The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-05-27
wAY-sIDE OBSERVATIONS.
A Trim Over tho Boundicss Prairies of
Minnesota and Dakota-A Grand Coun-
try-Towns Along the Route, Etc.

"Wcstward the star of empire
takes its way" and the sage advice 10y
Horace Greeley, of, $50 West young
man. are two notices whose truthful
ness have been so thoroughly verified
that we have for some time felt an III
clnation to try their efficacy ourselves
We were not star of the empire nor a
constellation, but we went west just the
same by the Blue Earth branch Of the
Sioux City railroad to WInncbago City
thence by the Southern Minnesota over
the limitless cXpansc of prairie. From
Mankato up the fertile Blue Earth val
ley we observed the farmers ploughing
seeding and dragging. All nature was
in holiday attire ; the prairirs decked
with their carpet of emerald green and
studded with various hucd flowers the
grain in the fields hiding from view tie
rich black earth the hand planted
groves dotting hill and vale, and the
merry voiced songstrrs trilling their
sweetest lays. Reaching Winnebago
and boarding the train ca the U;h,,
road, We were soon whirling past farm
houses, cultivated fields and hcrded
stock. Almost before we were aware
that irrepressible individual, the brake
man, sung out in his most sonorous tone,
Fairmont, thirty minutes for supper.
Did you ever see crowd of passengers
rush for meal table Well, it is n
sight, fully as good rs horse radish for
an appetizer. But the meal table in
this instance being nearly half mile
from the depot allowed the excited ones
time to cool off. A free bus carries you
to the " Occidental" kept by that super
lativc landlord, +. +. Harlow.
After supper five minutes stroll
upon the hill and gaze at the twenty
miles of lakes, upon whose placid bosom
floats II magnificent new sail boat and
an innumerable number of row boats,
amply repays the trouble. Fairmont is
pretty place and its lakes are its
pride. But on We 60, passing Sher-
burne, thriving little wooden village,
we reach jackson, just AS the sun is
stealing DER the western horizon. The
village Is nestled charmingly in tie
Des Moines valley, through which flows
the Des Moines river. The railroad
runs within mile of the town, owing
to the inaccessible bluffs upon either
hand, but stub runs somewhat closer,
furnishing the people with all the re-
quircd facilities. One can catch a
glimpse of the pretty town about a
mile west rs he rolls along over the
higher prairie. At Jackson the railroad
company exhibited III. apparcn; partial
ity in constructing one of the hand
somcs; depots To be seen i'll II weeks
travel. Dusk, at this point, obscures a
general observation of the country from
jackson to Dell Rapids, tut enough caIl
he seen to show that the same rolling
easily drained prairie exists nearly the
entire distance. After reaching Elan
drau, which is just over the line in pa
kota, We turn southwest and run t.
Egan, Il sprightly little town named
after j. NJ. Egan, the superintendent Of
the Southern Minnesota division. \,
ESan there is junction, one line run
ming to Madison and toward the Black
Hills and another TO Dell Rapids ant
this summer to Sioux Falls. Bat Del
Rapids being cur destination W vii
devote what space we have TO that tow
and surrounding country It's We saw
by day light. The town proper date
back some eight or niue years, but TIT
present townsite is in reality only tw'
or three years old. !, is most delight
fully situated upon gentle rising slop
facing the south, with its business stree
running east and west. Nearly all I'll
buildings are substantial ones and no
designed for temporary habitation. TIL
town possesses at present some fort
business houses, in which all branche
of trade are fairly represented. The tw
grain elevators at this point are the bes
advertisement any town can have, a
: they signify that the resources OF tn
country must be ample to support sue
edifices. There are three lumber yard
well stocked, but which were dcplete
, nearly % per cent. by the sprin
freshet five religious denomination
, two of which--the Episcopal and Bal
, tist-hsve buildings, while the Metl
odist, Presbyterian and Congregations
worship in the school house 4; fine tw
story school house prominently locate
upon rise of ground; and three hotel
two of which, the Merchants and Yves
-, crn, are structures which for size, fms
and bill of fare are unsurpassed !
many towns of several thousand inhab
, tants in tho States. A grist mill
!, three run of stone is located upon Il
river at the foot of the rapids, and do
4 u good business. The improvements
u the town last year foot up to near
SOL 900, with every indication Of & larl
increase over those figures the prose-
season. The Erponent, a live, news
=. eight-column paper published by NJ
= Charles f. Griswold, a natural bo
journalist, is doing wonders toward Iii
seminating the virtues and advantag
of his section, and fact which is a
parcntly appreciated by business me
Judging from the extensive advertiser
patronage he enjoys. This people u
doubtedly understand the power Of t
" press. Facing the town on the south
the Big Sioux river, quiet, gent
y stream in dry weather, but easily cvinC
" "A pugnacious nature when crowded
heavy rains or spring frcshets. I'll
y stream possesses one of the finest wat
at powers that nature ever designed, a
IL student of the grand and wonderi
" can stand for hours watching its watt
4 jumping and rollicking over their sto
l. bed in Il succession Of falls until
Of reaches the lower country and finaI
ly empties into the Missouri. OF
s. country, one is wholly enraptured, g.
a. ing upon its miles and miles of unc
is lating, trcelcss but fertile waste, recG
i. ing from view in the distance like
at swells of the ocean under the intluer
lis of a storm, while neat, commodit
farm houses and barns dot this beau