Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-05-20
THE RED RIVER VALLEY.
Description OF a Famous wheat Country.


Dismiss from your mind all the asso-
Citations that are called UP by this word.
Understand that in the West valley is
not necessarily "a hollow between hills
or mountains" That is narrow East
ern conception. AS we looked out from
the car window for the first time upon
plain covered with short grass, and
hooded by the rising sun with red and
golden light. Doubtless there were hills
somewhere in the world, but they were
invisible. Far away on the left dim
blue line of timber marked the course of
! the Red river, and another line far in
front of us Indicated the approach of a
tributary stream. This was all that
broke the lake-like expanse. We real
lied at once what we had heard before,
that it was, in fact, n lake without any
water in it. lF ...#
A few words will explain the charac-
ter and probable formation of the Red
River valley. 1t is about three hundred
miles long and fifty miles wide-a 0at
prairie. extending noTthward from Lake
Traverse. in Minnesota, until it, passes
by a gentle slope beneath the water of
Lake Winnipeg. About thirty miles
north of the southern and higher ex-
tremity OF the valley the Red river comes
meandering in from the east. 1t is
the middle of the prairie, and is alto
gether Inadequate in size and force to
have made the valley which bears its
name. When we seek an explanation
OF this vast alluvial plain, we must find
much larger body of water to account
for its formation, and this is done by
the theory which connects it with the
great Mississippi system. There are
many indications that the whole drain
age of this region was at one time south
ward. The,valley of the Mississippi,
with its true line of continuation along
the Minnesota, must have formerly con-
tanned vastly larger body of water than
now flows through it. This valley. be-
ginning at Big Stone lake, is separated
only by slight barrier from Lake Ira
verse. Now imagine that a few thou
sand years ago the level of the continent
was little different from what it is
now, few hundred feet higher at the
north, and lower at the south, then this
barrier would be overcome, and all the
waters of the Winnipeg basin would flow
southwark through the Red river and
Minnesota valley into the Mississippi
The present northward outlet through
the Nelson river would be stopped.
There would be a mighty stream drain.
ing he whole central region OF the con-
tinent into the Gulf of Mexico. Now
imagine, again, that the continent Is
gradually depressed ut the north, and
elevated at the south-a change which
we know from observation is still
continuing along the sea coast;
the result of such an oscillation
will be to diminish the slope and veloc-
ity of the great southwark river. II
will have less and less power to cut its
way through obstacles. It will lie
damned by the granite ledees near Big
Stone lake. II will spread out into
vast lake larger than Superior and
Michigan put together. The waters of
this lake will be shallow and muddy.
and the deposits of alluvium very rapid.
As the northward depression continues,
the outlet toward the south will be-
come more and more feeble. 1t will
degenerate into mere driblet. And at
last the great body of water will cut a
new channel northward into Hudson
bay.
This is but a rough and hasty outline
OF the theory which has been advanced
by General G.. X. Warren, of the United
States Engineer corps, and sup
ported by him in series of admirable
reports. Ii may seem dry. but it offers
an explanation of two very important
facts-the immense fertility of the an
eient lake bed. which is now called the
Red River valley. and the impossibility
of route from Manitoba, through the
Nelson river and Hudson bay, to Eng
land. These facts have direct bearing
on the commercial welfare of the United
States, for they put the transportation
of the products of the rich Northwest
into the hands of our railways and
More than two-thirds of the Red River
valley lies in Minnesota and Dakota;
the remaining third is in the British
province of Manitoba. Two railroads
have been opened into the valley within
the past six years-the st. Paul, Mime |
apolis and Manitoba, which now runs
parallel with the river to st. Vincent, on |
the British border, where it connects
with the Pembina branch of the Cana |
dian Pacific to Winnipeg, and the |
Northern Pacific, which crosses the val
ley at right angles, and opens up the |
wonderfully fertile land lying on the |
west side of the river, in Dakota. Into |
this territory great food of emigration |
is now pouring. The rapid influx began /
in 1877. In the last quarter of that year /
the government land offices disposed of |
more than 100000 acres in Mime
sofa, and during the same period
the railways sold over 100000
acres. In all. over a million acres
were taken up by settlers in those three
months, mostly in the Red River val
ley. Since 1872 the Northern Pacific
railway has sold 100000 acres OF Red
river lands. In the land districts ira
versed by this road the government has
assigned !, 1923 ,4l6 acres in the year end
Ing June 80. 1879. Together with the
lands sold bg the railway during the
same time, this makes the astounding
total of 100000 acres disposed of In
two years. Embracing the same terri
tory, present statistics show the follow
ing: Present population, 69,7O0; in
crease in past year, $4,000. Area in
wheat, 1870. 26l ,430; increase, 96, 1000.
Area in other crops, 79,47O; increase,
20,660. Total area in cultivation, &c.,
n a