
comfortably. The transportation furnished was
all that any travellers could ask, and on the boat
from Sarna to Duluth we found nm obiging cap
tain. excellent Accommodations and first class
board. At Sarnia we fell in with Mr. Wright
and family from Worcester, who left some two
,yecks earlier than VIC did, but took a boat at
Ogdensburah. coming all the way by water.
They could make no progress ahead of us from
this point As ours was the first boat of the season
IN Duluth. On the passage we encountered some
ice large fields of which We sometimes had to 20
around some distance but on the whole the trip
wa. very pleasant, and there was but little sea
sickness among the passengers.
At Dnlnth we made but short stop, but suiIi.
cicnlv long To see that vast preparations were be-
Ing made for the coming business over the North.
ern Pacific Railroad, aud the trans-shipment oil
its freight Acres Of " sidc-track " we're being
put down. warehouses and other buildings built
and there were other indications that the impor
lance Of the e" City Of the Unsalted Sea - was
rnpidy on the increase. The railroad dis,anc,
from Duluth TO Detroit Lake is 206 miles. Al
Brainord on the Mississippi river, $50 mile.
from Duluth, we remained over night This j,
already town Of considerable Importance, ther,
being two steam saw.mil. here, plenty Of pin,
logs TO saw, and various other machinery in opor
alton. to work up the lumber into dimension
suitable for building and other purposes. W,
arrived at Detroit Lake in the midst Of a sever,
rain-storm. and the first outlook upon our new
proposed home was not particularly cheering
The season was backward, as at the East, ent
vegetation did not make much Of a show, and &
eyes unaccustomed as ours were to prairie soil
there was a dcscrtlike dreariness to the vast ex
panse Of vet ungrcencd surface The absence o
| Improvements too, neat houses with their home
like surroundings, is not calculated to add mucl
to new landscape picture on a rainy day
But it was for the yet unwrought country--th
unturncd s,il-we had come this great distance
and that rs it was first presented to us on a rain
day, it should give some of us heavy hearts, i
not to be wondered at We managed. however
soon 10 make ourselves quite comfortable, await
ing patiently for clear sky and the warm sun
shine, which came in due time We have sine
had time to learn, for there were other noyces il
this respect besides myself. that the absence q
sward upon the unbroken prairie soil is not neC
esyarily evidence Of blrrenncss, for the will
grasses make M turf. bat grow up from the root
beneath the surface like thesmal grains. Hence
in early sprnq.time the fields are not q" with ver
dure clnd I" and many seeing this condition q
things for tho FIRST time iump at once 10 the con
eusion that the soil is not ferte-a conclusio
tbnt is Mt once abandoned bv those who renal
llonr enough To test it. or who are not too wis
10 take the word of those who have had exper
enee in the matter and we comics. that 10 som
extent we sympathized with them at first.
We lave the honcsiek man with US. and h
was with the party that preceded us. He will b
will not stay long enough anywhere To max
much trouble
We f,pnd Sanders and Carrier who came g..
? here the first Of April well employed and we
pnid enc Of them. to use his own expression
:, Sailing d,wn Gftv dollars nor month -, :,
other receiving three dollars and.o.half ner da,
Those who were not quite satisfied with the