Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1874-10-22
Letter From Wisconsin.

would not object to reading snort
letter from me-
St. Paul is one hundred and sixty |
miles up the Mississippi river from
this place. started on the oath inst,
in company with my son Howard, to
attend the session of the Minnesota
Conference at the capitol city of the
State.
Leaving home at 10 o'clock A. NJ,
we reached it's seat at P M. The
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail
road runs by this city, and from here
directly up the river to st. Paul, eros
sing the river twice-frst at WinOna
and then at Hastings. The ride is de-
lightful, either on boat or cars. The
river is winding, and more serpentine
thar can be described in this letter.
Its banks are low, and covered with
bright and rapid growth of maple,
elm, and ash, while back on the bluffs
there is much of pine and cedar, and
a luxuriant underground that is both
attractive and beautiful to behold On
the low grounds, always found on one
side or the other of the river, the
banks are alluvial from a rich deposit
from the bed of the river, carried by
high waters and spread over them.
The waters of the Mississippi, espe-
cially as we approach the confluence
of the St. Croix and St. Peters, are
very dark red, and where it is deep it
is almost as black as ink.
Lake Pipin is a beautiful sheet of
water, through which the river passes,
J and is some twenty five miles long
} and about three miles wide. 1t was
first called the "Lake of Tears be-
cause the savages there, who took
J captive some of the first white explOr
ers, wept all night because their COM
panions would not consent to the
death of the victims. This Lake is
: bounded on the East by quite an ex-
tended prairie, and on the West by a
} chain of mountains, These mountains
are some two to three hundred feet
high. Standing in some places in alb
rupt bluffs along the waters edge,
they connect with another range of
e hills, in which there are found several
caves, where the bears used to retire
+ for protection in winter. Some OF
: these caverns are said to be seventy
i feet in length, and from four to nine
n in height. Some of the entrances
0 are narrow, and about the externa
5 opening there is heavy deposit OF
o saltpetre. In the summer season they
It are said to be full of rattle snakes
making it dangerous to enter. LIS
- Sueur, IN his account of these snakes
says some of them are six feet ii
n length, but generally they are abou
/ four feet. They have teeth resembling
It the pike snake, and in their gums are
e small vessels, or cells, in which they
! carry their poison. The Sioux Indi
!, ans, who have had much experience
with and suffered much from them
d claim that they deposit this poison IL
these cells every morning and throw
: out every night.
it St. Paul is a grand and growing city
e 1t has about thirty five thousand in
n habitants, and is rapidly increasing
;. ;, 1t has two NJ E. Churches and city
n mission, which looks to the formation
e of third charge this year. My son
d J. Howard Phillips, who was trans
5 ferred by Bishop Ames from the Gin
cinnati Conference, at its last session
d at Wilmington, is appointed pastor 0
: the First NJ. E. Church. 1t is the old
8 est Methodist Church in the State, ant
" has new church building, with all til
If modern advantages of lecture room
class room, and parlors. It occupie
a favorable position, about on the lin
81 between the old and new portions O
of the city.
O, Minneapolis used to be called twelv
ne miles above St. Paul, but they ar
III both growing SO rapidly that man
- - now believe the next ten years vii
a. bring them together and make on
city of them. Minneapolis has abou
IN thirty thousand inhabitants, and i
;n ;n growing now, perhaps, much NOR
y, no rapidly than st. Paul.
as The St. Anthony Fall, with its W.
is ter power, and the beautiful ground
v on which Minneapolis stands, gives
"a an advantage over every other city
the Northwest. 1t has at these fal
is manufacturing interests equalled i
d. some respects by no others in I'll
y Union. One Touring mill runs fort
ne pairs of burs, and makes fifteen hun
-ot dred barrels of flour per day.
N, m, This is the largest amount of wor
~ m done by anv mill in America, and rur
OF more burs than any but two in IL
lie world $50 said by those who clail
to know.)
- In Minneapolis we have four M. I
,el Churches, all prospecting we'll but on,
se- and that one few years ago was til
l." strongest church in the State, but
If few little matters of SANDER, jealous
en- and contention have so sOwn the seed
ty of discord, that her former power hi
en- been trammeled and her influence a
be most ruined. 1t is to be hoped, hOY
al. ever, with the changes of minister