The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1882-02-18
Superior Advantages OF Sup 7rior'

tleman who recently visited Superior,
writes letter to the Lancaster (Pa)
Intelligencer,i in which lie describes the
past, present and future Of Superior,
in very amiable manner. His letter
is dated at Superior City, Jan. 2Sth.,
1882, and from it we clip as follows:
"The St. Louis river empties into
Lake Superior at its northwestern ex-
tremity. Down the north bank of this
river the Mississippi & Lake Superior
railroad winds its way to the lake.
Starting from the north shore of the
lake just where the river debouchcs.
Minnesota Point, long narrow strip
of land runs east into the lake, paral-
lei with the south shore and separated
from it in about a mile in width of
deep water. On the south shore of this
bay, on the main land, is Superior City
with this splendid natural harbor in
front Of it.
North of the mouth Of the St. Louis
stretches away a ridge of trap rock
five hundred feet high, the upper three
hundred feet Of which is as innocent of
soil or vegetation as the granite front
of the treasury building at Washing
ton. Hung on the east side Of this
ridge is Duluth, until the first of the
year the terminus of the Mississippi d
Lake Superior and the Northern Paci-
tic railways. Duluth is bustling, thrfv-
town, while Superior, with all its nat
ural advantages sits idly by, looking
sadly across the waters at her imper-
tinent rival and musing on the strange
ways of railroad managers and town
site companies"
Then after reviewing at some length
the ups and downs Of Superior during
the past years of her life he continues
Still some obstinate people held on
and last winter they did what they
should have done long ago They
made it worth while for the Northern
Pacific to build a line from its junction
with the Lake Superior 4 Mississippi
into Superior. This was done last
year and the first train ran into SUI
perior on the last day of December.
The manifest advantages Of the
town are now apparent to a great
many people. Three railroads from the
South and East, and another from the
Northwest coming down from Winni-
peg in the Queens dominions, are we'll
under way with Superior for their OBJ
jective point. The good time for those
obstinate lot owners is at hand.
Superior is only few miles further
by water from Buffalo than Chicago
is, and Superior is six hundred miles
nearer to the great wheat fields of
North Dakota and more than a thous-
and miles nearer those of Winnipeg.
Will not the trade from this great ex
panse of country flow into the short
and easy and cheap channel? When
a train loaded with wheat arrives at
Brainerd, it Is just the same distance
from st. Paul and from Superior
Why haul it to St. Paul to be ground
and then haul the -four $50 miles back
to Superior or six hundred miles TO
Chicago to ship it east by water? Coal
iron and copper, can be landed in SUI
perior at low prices, and she has vast
untouched forests at her back. What
better place to do the manufacturing
of the great army of grangers now
moving i'll to possess the land?
Some of us remember when Chica-
60 was down on the maps of our child
hood as Fort Dearborn, and we may
live long enough to see a similar
change in the map around the head of
Lake Superior"
With these and many other natural
advantages is it any wonder that the
visitor at once predicts for us such a
brilliant future and warns Chicago of
her western rival. In six months
from now we will have an almost air
line rail connection with Chicago, Civ
ing us this needed eastern outlet, as
we'll as the western and southwestern
As manufacturing point no better
place can be found, and that manu-
featuring industries will soon spring
into life here, there is not the least
doubt.
The Iron, the Silver and the Copper
which for ages past has peacefully
rested in the virgin soil will soon be
mearthed and the smoke of the smelt-
ing works will ascend as the precious
metals are moulded into form and
made serviceble and convenient arti
Giles of merchandise. The vast quar-
ries Of stone and beautiful marble
must and soon will be opened up, anC
furnish the material for palatial hotel.
public buildings and fine residences
and the banks Of clay which now t
the unskilled eye looks,so dirty and un
inviting, will be transformed int
handsome bricks for store and dwell
ing, and furnish an inestimable SQUIRE,
Of revenue to the enterprising manu-
facturer. All these things cannot com,
to pass in dav, but kind creator ha
deposited all the raw material at on
door, and man will not be long in shap
ing it, and putting it to the best uses.
What we want now is some men o