New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-06-23
NEW ULM REVIEW, WEDNESDAY, JUNE %, 1880
Letter fro1n tho East.

Letter fren tho East.
Written for the Review BY o. P. CHAa,1I1r.
Americans should know and take
pride in the objects Of interest in their
own land. Nature has left her marvel
GUS and beautious handiwork in every
section of the country; and much Of it
is still unknown to the people. We
have seen views here on this Genesee
river, wild romantic and grand beyond
many of wider celebrity which we have
no doubt thousands in this State have
not so much as heard of; but which are
we'll worth knowing and seeing. The
whole Genesee river is itself a study.
Its former bed is in many places far
from it's present course; and the chang
es it has undergone in this particular
border on the marvellous. Many of the
farmers in it's valley have witnessed
it's destructive force on their lands, and
have seen their boundaries ruinously
changed. 1t has divided farms, and
transferred the lands of one man to
those of another. It has covered many
acres of the best lands with stones from
one to two and three feet in depth.
But the chief interest of the Genesee
continues around the Falls. These are
twenty miles below here. near Portage,
and we have had the pleasure of day
at them. The first object of interest,
as you go down, is the new iron bridge
which was built for the Erie Railway.
This replaces the immense wooden
structure burned May 9Th, 1875, and of
which wrote in my letter from here
last fall. The new bridge is all Of iron
and is 800 feet long, which is ten feet
longer than the old one. It is 240 feet
high from bed of river to the top of the
railing, which is one foot higher than
the other one. It contains, besides
the track material, l,3l4,500 lbs. of
iron. The first shipment of finished
material, which was from Paterson, N.
j., was on Julie LIST, 1875; and July
3lst, 1875, the bridge was tested and
opened for traffic. The test was
train of six largest size locomotives
with their tenders all filled with coal
and water. It is said that but one en-
CINE went across first; and the wife of
the engineer rode with him, refusing to
let him 60 alone. If he went down
she, brave, devoted woman, would go
with him. I am told that various sea-
ports were searched for sailors to do
| the work on the bridge; and do not
doubt it after seeing and crossing the
| structure. Men of steady nerve and
cool head did that work most certain
ly.
OF THE FALLS,
the upper one, just below the bridge,
is SO feet high. One half mile below is
the middle fall l07 high. just above
this the water is very shallow and the
river might be easily crossed afoot in
low water. Two miles from the bridge,
we come upon the third of these falls
which is sixty feet high and narrow.
Here is the immense rock called the
Sugar Loaf which stands in the chan.
mel and turns the water to the left
where it has, in the ages past, chiseled
it's way through the rock. In visiting
the Falls the best way is to ride
through the woods to the lower one.
A path has been made and a stairway
built to the river. After viewing it
ride back to the entrance to the Coun'
Gil House which is near if not a part OF
the place called Glen Iris. It will pay
you to 60 through the gate to the
Council House which is but a few steps
from the road. This is log building
and is called the Indian Council House
because it was used by them, when
they occupied this country, for Their
deliberations. It used to stand on the
east side of the river about three miles
from here near Coneadea. Probably
there is not much of the original build
ing in it; but it is facsimile of it. A
number of Indian implements and re
lies are preserved in the house. Neal
it is a monument erected to the memo
ry of Mary Jemison the "White Wo
man," as she was called by the Indians
and known in all this region. She wa
born on the ocean between Ireland ani
Philadelphia in l742 or 1743. She wa
captured by the Senecas at Marcel
Creek, Pa, 1855, and adopted into al
Indian family, 1850. She lived among
them 70 years. She died at the ad
vanced age of 81 years. She had tw'
Indian husbands and by them severa
children. Near this monument is
large canon which has crow
stamped on it, and was evident
ly used in the early wars of tn
country. There is on exhibition here
also an immense oak stump. There j
at present no charge for viewing thes
grounds, though they are not opene'
without permission, which however, i
easily obtained. Views of the princi
pal objects of interest are offered t
those who may wish to purchase. TIL
young man who waits upon you neitf
, er asks nor expects compensation. l