Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-23
The Question Settled.
A Bridge Will Pay.
Globe Reporters Trip
Beyond Ft. Smelling.
Cloud Of Interviews
With 100 Farmers.
All Will Come Here
If Bridge is Built.
An Immense Trade
Knocking at OUTDOOR
Vote to Let Them In.

AS The GLOBE never does anything by
halves, it resolved to ascertain for itself what
there is in the territory tributary to St. Paul,
by means of the proposed Fort Smelling
bridge. a GLOBE Plenipotentiary and En-
voy Extraordinary was accordingly, few
days ago, armed and equipped with note
book and pencils, an excellent team and in
telii2ent guide, and instructed to ascertain
from personal observation the desired facts
It was not long after leaving St. Paul before
the envoy descended the dangerous Smelling
hill and crossed the, delaying risky tax gather
ing ferry-two obstacles in the line of inter
communication, SO serious as to have proven
positive blockade for years to the inter
course between large and rapidly growing
agricultural region and it's natural outlet at
st. Paul
After climbing thence for half mile till
we could see out over the glorious expanse
beyond the fort, we had driven less than a
mile when it became evident that the limits
of the once spacious Fort Smelling reserve
had been curtailed and cut down until moth
ing more than reasonably roomy pasturage
and parade ground had been withheld from
settlement and tillage for the uses of the
post.
Bearing somewhat to our left at the top
of the hill near the Fort, and thus striking
out on the now regularly travelled Shakopee
and st, Paul road. drive Of one and half
miles brought us to the first titled farm and
the pleasant home of
yEIzER BRUNO.
Driving up to the premises we found them
on commanding eminence, from which we
could not only see great number of new
farm houses, (humble cottages and imposing
mansions) as far as the eye could reach, with
one continuous stretch of cultivated fields,
but without an exception every field was
alive with the work Of seeding; the farmer
himself leading off with the wheat laden
drill and closely following was the son or the
hired man or men with the many toothed
harrow. It was fourteen years since the
writer had passed through this particular
district, and the transformation from wild,
tenantless prairie, which he then thought a
sterile waste, to busy and prosperous farm
ing community, was really marvellous. In
short, we can find no more fitting description
of the scene before us at this point and of
the entire region thence on to the Blooming
ton ferry, 20 miles southwest of st. Paul,
than to compare it both in appearance,
character and fertility of soil, and abundance
Of production, though twice as great in area,
with the famous Cottage Grove district Of
Washington county; and it is by no means
of this vast production would be made di-
rectly tributary to St. Paul by the building
of this Smelling bridge.
We found Mr.. Bruno an intelligent and
communicative German, and obtained the
following expressions;
MI. Bruno-O yes, sir: want to see the
bridge built, and if necessary, would give
something, too. So do all of us through
here. I have 12O acres, nearly all under cul
tivation After retaining plenty for my owl
use, I marketed about ST. 800 worth of whea
and other stuff from last years crop.
Bep.-Upon being SO near by, suppose
Mr.. Bruno, you hauled most of your stuff t,
st. Paul?
Mr.. 30, no. I wished could, but hov
can / stand that constant charge as we'll q
risk at the ferry, and then that hill to CHM
after you get across? I took little to 81
bridge were built, would go hundre
times more to st. Paul than to Minneapolis
Mr.. FRANK PAUL,
neighbor of Mr.. Bruno, has 100 acres a
under cultivation. Markets most of b
crop, valued at about ST. 500, at Minneapoli
1--WE sometimes go down to St. Paul on tt
ice," says Mr.. P, shut the Smelling ferry an
Smelling hill are great obstacles to our goin
to st. Paul at any other time of the seaso
| need not tell you that l want to see IL
bridge built. ST. Paul would be surprised
the amount of stuff that would pass over it
AS we passed along over the route we n
cessarily had to skip a number of farms al
farmers, the latter being SO far away in the
fields as to render it impracticable to 60
them: yet in all instances we learned the
sentiments from those we did meet, al
found no dissenting voices on the brid
question. At q point between three and TO
miles from the fort we hailed
Mr.. CHAs. HoAG,
n young and thriving farmer, who stopp
his wheat drill, invited us to seat upon
same, and cheerfully gave us what inform
ton he could on the subject at issue.
said: ''The proposed bridge will bring N
self and neighbors nearer to ST. Paul til
Minneapolis, and we have always look
upon ST. Paul as the best market for Q
crops as whole. You will find everybo
through here in favor of bridge at Snellir
Is should have been built years ago. OF Il
years crop 1 marketed everything
Minneapolis 100 bushels
wheat, 500 bushels of barley, a
say, 5000 worth of other stuff