The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-08-12

or arrowhead picked up now anu ihcn ~ VIC
plowman turns Il furrow IN the wheat field
Here, IN the long long ago Marquette h"r,
ranpuel the aboriglnals, and later on the
adventurous Henncpin prayed with the Noble
Red Men," while the French traded "pinci
back" jewclry with their chiefs and bartered
for furs with the braves And here 1t was
that, says local history, "Ihe Little Niger,
jeff Davis-late President OF the Southern
and won the lovely NoXie
TAYLOR, for which he gained the ill.will OF
"Old Zach! but married the girl-proving
himself to be greater Captain" in love at.
fairs than in war!
At Prairie du CHEN we cross to the Iowa
side, on what is called "Pile Pontoon Bridge"
the only bridge of its kind in the world. 1t Is
800 feet long, crosses both channels OF
the Mississippi, at this point. 1t is con
structed of two parasitic pile or stationary
part and the pOntoon or movable part The
latter consists of two floating draws, one on
each side of the channel, which, when closed
forms an unbrOkcn track, and when open
leaves a clear space of 400 feet. The eX-
IRENE rise and fall of the river at this point Is
twcnty.one feet, and to overcome the varying
height of the planes between the pile bridge
and pontoon, movable track is employed
which is adjusted by powerful screws and
movoblc blocks, operated by men stationed
on the pontOons.
NTl'r
Chen, and from there on our tram winds
along the banks Of this natural paradise;
now by shady wales, wooded heights and
matted forests, and again By towering crags,
representing castled walls, domes and pima,
Giles, and all the outlines Of natures handi-
work. For hours We glide on amid such
scenes, our train making nearly all points of
the compass, and finally the man with the
badge on his hat calls out
wINoNA.
WInona Is a charming city, LAID out IN
broad level streets, shaded by towering oaks
and lcafy naples, and II residential portion al.
most as beautiful rs the City Of Elms.' AT
no point along the river do the bluffs rise IN
taller or more picturesque grandeur than
here. On the further bank are tall green
treciess slopes tour or five hundred feet high,
by forest dotted hills and heights
crowned with rock formations representing
castles and ruins at whose base rolls the
mighty Mississippi, spanned by a dark red
railroad bridge and draw
Winona, the "Quecn City of Minnesota"
was so named tor beautiful Indian maiden
who lived here more than century ago,
when the red men pitched their wigwams
under these shades, aud built their original
fires on bold brown stone rock that over
looks the valley. This peak Is called the
'Maldens Rock" and the legend connected
with it is "of all sad legends" the saddest. 1t
has been told around camp-fires by the dusky
sons of the forest, related again by the early
pioneers to the present generation and 1t has
won place in both the prose and poetry OF
our time as tale Of woman's love and devO-
1on, of faith and desperation, ending in q
tragic death, worthy the proud daughter Of q
savage monarch "Winona" was the name
Of this fair maiden OF the forest. Her home
was with wandering tribe, her house hut
Of sk ms, her bed bunch of leaves Her learn
ing was such as nature taught by brooks and
caves and sky. She dressed the venison, she
ground the acorns, she kept allght the fires
She worked out her woman's love for beauty
in feathered robes and shell.fringed moccasns.
Wnona was peerless among the Dakota
bellies, and lively as only the Indian maiden
Of early days was known to be, ere yet the
faint of the white man had degraded the race
Love, that mysterious fire which lights to
heaven, or feeds the flames of hottest hell,
came to the fair Winona, when youth with
eyes blue as the skies and hair the color of
camp and joined his fate to theirs. He told
Wnona that the stars were all great worlds
bug Whirling balls, shot into space like ar
rows from bow. That the great liahng yay
too we--night sun--which the Indians call
the moon--was made Of cheese" and whis
pcred in her car all manner Of soft talk rs
they ramhlCd up the mountain side or along
The shore of the beautiful lake. Finally
they parted, he promising to return again ere
many moons" would wane But he never
came, AMI during all The long years that
passed WinOna was true to her yellow haired
lover. In time, tears dimmed the splendor of
her eyes, and palid grew her cheeks. Her
tribe moved toward the setting sun. The
valley lands were plowed, and on the river
bank were cabins clustered, Sull Wmona
fingered around those scenes of her early days
and would not leave for fear her lover would
return and find her gone. Finally giving upI
in despair, one stormy day she climbed to the
top of the chlt and with one hcadlong plunge
threw herself in the lake below. Such is the
story OF Winona and the poor foolish Indian
maiden who "lovcd not wisely, but too WE'LL"
But 1t is as true as such legends generally