Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-05-14
THE HISTORY OF
MORRISON COUNTY,
WRITTEN IN 1876 BY ORDER OF THE
1 BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND
PUBLISHED IN THE TRANscRIPTIN IN THE
SAME YEAR. REVISED AND BROUGHT
I. DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME. s.

Il BOARD OF COUNTY TYCOMMIssIONERs AND
/ PUBL1sHED IN THE TRANscRIPT IN THE
SAME YEAR. REVISED AND BROUGHT
DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME.
<5.% B. By NATHAN RICHARDSON .z5sg#
Continued from last weeks Transcript.
Along the eastern boundary Of Morrison
county, about ten townships Of land is valua-
BILE only for the pine, maple, and other tim
Der intermixed with the pine, which forms the
principal body of the timber in that section
Of the county. In the north western part of
the county, there are about i've townships Of
the same kindtof land and timber. From the
pine region on.the westssidesf the Mississip-
4 pi river south to the county line, there is an
almost unbroken forest covered with various
kinds Of timber. white oak and hard maple
prevailing, Quite a quantity Of maple sugar
j is produced yearly. yet ten times the amount
f'might BE made that ever has been. The soiI
1 through this region of country is, on an aver
age, unsurpassed for richness; while for the
first ten miles south Of the pine region extern
siVe natural meadows exist, many of which
have never been moved. The country lying
east Of the Mississippi river, excepting the
pine districts, contains but q limited quantity
OF valu able timber. Some brush land, popple
groves, tamarack swamps, marsh and meadow
lands, make up its composition, with some
prairie lands hereafter particularly described.
As to the soil, while much Of it is good about
one-third is worthless for farming purposes.
The prairies in the county are as follows:
First, Bellevue prairie, lying east of the
Mississippi river is partly in Benton county.
About four sections of it, which is a little over
one half of the whole, lies in Morrison coun-
ty. It is quite level and beautiful prairie
with good soil. Next north, on the river, is
the Little Falls prairie, mostly lying south of
the village which is built upon it. It is about
three miles in length, and about one and
quarter miles wide at the widest place. pos-
sessing fair soil and is level and beautiful.
The next is Belle prairie, which is connected
to the Little Falls prairie by q narrow strip
OF prairie lying near the Mississippi which
commences to widen about one mile north of
the village of Little Falls. The PRINCIPAL
prairie is about FIVE miles in length from north
to south, and in some places it is one and
half miles wide. The next and last prairie
along the Mississippi river is Olmstead prai
rie, connected with Belle prairie by narrow
strip of prairie, and is about the same dimen-
sions as Belle prairie, extending north about
three-fourths of a mile beyond the county
line of this county. Rich prairie is the most
extensive prairie in the county, and lies on
the Skunk river, about ten miles east of the
Mississippi river. It's length is about fifteen
miles from north to south, and its average
width is about two miles. This prairie is
composed mostly of IL very rich soil, we'll
adapted to the raising of wheat, the crops
that have been raised ON it averaging about
twenty-five bushels to the acre. The full
amount raised this year will not fall short of
one hundred thousand bushels of wheat, be-
sides a large crop Of oats and barley. There
is also another prairie, on the west side of the
| Mississippi river, called Green prairie. 1t
! lies about half way from Little Falls to Fort
Ripley, and extends from north to south
about three miles, and is nearly mile wide
in some places, and possesses fair soil. The
prairles of Morrison county are mostly very
level, and there are none Of them which are
not very beautiful, especially in the summer
season. The lands east of the Mississippi
river were surveyed in 1893, and those on
the west side in 1858, but much of it was
done very poorly. Six townships of land east
of the Mississippi came into market in 1855.
-Four of these townships lie on the Mississippi
river, from Little Falls south to the county
line the other two lie on the east side of the
county. All Of these lands were entered very
quickly after they were brought into market,
mostly by soldiers land warrants. Little or
no care was taken by those buying, to secure
the best lands, and those who obtained good
lands got them by accident.
The county is generally we'll watered, the
Mississippi river passing through the centre
from north to south, the Crow Wing coming
in from the west and forming q part of the
northern boundary, also the Little Elk, Pike
creek, Swan river, the two Two rivers, and
Hay creek, all flowing into the Mississippi
from the west, also the mouth of Spunk brook
is in this county. A large amount of pine
logs are. run down the Grow Wing and Little
Elk rivers each year. The character of the
! cOnDtrU fhrourh xpb; ol ,Ar I,
already been described, as being generally
good. On the east side of the Mississippi,
the character of the rivers is quite different
from what it is on the west side. In the place
of several rivers running directly into the
Mississippi from the back country, we have
the Platte river, heading near the north -east-
ern corner of the county, and running south
west through its eastern portion, and empty
ing into the Mississippi river below the south
ern boundary Of the county. The Platte and
its tributaries drain the greater portion of that
part Of the > county lying east Of
the Mississippi river. Many of the small
streams flowing into it have no general name.
It's principal tributary is the Skunk river,
which flows through Rich prairie, and unites
with the Platte at'Rice lakes. sHillman brook
empties into the Skunk river al Rich prairie.
The Hillman is noted on account of the large
amount. OF pine that. is annually cut and
hauled into it, and driven out. = Rice creek
also empties into the Platte, at the Rice lakes,
4 which lakes are noted for the large amount Of
wild rice which grows in them as has hereto
4 fore been5 5spokensof. Il In the vicinity Of these
lakes, along the Platte and Skunk rivers, and
on Rice creek, are extensive meadow lands,
4 producing large quantities Of hay Little
q Rock creek heads in Morrison county, east Of
the Platte, and runs south through Benton
county. The west branch Of Rum river heads
:, in Morrison county, and runs south through
Z, two townships near the eastern boundary, AMI
is numbered upon quite extensively. The
Noka sebe river, although I, mostly in Grow
Wing county and emptying into the Mississip.
. pi opposite to Fort Ripley, drains quite an ex
tensiye area Of Morrison county, and 4 con.
siderable amount Of pine logs cut IN this Joun.
ty hare been driven outon that stream. For
4 Ripley is situated il Morrison county, and i,
built on the west bank Of the Mississippi, op
& posite the mouth Of the Noka sebe river ]; ans
J. the reservation on which it stands contain
4 about one square mile on the west side Of til,
river, and on the east side of the river It OF
& tiginally extended from Fletcher creek in Nor
rison County to, and taking in d part OF. til,