Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-08-28
Letter from Hon. n. Richardson.
isG :. .EFfEFE ~ II NE.4< t1LE.- 7 . -
7 RAILROAD AND OTHER, MATTERS.

Little Falls, Aug: %. 1879.
Editor Of the Transcript: :s'.,.: ~ -
Having just returned from an i'm
portant business meeting of the direct
ors Of the Little Falls & Dakota Rail-
road Company, it may be Interesting
to many of your readers to know
something of the country along the
line, and what was done at the meet-
ing, &c. Having made up my mind
to make trip on foot across the coun>
try from this place to sauk' Centre, to
attend the above named meeting which
had been called to convene there on
the Goth inst, I concluded to walk
out ION the Sabbath day as far as A.
K.MIller's place, whose farm is about
| six miles out, and just south Of where
the road is expected to pass. John
Blair, a generous fellow, offered me a
ride out to within short distance Of
camp, and I very soon concluded to
accept. On arriving at camp I found
everything quiet and orderly as it
should he, the party being in charge
Of Gen. G. Mcclellan, a noted railroad
engineer Of this State, whose home is
in St. Paul. He appears to not only
be we'll posted on running lines for
railroads, but on the best mode of
handling a surveying party. All of
the party retired for the night in good
order and time, the most of them oocu>
pying two large tents which were we'll
supplied with Blankets. and the bali
ance betook themselves to the hay
loft Of friend Miller's barn, myself
among the latter number. Shortly
after day break the shrill voice of Mr..
Virgin, the popular cook, might have
been heard for miles around, echoing
through the forest, articulating the
words "turn out" The early morning
looked hazey and inauspicious, and
had not improved liz. the least after
breakfast. However, I con eluded not
to forego the pleasure Of making
lone trip across the country to Sauk
Centre. I followed as near as practi~
cable the proposed line Of railroad
which the said company is now en-
gagged in locating. proceeded to the
south side Of Swan river by the Ham,
lin bridge, and soon after crossing I
saw ny friend, Ed. Taylor, who resides
on Sec. "a, Town 12s, Range 81, on
creek which bears his name. After
getting some information from him
concerning the best chance Of getting
through the six miles Of woods lying
west Of his home, proceeded on to
his house, reaching there at about 9:30
o'clock. 1t had commenced to sprin>
kle, and I ventured to call in, hoping
that the pending shower would soon
pass over. Mrs. Taylor hardly knew
me, but the uncertain question was
soon made clear. enjoyed pleas
ant conversation until eleven o'clock,
and seeing no prospect of the weather
clearing up, and knowing the necessity
Of improving the time, storm or no
storm, in order to make sure of get>
| ting through the woods that day, I
| proceeded on. I had never travelled
! through these woods, and having no
compass with me, and it being a
stormy day, had to rely wholly upon
tho direction of the wind and the ap>
pearance of the timber to keep my
course. Only one kind of timber, as
tar as [ know, bears "a sign that can
not be mistaken :; that is the poplar.
The black bark at the butt extends
much higher up the tree on the north
side than it does on the south side, so
that in looking at a grove Of poplar
from the north it looks quite dark,
while to look at the same grove from
the south it appears nearly white. The
difference cannot be mistaken and as
[ find but few settlers who have no.
ticed this fact, and as this whole coun>
try abounds with more or less poplar,
think proper to mention it. For the
first two miles or so out I followed an
old hay road, which I judge has only
been used in the winter for hauling
the hay that is cut on the quite ex>
tensivc meadows at the head of the
said Taylor's creek, about the centre
Of the town. I think saw hundred
tons Of hay that had been put in stack
this year, and much more might have
been made. In addition to the mead
ows there are quite extensive tamarack
swamps. The uplands are very brushy
and there are soft sloughs, making
travel undesirable at any time. and
especially so when the jungles are
drenched with frequent dashes Of rain
Beyond the creek bottoms the country
assumes a more respectable appear
ance, consisting of occasional tamaraok
svamps and hard maple ridges until
about The last mile Of the town, near
the Todd comfy line, is reached,
where there are small lakes. surround
ed with tamarack and wide shores Of
shakey bog, and the uplands are quite
broken and rolling. Finally, atabout
FIVE O'Clock, I struck a well travelled