Daily globe., 1880-02-04

| West st. Paul from Mendoza, Blk miles, ana
extended to lie Sueur, sixteen miles, II
1867, in 1868 to Mankato, twenty-foul
miles further, and the road the same yeal
built over the Mississippi into st. Paul. Ir
| 1869, Lake Crystal, thirteen miles, wa:
reached and in 1870, st. James, twenty
three miles more, were completed.
From st. James southeasterly tho road
was built by the Sioux City and st. Pau
company, an Iowa organization, which CON
s:ruc,ed. in 1871, tifty-six miles to Worth
ington, completing the line to the junction OF
the Illinois Central road at Lc Mars, sixty
seven miles, in September, 1872. leasing and
operating jointly with the latter road, twen-
ty-four miles of track, into Sioux City. In
1876 branch running due west was begun
at Worthington, and constructed thirty-four
miles to Luverne, the next year reaching
Beaver Creek, eight miles, and was complet-
ed to Sioux Falls, Dakota, a distance
of sixty three miles, in 1873. During the
last year the SO called Blue Earth branch
was built southerly from Lake Crystal, on
the main line, to Blue Earth City, thirty
four miles, and the Black Hills branch, ex-
tending northwesterly toward the Missouri
river into Dakota, was built from Heron
to Woodstock, forty-four miles, while the
same season the Rock river branch, extend
ing from Luverne, on the Sioux Falls
branch, down the Rock river valley into
Iowa to doom, twenty-four miles, was con-
strgcted. On Oct. last the most
IMPORTANT EVENT IN THE ROADS HISTORY
ocHarred. This was the complete consolida-
ton of all the then existing branches, max
ing the road one of the great trunk lines of
the West, with feeders extending in every
direction into the rich stock and farming
sections of Minnesota, Dakota, Iowa and
Nebraska. At about the same time the st.
Paul G Sioux City purchased the st. Paul,
Saltwater & Tsylors Falls roads line extend
ing from st. Paul to Saltwater and Taylors
Falls, with q branch to Hudson, on the St.
Croix, which penetrates the great pine re-
gion of ST.. Croix, and on which, but twelve
miles from st. Paul, is the noted summer
resort, Lske Elmo; and about the same time
purchased the Covington, Columbus & Black
Hills road, extending westward from Coving.
ton, opposite Sioux City, into Nebraska, to
Ponca, twenty-six miles, as also--to take eff
feet Monday next--the Omaha & North Ne
braska, from Omaha north to Oakland,
sixty three miles, and to be Immediately ex-
tended in a direct line to Sioux City. The
future traffic of this road must be immense;
the country it trayerses is unsurpassed; and
the liberal policy of its management in &C.
yeloping the sections which feed it, as vel,
as inducing the settlement of its unoccu pied
lands by stock raisers and q general popula-
ton bsst fitted to bring out the wealth of the
splendid soil and climate, can not but insure
most speedy and profitable increase of Its
already great Business, as we'll as most splen
did results to the general prosperity of this
vast Northwest. Many thousands of acres
were sold during the past season along its
lines in Southwestern Minnesota and North
western Iowa, and the road now owns and
operates in the former State 3I3 miles of
splendidly equipped road.
THE NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD
has probably received more gushing praise
and more stalwart pen-lashings than any
other twenty American schemes. Time has
simply demonstrated these fey stubborn
facts: that the convictions of such men as
Charlie Coffin (''Carleton'), of Jay Cooke
and of Gov. Smith, of Vermont, that the
route was feasible, were correct; that the
damned barren ideality'' of an Isotherm
was not mere dream; that the road, with
its magnificent government aid and splendid
bond subscriptions, Was managed with q
recklessness unprecedentedly criminal that
the same led to general financial ruin all
over the country and gave Minnesota rail-
way interests their third and most dire dis
astsr; that the corporation, properly man
aged, would have been magnificent success
from the outset; and now, that it has first
class aggressive, though conservative men in
control. like General Manager Sargent, long
connected with tbs Michigan Central, per-
manent prosperity, as we'll as that of mag
niicent country to great extent dependent
upon it, has assuredly been reached.
The milage of its operated lines now is:
Daluth to Fargo, on the Red River, 254
miles: Castleton branch, 35 miles; Fargo to
Bismarck, 1875 miles; Pacific division, 1877
miles, or total of Cpl miles, 2jl miles of
which are within Minnesota. The company's
southern and eastern connections, via st.
Paul, are made over the tracks of the ST.
Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba from Sauk
Rapids.
The best evidence of the wonderful rap
idity with which this great fertile belt is in
creasing in settlement is in the data given
me by Mr.. Power, the company's land COM
missioner. Since the date of the reorgan
ization of the road, September 20, 1875, uu-
til December last, the company have sold
to parties, most of whom were actual set
tiers, 1, ,710,219 acres for S7,369,114, and
along its mann line between Fargo and Bis
marck, in Dakota, sincs about the same date
has gathered population of bstwesn 10000
and 10000, evary one of whom if in COM
Portable circumstances, and many really
wealthy.
TIE ACTUAL MILEAGE
of completed and operated railway within
the State of Minnesota is, therefore:
Chicago 4 Northwestern. ern............... Ala
st. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba. ..... $50
Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul. ...... SS4
st. Paul & Sioux City. Observation-Disclosures. 343
Northern Pacific. Observation-Disclosures. 25f
Minneapolis st. Louis. s................. 139
st. Paul 4 Duluth. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 155
1olal. ........... z, otJ
four hundred and fifty and three -fourths
miles of which were built during the past
year.
This is not bad record for State only
Just .'of age and which, until eighteen
years since. had bat twenty miles of road
altogether. But this is 10 moro remarkable
than