The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1882-08-17
THE NEW NORTHWEST.


August.
Far away in the northwest, as far be-
yond st. Paul as st. Paul is beyond Chi
cago, stands Winnipeg, the capital Of
Manitoba, and the gateway Of a new
realm about to jump from its present
state Of trackiess prairies, as YET almost
devoid of settlement - the condition of
our most prosperous western states
Here, bounded on the south by Dakota
and Montana, west by the Rocky noun
talns, north and east by the great Peace
river and the chain Of lakes and rivers
that Stretch from Lake Atnabasca to
Winnipeg, like a vast extent Of country,
estimated to contain $500 600 acres, OF
enonyhto make eight such states as Iowa
or illinois, Mi AL Of it is fertile, it is
true, yet it may he safely SAID that two
thirds OF it are available for settlement
and cultivation.
In fact, the extent Of available land IN
these new countries is apt to be under
estimated, for if the traveller does not
see praiiies waist deep in the richest
grass, he is apt to set them down as bar
rem lands and If he crosses d marsh lie
at once stamps it as land too wet for cul-
tVatlun Those, however, who remeln-
Der the early days Of illinois and Iowa
have seen lands then passed by as
worthless Swamps now held at high
prices as the best Of 1neadow-iand.
This is land Of lolling praires and ia
bic lands, waterel by navigable rivers,
ami not devoid of timber.
IT.; climate is hardly such as one
would select for lazy NAN 3 paradise,
for the winters are long and cold, AMI
the summers short and tercely hot,
sure compensated for by tue great length
of the midsummer days Nevertheless,
it is land where wheat and many other
grains and root crops attain
their fullest perfectlun and Is
we'll fitted t. he the home of a vigorous
and he altfty ,acr. Manitoba, Of which
we hear 50 murl, now is but the interest
fraction of this territory, and, lying III
the southeast corner, is az vet the Only
part accessible by rail.
Over this vast region, and indeed al!
that lies between it and the Arctic ocean,
for two hundred Years the Hudson Bay
company exercised territorial rights.
Till within a few Years it was practically
unknown except as a preserve OF fur
bearing animals; and prior 10 1870 it Was
material resources Or its value. The
company discouraged every attempt that
threatened to Interfere with the fur
bearing animals or the Indians who
trapped them; still it became known that
some Of this vast region was not utterly
worthless for other purposes; the soil
looked deep and rich in nlany places,
and in the western part the buffalo found
a winter subsistence, for the SHOWS were
seldom deep, and III the pure, dry air
and hot autumnal sun the
grasses, instead Of whitening, dried into
natural hay. The early explorers, too,
had brought back reports ofnoble rivers,
Of fertile prairies, Of great beds OF coal,
Of belts Of fine timber. But W hat cared
the company for these? The rivers, it is
Of the otter, the mink and other fur
bearing animals, and furnished fish for
their employees, and highways for their
canoes. For the rest they had no use.
At last, in 1870, seeing they could no
longer exclude the world from these fer
tile. regions, the Hudson Bay company
sold their territorial rights to Canada,
which now began to see its way to I.
railroad across the country, to link the
colonies from Nova Scotia to British
Colulnbia.
Now 1t l.; evident that the growth Ut
this region will be rapid, probably more
rapid indeed, than that of our own
weste m states that lie beyond the lakes;
ffga il th}fme} thssre haa hsen f 1g bat
comparatively early day, and when the
railroads began to gridiron the country
from the great lakes to the Rocky noun
tains, the states east of the Missouri al
ready possessed considerable population
In the northwest, however, we see Il
land that has remained isolated from the
| rest of the world; untrodden except by
the Indian or the trapper, suddenly
thrown open for settlement, and Oh
terms as liberal as those offered by our
government or land grant railroads.
The Canadian Pae;fic railroad is al
| ready completed $50 miles west Of Win
nipeg which is already connected with
our north western railroads, and it is
hoped not without reason that another
500 miles will be completed toward the
mountains the present year. To build
two or even three miles a day across
sucl. country as this division traverses
would be no eXtraordiny feat in mod
Icrn railroading Branches, too, north
and south, will be rapidly constructed,
not toaccommodate existing traffic, but
to create it, Now it seems as if nothing
short of some financial panic, some
gross laundering or stupidity, could de-
Law the construction of the railroads Or
check the flood of immigration that
must surely pour in.