Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-05-31
ST. PAUL TO BISMARCK.
Description of the Trip and Pen Pictures
of the Thriving Towns Along the Line.

of the Thriving Towns Along the Line.
To the Editor of the Globe:
BISMARCK, May 90, 1904 few nights
since, at $50 p. NJ, started from st. Paul
via the Northern Pacific railroad for this
city, 46S miles by rail, and reached it In 25
hours, or at 7:20 the next evening. l took
the evening train partly because had re-
Gently been over the first seventy five miles,
and partly because was not quite ready to
start in the merning of that day. thought
by doing this would pass over more, to me,
new country by Daylight, on the round trip,
but 1 was mistaken. ought TO have taken
a morning train, and then when got book
to Brainerd would have seen it all but
about 80 miles. shall now fail to see either
or Wadena, all of which l desired to see. l
was especially DESTROYS to take look at e.
BRAINERD,
as it is at this point that the Mississippi
river is crossed by this road, and it is also
the place where the st. Paul & Duluth ends
of the road connect. 1t ought to be good
business point, and, judging from what of it
could see in the night, should think it Is.
DETROIT,
at the western edge of the great timber
belt, and 22S miles from st. Paul, is very
pretty place, lying on both sides of the track,
and place of considerable size. This is the
first town of Importance wa passed through
after daylight on Thursday morning. 1t IS
the county seat of Becker coenty, with
timber and good farm land close at hand,
and ought to become a large city. From
here the llmitless prairie stretches out 10 the
far west.
DETROIT LAKE.
A little east of the town is large and
beautiful sheet of water, on the south side of
the railroad, and is, or will be probaly, to
the people thereabouts what White Bear is
to st. Paul, with the advan tage of acces-
sibility in favor of Detroit.
Small prairie lakes and granite boulders
now begin to dot the face of the open coun-
try. There were plenty of both in the woods,
also, but there they are not noticed so much
as on the prairie, suppose because the
scenery in the timber does not become quite
so. monotinous.
At Hawley, 252 miles from
st. Paul, We passed the East bound train
from Bismarck. There is not much of q
village here, but noticed that it could boast
of that regular emblem of civilization. the
"Sample ROOM" At .
GLYNDoN,
265 miles (by this road) from st. Paul, we
crossed the track of the st. Paul, Mime.
apolis & Manitoba railroad, and at O'Clock
A. M. we arrived at
MooRHEAD,
on the east bank of the Red river of the
North, (the dividing line between Minnesots
and Dakota), 274 miles from st. Paul. This
is not as large village as expected to fine
it. but there is plenty of room on the flat
prairie for it to grow. Our stay here was
short. We soon crossed over the river to
FARGO, D. T.,
the largest city on the line. Here We
took breakfast. 1t is a much larger and
better built city than I had supposed it tt
be, and building and other kinds of business
seem still to be lively. The ground upon which
it stands is fiat, and looks to me as if it had s
DOOR foundation for heavy structures, but
perhaps it is all right. At this place Hon
F. A. Delano came on to the train, among s
goodly number of other passengers. Here
the "sleeper" is left, the rest of the way be-
ing traversed by daylight. Here, also, W,
change conductor and other officials. I'M
mediately after leaving Fargo, we entered the
great wheat country of the Red River valley
The land is generally level, and broad acre:
of cultivated lands stretch away to the nortt
and to the south of Us. At
DAIRYMPLE,
293 miles from st. Paul, are the cele
brated "Dalrymple Farms" with thei
armies of men and teams. The line O.
vision shuts down, at the north and at TIT
south, oh these immense wheat fields-al
together too immense for me to undertake
| to compete with "Harper's" man in {
description of them. There are many othel
big farms along the line, west of these, bu
[ suppose these are the most extensive, il
all respects, unless the "Cass- Cheney Farms
exceed them.
oAssELToN,
three miles west of Dalrymple, has tn,
| spirit of activity visible about it, and will
ere long be place of Importance, as it il
here that the Casselton branch starts out TO
Elm river, a distance of thirty miles.
don't know how far 1t is completed. Mr.
Delano left the train at this point. At
VALLEY CITY
the road crosses the Sheyenne river, goot
sized stream at this point. This plac
| is 333 miles from st. Pau
| and is snugly nestled down on level spo
among the river bluffs. For several mile
east and west of it the country is very mucl
broken, and boulders lie in great profusior
upon the surface. The land is comparative
ly, if not absolutely, worthless for agricultur
al purposes, at least so long as there is plen
ty that is better in other parts. In getting
into and out of this place, the grade is pref
ty heavy, and there are good many prett,
big cuts and fills. 1t is nice looking little
town, though, when reached. After leaving
this place we soon strike the
ALKALINE LAKES,
and there are good many of them. Tit
water in some of these lakes is 81
strongly impregnated as to leave
white coating, like flour, on tn,
shores and grass wherever it has stood Of
been blown by winds, and for some distance
from their shores, there is so thick a scum
on top as to be easily mistaken for thir
coating of ice-indeed gentleman and
had some discussion as to which it was, he
insisting that it aoGs ice, but was finally con-
WINGED of his mistake.
ECHILSAN LAKE
is large body of blueish-green water
through which the track is laid on a pile
bridge. The shores of this lake are just liter
ally piled up with boulders, as if the rocks
had been gathered and dumped there.
My notes call for mention of good many
things which must omit, and will hurry
on to
JAMESTOWN,
on the James River, and 36S miles from
st. Paul. We dine here. The town is sit
uated about like Valley City, and SO I will