Morning journal and courier., 1882-09-16
CORRESPONDENTS.

St. Pa u: and Minneapolis, tho Rivals of
 the Northvvost-TEse Superiority of St.
 PauI-ThS Falls of Minnehaha Not
 What They ''Cracked Up'' to be
 The Attractions of Minneapolis.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 These two cities are in as intense a state of rivalry as ever Chicago and St. Louis were, although to the wayfarer there seems to be no comparison between them, so much more attractive is St. Paul. The Union depot" st St. Paul is the most artistic one your cor respondent has seen, and it's neataess and comfort at once begin to make the pleasant impression which everyone carries away from this place. The interior of the depot is fin ished in oak, and the heavy timbered ceilings.
 the high wainscotting and at each end of the
 waiting rooms the tall, wide freplaces with
 handsome things remind one strongly of
 some of the banquetting halls in the old roy al chateaux of France. Here, some thou sands of miles from it's mouth, it is hard to realize that the Mississippi can and does over flow its banks; for at this point the river tions of the city, cutting it's way through the soft yellow sandstone. The view from the bridge which connects the city proper with the settlement on the south side, the river runninx nearly east and west here, is quite & picturesque one. The river whirls @ hundred feet below. On @ither side arc the yellow cliffs, looming up on the St. Paul side to a ! hundred feet or moro. At the base of them the trains of the various railroads centering \ here are seen winding around. Along the crest of the southern cliffs peep out from among the natural groves of oak number l hu and trees, while at the bottom of these south I ern cliffs are broad flats covered by large ! lumber yards and factories whose inharmoni 1 ousness is only partially relieved by tur- ! reted and battiemented grey stone brewery, q which clings to the base of the cliff as if to withdraw itself from it's commonplace neigh ! bors on the flat. At both the east and west z ends of the city are fine hills, overlooking
 the river which ara almost entirely devoted
 to the splendid houses and lawns of the
 many prosperous merchants aud business
 men of this enterprising, progressive city.
 The business part of the town can boast of s many fine blocks of buildings almost a ng city in the country. Some of the build ir,Egs of wholesale houses are numerous, but u nderstand that their business more than " arrants such lavish expenditure In fact tbGs is the New York of the Northwest. Here all retailers of the surrounding country and of the northern half of Dakota come for their goods Even Manitoba is partially trih hutary to this place. To the rapid and
 unprecedented growth in wealth and popula- ton of these great Territories west of it is
 due the present remarka bly, prosperous con l dition and past growth of St. Paul. Owing l to the narrow hilly stree ts in the center oi
 the city these immense buildings do not pre- sent as fine an appearance as they ought, and | in fact the business portion does not at first
 strike the observer at all fa,vorably, especial 1 ly almost the first thing n'oticeable are th' l slippery wooden sidewalks without eurbinl of any sort.
 1 Your correspondent was sa rprised befor' l reaching the place to be assure, that it woult
 only be by good fortune that he would ob
 tain 8 room at the hotels, but aft or seeing tn