Morning journal and courier., 1882-09-16
rush of people at the Merchants did not

wonder at the remark. However, good room was at once obtained at the Windsor, much more favorably located and less pat ronized by scurrying travellers than the Mer- chants. The Metropolitan is near the Wind. and has the reputation of being well kept Between these two hotels is trim little park where band concerts are given every week, and it was my good fortune to hear one and see the people at play. During the inter missions the concourse of carriages and equestrians go ''round and 'round" the park, affording dusty wayfarers like your corre- spondent full opportunity to see and admire. In the of the charming young eques- triennes, mounted on beauties of horses which they managed with no apparent effort, to see was indeed to admire. The carriages on the whole were rather shabby and suggested that hero was an opportunity for New Haven.
 Wont you join us in drive to Minneha- ha Falls? It is only five miles from here" I said would, so off we started for a car riage. The livery clerk said it was about seven miles and we would have to wait for the proprietor. When he came the distance had increased to nine miles and the price for carriage accordingly. After haggling in started for the falls, which had come to be- lieve to be second only to Niagara. On the drive out we skirted the base of St. Antho ny's Hill, over the top of which is the finest avenue in the city, with handsome grounds surrounding equally handsome residences on either side. About four miles from town we came in sight of Fort Smelling, one of the oll frontier posts. Seen from the other side of the river it has quaint, old world air, and it is not hard to imagine sonN Sir Ru- dolph in full armor ready to challenge us at the foot of the old round tower of unhewn stone, which stands at the other end of the long bridge crossing the Mississippi at this point. The fort occupies a point of level ground on three sides of which are perpen- dicular cliffs, cut by the river and a tributary
 ,so1~ n-.r. Alok Indian wars they were protected from every possible attack except from one side. The solid walls of the round tower, unbroken ex- cept by narrow port holes, show that 1t was one of several which guarded the unprotect- cd side. Now some distance beyond the old walls situated the new and tasteful quar- ters of the officers, number of cottages with fine lawns, among them the headquar ters of General Alfred Terry. commanding this northwestern department. It was just previous to the competition for places on the army rife team and we saw several soldiers practicing at the targets, among them one of our companions from Fort Totten to James town. It is bitter disappointment to those who, having surpassed their own comrades at some distant post, finally fail here for If they succeed 1t means months of freedom from military duties and some travelling about the country. Notwithstanding the heartiness of our good wishes fellow traveller was sur passed by others and must by this time be again on the shores of Devils Lake.
 The falls of Minnehaha, or as the Indians spell it, E1inn haha, are about two miles be- yond the fort. AS you approach nothing would indicate considerable waterfall, and the indications are correct, much to my sur prise. Certainly we have always heard of them as being wonderfully beautiful. Ev. eryone knows about them, but how they could have acquired such reputation ts a puzzle. Just above them, running through a 1aua ia a nIQaRanf commonplace brook about fifteen or twenty feet wide and foot deep, with few mode rately large trees along the banks. A consid- erable volume of water pours over in an even veil, hiding the semi circular, retreating rock from view. On descending the stairs and passing the invariable photographers, where they take pictures of worthy old family par ties and spoony lovers ''with the falls in view, for twenty-five csnts," the visitor sees a sheet of water about fifty feet high and half broad falling into a deep rock basin. The rock back of the falls Is so worn away about half way up that one can pass in the rear of the moving veil of water with per feet safety and little moisture. I saw little fellow make the journey around on his fath- CTS back, and it was by far the most amusing thing at Minnehaha. There is not here, as at the Kauterskill Falls. a wild, romantic vine; nor, as at the Haines Falls, 8 lonesome gorge with tree trunks lying in wild confu- sion It is simply pretty little dell with we'll ordered sheet of water falling fifty feet. It might just as well come over mill dam except for the semi-circle of worn rock, which forms the background for the fall.
 Minneapolis, when it is not reeking with mud may be fine place. at any rate the in habitants say so, which of course IS conclu- sivo The most attractive point about the city, the Falls of St. Anthony, has been spoiled by the great milling interests which have virtually made the place what it is. ThE SC falls really must have been grand be fore being damned and diverted to run the lnnumerable wheels that make four for half the country. Below them is island with perpendicular sides of basaltio rock and covering of scattered trees. Still further down the river widens, although still enclosed by cliffs, and rushes past the slightly situation of the Minnesota State College. The cur rent here is very swift and swirls around the buttresses of the bridge in way that makes you wonder how it is when the ice comes down. The business streets here are much broaded than those of St. Paul and the few handsome buildings show of to the best ad vantage, but while here the face of the earth seemed to be undergoing general renovating process owing to the paving of two of the principal streets. It was almost impossible to get about the center of the town on &C., count of the mud. The residence streets run out to interminable distances having, as the rule, small, comfortable looking houses (there are few more than ordinary), with bits of lawn around them. There are many church es of considerable archit ectural pretensions, as Is also the case in St. Paul Minneapolis claims 6 population of Ii, 900 greater than it's rival, but there is not the stir and hustle on it's streets that one sees in St. Paul. and l am inclined to believe it is only a ''claim." St. Paul is city of merchants, Minneapolis the home of mill owners. E. A. E.