Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1879-09-18
The Northern Pacific Railroad Reggie,

The Northern Pacific Railroad Rexic,
Xix Years ago Jay Cooke & Co. were i
their glory as bankers. and pushing tn
Northern Pacific railway into notice wit,
their accustomed energy. \ great corpoI
alton had been formed. which at the tim
OF the suspension in September 1873. ha
absorbed S5l 600 600: Congress had do
mated many million acres of land for II
nd. rs il had previously done tor the CnioI
Pacific and other /, ads. and the above firm
We're marketing the bonds at 8 per cent
interest. 'yablc in gold. Work was push
q! on ana the road had got well under way
towards the setting sun. when ike the burst
Ing of e bubble. the concern collapsed. ant
the stockholders and bundholders alike
were involved in pecuniary trouble from
which great difficulty was experienced in
emerging. The company was almost ami
Iilated. the property sold and new combin-
aiions made by which it is expected the EN-
lerpriSe may he pushed on to completion.
one objection urged against this road.
was that tran through an unsettled coan-
try. and consequently could not be a pay
Ing investment for many years. On the
other hand il was urged that the road ran
or would run through the finest winter
wheat region on the continent. These oh
iectors were right in charging the climate
rs cold. but never more wrong than in call
ING the soil unproduclive. The attention
Of men eminent in knowledge has been
turned TO this region. and they find the
claim of IN iSothermal belt to be correct
and that the men who first projected that
railway across the continent knew what
they were about. The whole range OF the
country at and north of the source OF the
Mississippi. west of Lakes Superior and
winnipeg. extending westward to the
Rocky Mountains and northward to the
parallel of latitude cutting the southern
shore of Hudson Bay is a plateau of I'M
cqualled extent in level surface. fertile land.
easy of access and cultivation. mach Of it |!
well wooded. ill of il well watered. teas lille
of settlement and productive in wheat to a !
degree that puts far in the shade the best
wheat lands OF southern Wisconsin, Mich
igan and Minnesota. The average yield
per acre is 80 bushels. While Is to 20 is as
much as can be expected in the older " heat
regions.
The largest part of this one lies within
the British Dominion. which also includes
the splendid valley OF the Saskatchewan. q
mighty river LOCO miles in length. that
rising in the Rocky Mountrins. courses
through this immense plateau eastward to
Lake Winnepeg. through whose bed its
water finds lis way TO Hudson Bay. There
ire no mountains in this gran area to OBJ !;
Iruct railway building. The Red River
II the North rises in western centra! Min
iesota. and running northward. dividing I
hat State from Dakota Territory. also
lnds its way to Lake Winnipeg. so that. .
hat body OF water assumes large conse- L
uencc. though so little known. British h
immigrants are now fiocking into some o
arts OF this region. and through it the p
reat Canadian enterprise of continental
llway connecting with the Grand Trunk, NJ
TO run and by which the productions OF II
he future iloullslng settlements will find M
leir way to Atlantic ports. But years "
'ust elapse before this great thoroughtare it
i'll he completed. and hence branches I'll
on The Northern Pacific may judiciously al
'nnect that section with the outlet at n,
hicago. Duluth. or st. Louis. On this
and area millions of handy people of IA
ritish origin will yet find their homes H..
ID rejoice in high civilization. The tn
innate Is too cool TO admit OF malarial tw
seases. The summers are too short to al H.,
" long period of intense heat. willie ele
e winters. with their abundance OF snow. th
induce to longevity. No speculation in ar,
future OF this region can reach the brj
ility that may be experienced. But the
st part OF this range OF land lies near A,
boundary of 40 degrees and laps over ~
o the domains OF Uncle sam. The rail ho
Y under construction from Duluth TO IL
rtland and ) iatile runs between the 45tf D..
l 49th parallels. so that it bisects the nj,
y region to be benefited and lies adj mo
raby for extending arms north and 70
nth. rs they may be wanted. In the last 70,
Element of the boundary between the wo
tied States and Canada. many sanguine sur
iticians al Washington claimed that the IN
lted States owned the territory up as :,
as 81 degrees 10 minutes. An earnest
.ussion was had over this question in ""'
rgress and in the public newspapers. 70
diplomacy settled the line where it is. -
ng the United STATES control of n large Wv
of Lake Superior. and carrying our '.n,
i'ory north TO the Grand Portage and ~,
ny Lake. Ii would have been felicit- =, :,
result could we have honestly acquired
valley of Lake Winnipeg with its adj W.
ing lakes and the Saskatchewan valley. u
within those limits several large and ~"
ortant States could have been organ -
and added TO the strength Of the p p.,
At Republic. As it is. the future must
osc of all problems that spring up as -,
past has done in ages past and gone 80.
schotd Gazette
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