Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-04-24
MINNESOTA.
letter from a Belmont County
Nan in NIinnesota-The Nation
nj Colony-Suecess of an Ohio
E1tar---:-o

! W 40 1Oi iiASA
" resident of Belmont County, but
was drawn to Minnesota by the splen-
did reputation Of the State for climate
and its prospect OF great future. For
the benefit of others who may be con-
( templating Il removal westward, l
wish to say s5,nC.' ibg through your
columns of the State = general and of
southwestern Minnesota, where am
located, in particular.
! Probably the most attractive feature
/ OF Minnesota is its unsurpassed climate.
The height of the State above the sea
( level e1empts it from malarious infu-
ences, and its dry and tonic atmos-
phere exempts it from bronchial and
| pulmonary diseases. Hundreds of per-
Sons have been cured of consumption
by a residence of year or two in Min
nesota. Some of these have but one
! lung left, and yet are active and ener-
getic business men. Minnesota COM
bines the soil of the river bottoms with
the climate of the mountains, and
therefore it is said to abound in rich
men who came here poor, and in To-
| bust men who came here sick. y chief
reason for the uniform success of set
| tiers in Minnesota is the excellent
health which they enjoy. They lose
little time money, or energy by i'll
health. We have men here who left
Oregon and Washington Territory
because of the fathomless mud, and the
! fogs of the winter season, and Califor-
mia because of its dus. and earthquakes,
and who found their ideal climate here.
After having tried nearly every eli
mate on the continent, they are. en-
thusiastic in praise of this as, all things
considered, the best climate to be
found in America. The winters are
generally thought to be very severe.
but the record of the past winter show
there are but five degrees difference
between Minnesota and other western
States. The lowest recorded for Min
nesota was 45o' below zero, while at the
same time the thermometer indicated
450 below in Central Michigan, 400 be-
low in Illinois, and 4O0 below in Iswa.
The lowest point indicated here at
Worthington was 32o below Zero
| When we consider the fact that the
cold is not felt in this dry atmosphere
as it is in the danper latitudes, the
difference in temperature will be found
greatly in favor Of Minnesota. We
have men here from New England
who say they can bear 30' below zero
in this dry atmosphere better than
they could bear zero in the damp eli
mate Of tho coast. The testimony to
the fact that the cold is not felt here as
in the lower latitude5 is UNIVERSAL
This is accounted for by the dryness of
the atmosphere which is like a dry
blanket to the skin, while a damp at
mosphere is like wet blanket and
produces chilinesS.- Great Injustice vas
done Minnesota by the exaggerated
stories published concerning the effects
of the snow storm of January 9TH. The
Governor sent oat an agent 10 gather
the facts, and the official report shows
between forty and fifty lives lost
More men perished from sunstroke in
New York in one day last summer
than perished from cold in Minnesota
the past winter. More men died in
one wear from Inalarious influences in
the early settlement of some OF the
western States, than have perish<d
from cold in Minnesota since the set
tleInent of the State began. Those
who perIshed in the late storm, were
caught out on the open prairie where
there were no land marks to guide
them, and pcrished because they could
not find shelter. When the prairies
here are settled as they are in Illinois,
and as they viii be in a few years;
men will have no difficulty in finding.
shelter. A number of men faced the
storm for four or five miles, and found
places of safety. s
But what Of Minnesota agriculture?
AS a wheat State it surpasses every
other in average yield per acre, GER
taiDty of crop and quality of grain
The average yield for 1872 was abont
18 bushels per acre, and the aggregate
yield over 26, OOO,O00 bushels. In aver
age yield OF corn per acre it surpasses
Illinois; and in hay it surpasses the
great hay State Of Ohio about siSty-fve
per cent. The annual apple crop is be-
| tween 10000 and 10000 bushels, and
fruit growers say Minnesota will be-
come great fruit State. Inexperienc-
ed persons suppose the State is too far
North for fruit, but the same was
though. OF Michigan in its early set
tlement. Southwestern Minnesota
where I am located, is only 100 miles
north of the latitude of Chicago, and
nearly on line with the peach or
chards of Michigan. We are as far
South of the Red River country as
Kentucky is South of Lake Erie. Min
nesota is also destined to become a
great manufacturing State. No State
in the west has such unlimited water
power; the Falls of st. Anthony alone,
now in the heart of Minneapolis, have
ten times the hydraulic power of the
Lowell Falls, or one hundred thousand
horse power. Ofthe 40 and odd rivers
in the State, nearly all have good water
power. This immense manufacturing
capacity must be speedily developed,
six times as large as all New England
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