Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-11-14
Letter from Rev. p. u. Fisk.

LAKE CITY, MINI, November g. 1877.
NeSSs Editors There NAV be- now and then
one Of your readers who would like to know
little about the place which is fast becoming
home to us. Such an one in Caledonia county
would at once remember that Lake CITY il the
place for which the late joel Fletcher. ESD, did
80 much, and Of which he was the first mayor.
The city il from fifty to seventy miles below
st. Paul, just according to the man you inquire
Of, and is located on the western shore of Lake
Pepin-that charming little pause and expansion
OF the Mississippi, soon alter ii takes upon itself
to divide Wisconsin and Minnesota It's streets
are laid out with, and at right angles with, the
river; so as to run just quartering from the car
dinal points In some respects we think IL would
have been an improvement, II they had kept with
the compass one Of which is that In that case,
every street would have looked across this beauti-
ful lake at one end, and out to these picturesque
bluffs at the other The streets are very wide.
giving good deep yard in front Of every house
III the builders 50 please), and n wide patch Of
green turf, with trees between the plank sidewalk
and the open street, and then with room for four
teams to drive abreast after all this is taken out
on each side Lake City covers the extreme
northeastern cornerof wahasha county, and Gem
j
hue county-is indistinguishable from it Both
together make about five thousand inhabitants;
and in everything but voting and tax-paying they
are practically one These two counties are recl-
oned as the cream Of the wheat fields Of Mime
sofa" We rode about six miles, not long since,
to give the family their first sight of the prairies,
and saw farm which had about four thousand
acres Of plowed fields ready for next years plant
ing and sowing
There are in the city FIVE or six elevators and
storehouses, of size to be counted together,
and three Touring mills one Of which--and a
large one-has been silent for a long time, but
threatens business now. In returning from the
praries, the children counted seventy-fve two
horse teams returning home after unloading their
heavy loads of wheat. This was not more than
specimen day on one Of the five principal
| thoroughfares to the country There Is lumber
business sufficient to supply the local market
here; and various shops and mechanical estab-
lishments that run by steam Two boats run
back and forth across the lake to the various viii
lagos from which trade may be brought in
Maiden Rock, Stockholm. "a little Swedish settle
ment), Bogus Creek, Pepin, etc.-all Of which, Of
course are in Wisconsin st Louis boats arrive
and leave enthusiastically The stores and
shops probably number twice rs many ~ yours
| in Montpelier, and there is not vacant business
| place or tenement that Is habtabe in the city, at
the present time.
There are (Qf coursc) all manner Of churches
| here. That is Indispensable. The Congregational
is the oldest, and perhaps the strongest except
the Roman Catholic which is now just finishing
ttwenty thousand dollars church building Be
sides these there is II Presbyterian. Methodist
Baptist, Episcopal and Lutheran church. the first
and last not regularly supplied at the present
time. our own people are largely from the East
ern States chiefly from eastern New York, Yer
mont, New Hampshire and Connecticut All the
older ministers of Vermont are known by one or
more families, and we have the pleasure Of getting
md giving news and seeing variety of Yer
mont papers every week besides those we take
ourselves.
Shall now describe the scenery and show you
'chy we shall not miss the old hills? Please then
to imagine that the Wnooski runs the other way
that from Bolton to Barre it was broadened to
three miles wide, and called Lake Pepin.- Now
let the Montpelier hills he pushed back by this
AXE, until they hang over the ter, and Mt a
height of about four hundred and fifty feet let
their tops he planned off even There begin the
prairies that stretch across Wisconsin Our side
must be the Berlin side, and besides the three
miles Of water, we must have the Berlin hills
showed back so as to give us a meadow {" bot
tom " they would say here about two miles wild,
1t its widest, and not far from seven miles long
Only one hill must interfere with this gently I'M
lulating prairie. That mus, he placed sol'iS abou
1t Berlin and Moretown line; must be littl'
cove, with its front half cut straight down anC
scattered below, and must be called Sugarloaf.
From it we get the best view of all this region
Ind ont of it some very curious geological speci
uens. Then imagine the railway threaded through
the middle of this meadow lengthwise; Lake City
filling the lower half; Florence dotting the dis
ance about opposite Mddesex, aud Frontenat
smuggling under the bluff, where it again come
Town to drink. Now we must attend to the Der
lin hills again They must be lringed with scrul
lak, except where a crag of limestone crops out
lheir tops leveed off at hight corresponding
with those ON the other side, and there right OF
the edge must Begin those praries which are SAT-
TO end only at the foot Of the Black Hills Now
let the valleys be cut deeply down and calle
'cooeys" and a road up every one Of these t
The prairies at an easy grade, and you have tn
'cene AS well As can describe it, and will be will
NJ to believe that it is lovely spot. On eX
PRESSING my surprise to an old river man, that til
Mississippi had cut SO deep n channel here, h
'eplied "lt makes up for it below Before yo
get to New orleans it runs about four hundred an
Vy feet ADORE ground" More anon.
Cordially yours p b, FISK