The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1882-05-20
SUPERIOR!
Her Location and Surround
ings.
Natural HAIBOR Advantages.
Mineral Wealth, Unsurpassed Lum-
boring Facilities and Agricul-
tural Resources.


Since our connection with the TINES we
have daily received letters of inquiry re-
garding Superior and her resources and
prospects. We desire to answer all in1uir-
ers, but to do so separately by letter would
require all Of our time or demand the en-
ployment of a special correspondent, and
then it would be incompletely done To
meet the desires of all, therefore, we have
compiled, from such statistics as are avail
able, brief sketch or history of the city
and its surroundings. The reader is no
doubt aware that the idea of building a city
here is not new one, but that from various
causes its development has been retarded
The obstacles which have heretofore opcr-
ated against the town have finally been re-
moved, however, and its day of prosperity
is now al hand. Heretofore we have never
had an inland outlet; now we have the
Northern Pacific railroad stretching away
to the plains of the west, and in few
months will have the Chicago St Paul.
Minneapolis & Omaha road giving us direct
communication with Chicago to the east
and all the great and fertile region living to
the South and Southwest in an unbroken
chain through Southern Dakota, Nebraska
&c. As an evidence of present prosperity
it is only necessary TO say that within the
past six months 100000 have been ex-
pended here in new buildings and local i'm
provements not including the railroad build
ing. The n. p. Company is building
large and very substantial dock and the
city is repairing and charging two others.
The large hotel known as the Superior
House, containing about one hundred
rooms has been reiittcd and furnished and
opened to the public; new $4,000 hotel
to be built by the n. Z. Company will be
erected during the season and also at least
one million bushel elevator coal docks. &c
The only National bank at the head Of the
lake is here, and new business and dwelling
houses are springing up daily as if by
magic. Superior is the county seat of
Douglas County, and we have an excellent
Court House, three good school houses and
three schools in operation, three good
church buildings and another to be built
this season, all of which is given as the best
of evidence that Superior is soon to occu
py that position in the great commercial
circles nature has intended she should
occupy.
Much of the matter given below has Of
course been given to the public before in
one form or another. but being interesting
to those who would know all about us,
and thoroughly reliable, we compile it in
its present form to the better and more ex-
plicitly answer the many questions pro-
pounded to us.
LAKE SUPERIOR.
The statistics of measurement of this great
lake are as follows: greatest length, $50
miles greatest breadth 100 miles; mean
depth $40 feet; elevation 627 feet a; area in
square miles 81, 900.
The PHYSICAL features of the basin of the
great lakes and the St. Lawrence river, and
the influence it must exert on future moral
developments, are without parallel and his
torical precedent. 1t is an American trea-
sure-its value to be estimated less by
what ii has already accomplished, than by
what it must achieve in its progress. The
western extreme Of the basin of the ST.
Lawrence has receivee a larger share than
any other portion of our country Of the
valuable addition to our national riches
arising from the industry, intelligence and
wealth of the hundreds OF thousands who
have recently landed on our shores. 1t is
impossible to estimate the enormous and
continuous accumulation Of wealth having
its basis on the ample resources and natur-
al riches Of this great western region over
which the star of American Empire seems
now to rest.
The completion of the ship canal around
the Falls Of St. Mary, has opened to the
lower lakes navigation of fully a thousand
miles. Our shipping now has a continuous
sweep over waters which drain more than
one hundred thousand square mile of re.
gion Astounding in mineral and agricultural
wealth, which may be water-bone nearly
half way across the continent. lis fisheries
are exhaustless. Nature has developed its
mineral treasures upon scale as grand as
its waters. Its copper mines are the most
extensive and productive in the world. The
whole southern shore abOunds in copper in
vast veins of almost virgin metal, the eX-
tent of which is UNEMPLOYED and incalcul-
able. Its iron mines, near the shore of the
lake, surpass those of Sweden or Russia in
extent and in the excellence Of their ma
terial. 1t is predicted by acute metallur-
=
undevelopcd, will one day vie with those of
Mexico. The tributary rivers of this lake
are numerous, and. bringing down a vol.
ume of water, afford superintendent water
power for manufactures the most extensive
in the world, between two of which, the
St. Louis and Nemadii-lies Superior, and
both of these streams flow through the vast
pine regions and yearly empty their trea-
sure into Superior bay. right at our very
door. The St. Louis also furnishes vast
water power, one almost unsurpassed on
this continent. A company has just been
organized, with a capital Of Sl,000,000 to
improve this water power and work on the
same Is now progressing as fast as men
can push 1t. Under this head of Lake
Superior we may quote from an official re-
port made some years ago by Hon. {. [.
Jackson, NJ. d., at one time United States
Geologist and Chemist. and later Mass
achusetts State Assayer:
Lake Superior is the largest sheet of
fresh water on the face of the globe, and it
is the most remarkable of the American
lakes, not only from It's magnitude, but also
from the picturesque scenery of Its borders,
and IN the interest and value attaching to
It's geological features. AS mining region
it is one of the most important in this
country, and is rich in veins Of metallic cop
per and silver, as we'll as in the ores of
those metals. At the present moment it
may be regarded as the most valuable min
ing district in North America, with the ex-
eeption only of the gold deposites of Cali
tornia
None of the American lakes can com
pare with Lake Superior in healthfulness,of
nlmate durinm tie Summon months and