Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1875-06-24
:: A "TRIP TO AUSTIN MINNESOTA.
How Austin Looks, Its Business, &C
Editor St. Paul Dispatch.

+ A TRIP TO AUSTIN MINNESOTA.
How Austin Looks, Its Business, sc.
Editor St. Paul Dispatch.
s.@s THE CITY or AUSTIN Ss:Esss sss sz q. ss
WliensI arose this morning and looked
out upon the beautiful scenery Of com.
mingled nature and art as presented tothes
eye at my window, l thought I could not
employ mywalting time to better advan-
tage than by saying few words about
Austin-not Horace, but the beautiful lit
tie cityof that name-=--but my "lcttcr of
apology has proved my wind against q:
lead pencil SO much. better than it was
last night against steam, that am afraid
you will throw the whole thing into the
waste basket, if I say all I want to about
this. place, SO will be as briefas possible.
4 4 The city Of Austin, as you probably
know, the county seat Of Mower county,
.abesk 100 miles from St. Paul, and disbnjls
upon both sides of Cedar river. The city
itself contains population of about $500,
while the whole county, as Twas informed,
contains but about 10,747, SO it will lie
seen that either the county outside of the
city is ofsmall expanse or 5sparscly set
tied, I was told the latter is the case,
though can imagine no good reason for
it: as the surface Of the country indicates
to a traveller al least, that it is admirably
adapted to farming. 1t may be, as is the
case in altogether too many portions of
our glorious State, that large areas Of the
land are owned by non resident specula
tors, who wait for other mems labor and
enterprise tomake their property valuable.
The city is divided into three wards, and
like the most Of our western towns, covers
Il large area, did not learn how large.
The site is comparatively level plain,
though; there is nothing like monotony in
the landscape. It is sufficiently elevated
to be airy, and ! should judge could be
cheaply severed, when the time comes for
that thing to be necessary. The streets
are reasonably wide and easy to grade,
there being no rockscxcavation to be en-
countcrcd; in fact The lack of. rock suit
able for building purposes $50 far as ]
could discovery being one Of the most Sc
rious hindrances to the pr osperity Of the
place, though perhaps brick, all things
considcrcd may be as cheap, and they ccr.
tainly arc quite as durable and present a
more pleasant appearance, to my eye al
least. There may be good stone quarrics
convenient, but / did not see any. The
place contains, and hope sustains, foul
large hotels, which are probably sufficient
foI tic present, though, if the town con
tinucs to grow in the future as am salts
fed it has in the last two years, others will
be required ere long. In front OF tho
HIeck House is a public park, we'll fenced
and somewhat larger, l should judge, thar
our Rice Park" with beautiful flag staff
surrounded by an elevated music stand
Ihcre meay be other parks also, but tha
| is the only one [ came across.
(tC
TAtrc is il respectable number Of churcl
cd;ilccs, not'vely pretentious, but neat an<
| modest, a fact which, according to N,
mind, is indicative of more piety and les:
cant than is sometimes to sbc found il
larger and more imposing ones-ln fa
better keeping with the examples and pre-
cepts Of the lowly Nazarene, who IS claim
; cd to be the author ard fnishcr OF th'
faith of their founders. AMONG the churcl
edifices here, is one which, for simplicit,
and real beauty surpasses anything ofth<
kind I think ever saw, for one Of small
| cost, mean) the First Univcrsalist, re
Gently erected 1T 4 cost, complete, cxclu
sive Of the two lots belonging to it, of bu
about S2,400. 1t will comfortably sea
about $50 persons, and is, ], think, a per
feet gem Of a church edifce.
SCHOOLS.
In the matter OF the school cdifces, al
though it shows a laudablc liberality,
think Austin, like Rochester, has made ;
great mistakc,,:1 1Le latter placehaving pu
about $G5,,00o into one building), having
but one public building, which WAS erect
ed at a cost Of over $4,000, whereas, thi
amount Of money would have given then
three, zone in each ward) Of about the siz'
and character OF cur "Lincoln School
building, and what I consider of realI.
more consequence than the mere cost, til,
school population would then have beer
very much better convenlcnccd: Put VI
less costly structures and more Of them i!
the true policy, it seems to me:
NEWSPAPERS.
OF this necessity Of the present age, Aus
tin has two fourlshingS newspapers-lh'
TRANscR1pT and the REG1sTER. Judg'
A. A. Harwood, we'll known in Legislative
: circles, presides over tile first and 1lessrs
Davidson &sBasford over the other
spent few moments very agreeably il
each office.U Unfortunately they don't u.s.
patent sides. -....- -....-, .....--..
The mercantile and manufacturing in
terests are reasonably cared for. 49,.
There are many. other things I woul'
like to mention, but the fear Isexpresse'
that the whole thing would go into tn
waste basket, warns me that + had bette
stop. In conclusion allow me to say tha
Austin, as it appeared to me, is as beauti
full, we'll laid out, thriving a little city a
one will find in travelling u long way.
Yours, &4 tase.. sa -: S::.S &C. y
!