Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-07-17
From e. d. I'ingle, Esq.
Little Falls, july IL, 1879.

...' From Il. u. Tingle, Esq.
Little Falls, July IL, 1879.
Mr.. Editor: Catching the spirit of
''W estward ho we determined to
view the resources of the so>called
"garden of Minnesota" lying in that
favored district into which immigrants
have been vending their way, invited
by tho glorious descriptions of its
beautiful scenery and inexhaustable
agricultural resources, as pictured by
the railroad landlords of Minnesota.
We left st. Paul on the st. Paul &
Sioux City railroad, which traverses
the State diagonally, and derives its
name from the termini, St. Paul and
Sioux City. This road is we'll equip~
ped and under the able management
Of b. F. Drake, and by the. courtesy
OF its officials has earned. a deserving
reputation for efficiency and for the
comfort of passengers. It runs
through some of the most favored
counties of this State, and strikes
the Iowa line near its northwest.
ern boundary, terminating at Sioux
City in the latter State. With
eyes wide open to view the won>
ders Of this Eldorado, and in a mood
to admire it's beauties and admit its
superiority, we took out our note book
and began to note the points and fea-
lures of the country through which
we were passing. From St. Paul to
Mankato the physical features of the
country are similar, and strikingly so
in our estimation, to the country lying
in Morrison county on the Long Prai~
rie road. Timber is abundant, and
the country is hilly with intervening
valleys in which were seen fine crops
Of wheat, promising an abundant
harvest; but afterwards seriously
damaged by the terrific storms
which visited this section of Min
nesota Jordan, lie Sueur and
Mankato are numbering towns,
each entertaining fattering hopes of
future greatness: Leaving Mankato
We soon strike into the vast prairles
which stretch away to an illimitablc
extent, rolling and undulating like
billowy ocean. The waving sea of
grass reflected back the scorching
rays Of old Sol, without friendly
shadow to protect the travellers devot-
ed head and IF the monotony was not
occasionally broken by some crystal
lakes, (Which are very frequent here,
upon the crystal surfaces of which are
mirrored with more striking effect
the shimmering rays Of the sun,) the
features and effect of this country upon
a timber loving mans eyes would be
extremely painful. New cordwood is
worth six dollars per cord, and we can
therefore readily conceive why the
burning of hay is esteemed luxury,
and why some of these people are
ready to affirm that they prefer it to
cordwood. And such cordwood, oh {!
people of Morrison, have you burned,
or tried to burn, any green poplar in
your time? Then you can form some
estimate Of the trials, tribulations and
comforts of these people with the mer>
curry at 400 below zero. The picture
delineated by an old settler, was anus
ing in the extreme-the small boy
feeding the fire with hay, the house,
wife constantly brushing up the dirt,
and the old farmer standing on the
roof of his cabin with bucket of wa>
ter in hand ready to extiuguish the
contemplated couhagration.
There is no question concerning the
richness of this soil, three and four
feet in depth a rich black loam.
Sometimes it will produce amazingly,
which is only about once in four years,
as I was informed by an old resident
who has been fighting grasshoppers
for two or three years past. Much of
this section is low, and the mud would
terrify an upper Mississippi mud tur>
tie, and make the little feet of our
pretty women resemble No. IL loot.
Worthington, Window and Luverne,
would be great and prosperous, I am
assured, if the festive hoppers we're
not SO partial to this section, and
made such frequent pilgrimages to
their household shrines. We suggest
ed to these people the propriety Of
utilizing the festive insect for. fuel, but
they assured US that he never tar
ried with them during the hay burns
ing season, but departed for his Rocky
Mountain haunts. Through Iowa We
sped, the land of storms and foods.
This country is fat, and in many pla>
ces water was standing in the wheat
fields and we were told that the rust
had already injured the. wheat crop.
Lemars was suffering from the hoppers,
and at Sioux City we saw millions Of
them. The gardens in the city had
been destroyed, and the surrounding
country had been devastated by this
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