Daily globe., 1883-08-28
ST. PAUL.
Visitor Gives His Views to Eastern
JournaI-The St. Paul of Forty Years
Ago and the st. Paul of TO-day-A Strik-
ing Advancement.
Correspondence Springfield, Mass Republican. ]


ST. PAUL, MINI, Aug. IA, 1683.-The
tourists il visiting the new north
west must be prepared for surprises, no
matter how often he may come. Great
changes are being constantly and rapidly
msde. The geography of yesterday is not
the geography of to day. The maps,
charts and guide-books of one season are
obsolete in the next. Less than 40 years
ago the valley of the upper Mississippi
was described on the school-boy's map as
an unknown region, inhabited by Indians
ana buffalos." In 1649, when the terrific
tory of MINI esota was organized, and the
bill creating it located its capital at st.
Paul, people examined their maps for it in
vain. 1t was supposed to be somewhere
near st. Authony's Falls, but where they
knew not. At that time the site of this
now populous city was a wilderness of
trees and bushes, a tangled Jungle with
long swamp grasses in its marshes, filled
with muskrats and aquatic fowl, while the
river was overhung with towering cliffs or
bluffs of white sandstone, and these
crowned with majestic trees, gave to the
scenery a wild, beautiful and picturesque
appearance.
Minnesota is al Indian name of Sioux
origin, given to the Minnesota river be-
fore the organization of the territory.
"Minne," is water, and "sota," tinted, and
the two combined make "tinted water"
The territory derived its name from the
river. The total area of the state is S3.-
$50 square miles. OF this area the big
| woods occupy 5000 square miles, and in
n0rfhQnSt iS
region covering 1000 square miles; then
there are 500 lakes, which cover with the
streams 3,843 square miles, thus leaving
originally as open farming lands So ,687
square miles. Extending across the state
is the magnificent park region, with its
great forests, sparkling lakes and rich
prairies.
Equi- distant between st. Paul and Min
neapolis is Fort Smelling, located on
| high bluff at the junction of the Mississ-
ippi and the Minnesota rivers. which is
the headquarters of the department of Da-
kota OF the United States army. 1t was
erected about sixty years ago for protec-
ton against the Indians. 1t is place of
considerable interest, is surrounded by
the finest landscapes in the country, and
has frequently been compared by tourists
| w oOAhO OAU CdSL1C Ou Iue hQ1u0. ABOUT
| two miles north of Fort Smelling are the
now classic Minnehaha falls, Laughing
water) to which such thrilling interest has
been impaired by Longfellow's charming
poem, "Hiawatha." The little Minnehaha
creek which forms the falls, for miles
runs quietly through verdant meadow
! lands, draining series of lakes, of which
the beautiful Minnetonka is one. Sudden
ly break occurs in the level meadow, and
| a deep gorge appears, the banks on both
sides being covered with bushes and trees.
Over the smooth-worn edge of granite
ledge the little stream broadens and takes
| leap of about 80 feet to whirling, boil
ing pool below. When the water is high,
the fall is 80 feet wide, and the surround
| lngs are very picturesque and beautiful. 1t
is place for repose and reflection, and
| the simple beauty of the murmuring cas-
cade, with its numberless rainbows, gives
one feeling of rest exquisitely delight
full. In winter columns of Ice are formed
from the crest to the pool below, and if
one enters into the chamber back of it,
with the thermometer down to 20 or 80
and the sun brightly shining, he will i'm
agine himself, as one expresses it, in a
fairy grotto, though it is as cold as an Es-
quimaux lodge.
few miles above, at Minneapolis on
the Mississippi river, are the falls of ST..
Anthony, which furnish the power for the
immense mills there located. Some of
Minnesota's beautiful lakes have become
famous as watering places and summer
resorts, the principal ones being Lake
Minnetonka (big water). It lies on the
edge of the big woods, in what is called
the park region; it is but an hour and a
half's ride by rail from st. Paul and thou
sands of pleasure aud heaIth-seekers visit
it annually. 1t has length of about 80
miles and the greatest breadth is three or
| four miles, but being curious aggregate
| of bays, it has shore-line of 200 miles.
In the 80 miles travel required to make a
| tour of this lake by steamer, many beauti-
full views are obtained and they are con-
stantly changing as the boat passes from
bay to bay. 1t has a number of first-class
| hotels and many pretty cottages which are
utilized as summer residences by private
| families.
There are many other beautiful lakes
not far distant from this city which are
the watering places of the west, among
which are White Bear lake, Forest lake,
| Chicago lake and others too numerous to
mention. White Bear lake is II miles
from St. Paul and has beaches of pebbles
and sand; its banks are covered with large
forest trees and present combination of
scenery that long ago gave it the title of
Mlnnesota's gem. 1t is four or five miles
in length, covering about 1000 acres.
There are many cottages built here for
summer residences, good hotels and good
fishing and some elegant sailing yachts.
| But 1 must say something about this
city and will go back to the st. Paul of
yesterday. Pierre Parrant, a Canadian
traveller, erected his log shanty here in
June, 1888, and began his business therein.
There being no other way of advertising,
he chalked upon the door, 'importer and
wholesale and retail dealer in whisky
| This was the first habitation and this
was the first commercial house IN this
Christian metropolis of to-day. He did
quite staggering business and had for
customers the solid men of the surround
ing wilderness, to-wit, the poor degraded
Indians, trappers and the whisky-loving
soldiers from Fort Smelling. But let me
describe this noted founder of a city.
Parrant was a coarse, sullen, brutal, bag
gard-looking fellow, with long and tang
led hair usually uncombed and unbrushed,
and he seemed to be as ready to knock one