Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-04-27
WASHINGTON.
How Plot was Perpetrated Upon
Citizens of Wisconsin.
From our own Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, April oath, 1876.
NesSrs Editors

and the Northern Pacific Railroad Co.
to close the Canal cut through Mime
sofa Point, wishes to deprive Duluth
of any harbor. while the facts are that
by keeping this canal open it will
eventually destroy the natural harbor
common to both Superior and Duluth.
1t ahould be kept distinctly in mind
that Duluth is at the head of the same
Bay that Superior is located on, with
| the natural outlet into Lake Superior.
At a meeting of United States engin-
GERS in 1870 called by Gen. Humphrey
who has charge Of all River and Har-
Dor improvements under the Secretary
! of War, for the purpose Of devising
the best plan of improving and pro-
viding harbor accommodation for the
west end Of lake Superior, it was
unanimously recommended to improve
the natural outlet, or entry, to the
Bay of Superior and dredge the inside
of that portion Of said Bay Of Supe-
rior as was necessary to give the best
harbor facilities to both places. This,
as it required the commerce Of Lake
Superior going to and from Duluth to
pass in front Of Superior, for several
miles, did not answer the purpose of
those interested in Duluth, the I'M
scrupulous Jay Cooke being the most
influential person having large inter
est therein. He undertook and car
ried through, what in all proba-
bility another person in the country
could have done, viz. cutting a ship
canal through Minnesota Point, CA
point of land from three hundred feet
to fifteen hundred feet wide projecting
from the North shore of Lake Supe-
rior, distance Of seven miles to the
natural entry into the Bay of Supe-
rior, which point constitutes the east
earn shore Of Bay Of Superior) with
out any authority of law, and the
Duluth interest kept the United States
Marshall long enough on his journey
from Kansas to Duluth, to enable those
engaged upon the canal to cut it
through before the United States
Court. restraining them from SO doing
was served.
This Canal being only about mile
from where the St. Louis River emp
ties into the Bay Of Superior, while it
is five miles to the natural outlet, be-
comes the outlet Of said river into
Lake Superior and the result is the
gradual filling up of the Bay between
the entrance of St. Louis river into
the Bay and the natural outlet Of said
Bay into Lake Superior as well as at
the entrance end Of the outlet.
The channel of St. Louis river, the
Bay Of Superior being nothing but the
! widening of said river, is the boundary
line between the States of Wisconsin
and Minnesota therefore this canal
practically changes the boundary, in
this locality, between those states,
The natural channel, before the cut
ting Of the canal was always open
until the last of December and the
first place open in the spring, but
since the cutting Of this canal, the
canal is the last place to close in the
fall and the first place to open in the
spring. The true object Of the suit is
to restore the waters Of the st. Louis
river where nature placed them, to
prevent the total destruction of the
harbor of Superior and to have as
unanimously recommended by the
United States Beginners one large, con-
venient and commodious harbor for the
use Of both places Had it not have
been for the unlimited confidence placed
in Jay Cooke by those in authority, at
the seat of government, this great
wrong upon the citizens of Wisconsin,
who at al early day settled at Supe-
rior in consequence Of its great natural
advantages, could never have been per-
petrated. The patriotic 2rejudices of
the country were used to carry out
this foul plot against the citizens of
/ Wisconsin, in consequence of the in
terest held in Superior by the late
Hon. J. D. Bright, ]. J. Brecken-
ridge. and r. NJ. t. Hunter, W. ".
Corcoran and others from the South
loosing sight entirely, of the fact that