The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-05-05
4 Watcr-Isound Pilgrims Impressions
OF MankatO.

History, it has been said, repeats
itself This may be true as regards
some of the minor events Of human
experience Moses was the chosen
leader OF the children of Israel and
undertook to lead them out of the will
derness. Several generations subsequent
to that event, a second Moses appeared
as the self-constituted leader of another
race OF prosecuted humanity, but this
second Moses made ridiculous failure
of his attempted leadership, and history
in this instance, didn't repeat worth =
cent.
The record of events in the great
northwest since the ides of October,
which will pass into history as the most
remarkable of the present generation
for snow storms and floods, it is to be
hoped will not be repeated. The writer
has been kept on the ragged edge of
storm and water-b bound coast, until
the novelty of huge snow drifts-"the
beautiful SNOW Immense ice fields,
and rearing and raging floods, are quite
tame affairs. Forty days-Noah was
coasting around for about that period,
in search of place to land his ark
has the writer been trying to make a
distance of two-hundred and fifty miles
and still his objective haven is one
hundred and fifty miles away
Such delays in reaching ones dcsti-
nation are indeed veXatious, and but
for the fact that our lay-over have been
cast IN pleasant places, would have been
intOlerable. We arrived in your young
and thriving city on the cath of April,
and have been an unwilling, yet at the
same time pleased and gratitied sOjourncr
at the hospitable board of the Mankato
House ever since. OF course we wit
messed your great flood, and have taken
in" the town generally. Your city is
beautifully located, has many fine resi-
dences, public buildings and educational
institutions, and many creditable mer-
camille houses, with good beginning in
the way of manufacturing establish
ments.
| The geographical location of your
city, with its excellent lines of com
munication for commercial traffic,
already established, and more to follow,
is destined to make it with moderate
degree of push and enterprise on the
part of your citizens, one of the lead
ling cities of the State. Nature has
been remarkably liberal in bestowing
upon you resources Of great value
Your stone quarries are inexhaustible
and Of excellent character Your
timber Is abundant. Your beds of clay
and sand are of fine quality and mex
haustible for manufacturing purposes
and only need to be utilized to augment
your wealth in that direction hundred
fold by the establishment Of pottery and
cient to keep several mills for the manu-
facture of paper pulp running for years
In fact the natural resources of your
city are such that they only need to be
made known to attract the attention of
manufacturing capitalists, and thus
secure your permanent wealth and pros
lperity by the establishment of a varied
line of manufacturing industries.
1t is not to be supposed, however, that
your ue'eiopihent III NiahuiactoTicS ID
to be accomplished without an effort on
the part of your own citizens. Energy,
enterprise and a prudent and well
directed liberality must mould the
destiny of your future. With that
Ipublic spirit characteristic Of western
energy, Mankato has only to push on
ward to occupy proud position in the
galaxy of beautiful, populous and
wealthy cities for which your great
State is already noted.