Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-01-17

TIE NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD
The northern Pacific railroad will be open
for through travel by the first of January,
1884, if not earlier So at least its man.
ayers confidently expect. A gap of 425
miles in the territory of Montana now
remains between the termIni of the
eastern and western divisions, which will
be reduced to $50 miles before the close of
the year. Over much of this space the
heaviest grading has already been done.
The completed road will measure from Lake
Superior to Portland, Oregon. 1882 miles,
or over the Cascade mountains to Puget
sound when the branch is built, 1927 miles.
From New York to Portland by the Nor
thern Pacific will be 1916 mies-almost
exactly the same distance as from New
York to San Francisco by the Union and
Central Pacific, the difference being only
four miles in favor of the old route. From
New York to Yokohama by way of the
Northern Pacific and Puget sound is 700
miles less than via San Francisco. Upon
this advantage of distance and the prevail
ing winds of the Pacific ocean, which are
said to favor n northern passage, the
managers of the Northern Pacific base
their hopes of building up great trade
| with the orient.
The Northern Pacific will be one of the
| most attractive routes for pleasure travel
in America. From Lake Superior all the
way through to Portland the scenery is
alternatively picturesque, richly beautiful
and wildly grand. Hardly any part of
the route is dull or monotonous. The
forest and lake country of eastern and
central Minnesota is we'll worth seeing;
the rich prairie lands OF western Minnesota
and eastern Dakota afford exquisite
landscapes at all seasons. West of the
Missouri river there is II touch of alkal
but the land is arabic and far removed
from desolateness or monotony. The bad
lands with their strange eruptions of the
earth into hills or buttes OF singular shape
and color are not only curious but extreme.
Iy picturesque. Through the valley of the
Yellowstone which is intersected by
great number of smaller streams and is
now largely utilized for cattle ranges, the
journey continues full of interest and
novelty. At Bozeman branch is now
building from The main line 80 or 70 miles
south into the Yellowstone Park. At this
point too the road begins to ascend the
continental mountain divide and the
.SceHeTy grows WlIuer. Inc nlSleSt point
attained by the track is barely more than
5000 feet, and the grades are compara-
lively light. But the views along this part
of the route are grand and impressive, and
the mountain scenes continue to excite
and interest the traveller for miles and
miles over the divide and don Clark's
Fork to Lake Pend d. Oreil beyond
which the road again strike into open
agricultural country and swings down to
the mighty Colu NIB ia which it follows to
Portland.
Asa winter route for travel the Northern
Pacific will be quite as comfortable and
safe, rather more so, than the Union and
and Central Pacific, The SHOWS are no
worse at the north on the plains and are
not likely to be so troublesome in the
mountains as on the southern route, on
account of the lower altitude. The
opening of this transcontinental line,
which has been SO long thought about,
talked about and labored over, will be an
important event in the railroad develop
ment OF the country.