Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-11-07

The Southeastern TribUuc of Brancrd
publishes the following very interesting
interview with Thomas ii. Garfield, one
of the first directors of the Northern Pa
cl!ic road, who selected moe or less of the
route chosen from the Pacific coast to
Lake Super.or
I'm locating the mountain line, or in
your trip across the continent" asked the
Tribunc man, chow nearly did you run to
what was finally selected as the line -
almost exactly, surprising as it may
seem, some of us found, when out to the
golden spike driving last year, that that
very point was within Il few hundred feet
of IL place where we had camped ON our
old trail"
"Eou then came out by the Missouri -
Eve struck the Missouri near the pres
ent crossing, and concluded the line must
cross there where Bismarck now is, be
cause the best approaches on either bank
were there, for miles up and down the
stream. The channel OF the Big Muddy
we had all heard was changeabe and un-
reliable, and we rode miles looking for II
better place, but decided the present was
the one. Then coming on across the
traciilesS plains, we found ourselves at
last meeting the advance guard of the con-
struction on the Minnesota division us |
have said.
"llad the line turned to go nOrthWard -
40. We found the engineer quite
puzzled and undecided, and by the way
said the energetic gentleman, looking
from the car window, I'VE are just APP
preaching the point where this change to
the present course-that is, to go straight
/ ahead-known AS the Yellowstone line,
was decided ON. That was on Buffalo
creek, and III show you the very spot
We were then about twenty miles west
of Lake Park station.
/ There, you see that tree, he continued,
"Well, il Was at that identical spot. We
were UGWpcd there, ANA Eugineer iinS.vl
and myself made the decision, lying under
our wagon close to the tree, with our maps
opened ont under us, very hot day, May
IS, 1870.
"lf the line had run north of the Mis-
souri, how far would it have missed
/ Fargo p
There was no Fargo then, and no Moor
head. We should have turned northward
from Oak Lake, now Detroit, and crossed
the Red RiverO the North probably al
the Hudson Bay trading post known as
Georgetown, which is fifteen miles north
OF Fargo and Mourhead. "
"What do you think of the country
which would have been penetrated ~
There is no doubt that it is magnificent
and rich beyond all previous calculation
and the stretching of II piece of roaC
through ii is only II question of time anc
there Is abundant country for its support
as it would run nearly midway between
the Northern and Canadian Pacific"
1t is but few among all the many VIII,
have been connect ed with this great trans
continental road no can now ride acrOS,
the rich plains and mark from the express
trains, the trails which plainly remain, OF
which, ON horse puck, they Spanned tn,
continent From the crossing of the Miss
issippl at Bancrd all the way To Fargo
and thence 200 miles to the Missouri, tn,
railroad follows the old trail In the EARL
er days the Red River route to tn,
ling TO Fort Abcrcrumbic, on the Bots dl
sioux, the headWators of the Red, anD
thence north along the Red, Il direction
taken by the Manitoba road, and rcNolu
tiOniZed by the Northern Pacific I'll,
first trip along the route, as built, wa
from the Crow Wing river at its mouth
in August, 1871, by II party in which Wer
among others, schuyler ColfaN, eX-Goy