Smyrna times., 1885-07-29
For the Smyrna Times.
THE ZENITH CITY OF THE UN-
SALTED SEAS.
HER COMMANDING SITUATION AND
COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE. THE
HISTORY OF HER RISE AND
FALL AND RISE AGAIN
WITH THE NORTH
ERN PACIFIC

The cities on the great American in
land seas were strung along its southern
shores from East to West, their fOun-
ders fOndly hoped and predicted for
them one by one as they came into ex-
istance the grand metropolis that in
the coming day must stand upon these
shores.
The public mind readily yielded as
sent that in the nature of the case such
a city would come into existance but
time and circumstances lying in the
undevelOped future was the great fac
tor to produce such a result. We have
shown that Chicago has been the win
ner in the race because of her central
situation on the extreme southwestern
shore of Lake Michigan, on a line COM
manding the products of the timbered
and the prairie States; the terminal
point for railroad and water transpor-
tatiOn, and the beneficiary of many
national land grants to railroad com
panies.
The fact remains that SUPERIOR"
the pride of the lakes, stretches it's bold
waters a thousand miles northwest,
where an empire is opening up in our
territories that dominates the waters of
the world with its cereal products.
Asa matter of fact, modern ingenuity,
patent rights and congressional legisla-
ton has completely revolutionized inn
migration and frontier methods, man
ners and productions. We hardly
know which is the greater, turning the
railroad into the power or the success
ful operation of the patent plOw, the
reaper and binder, the barbed wire or
the immigrant ship. The practical re
suit of the combination has crested the
necessity for other things. The time
hOnOred half bushel and strike have
been laid upon the shelf as relics of the
past, having held their place for thous-
ands of years, now given away to the
steam elevator, the scales, the bin and
the spout
Standing on the forward deck of the
steamer Nydck, having been two days
and nights on the deep, the captain
said, looking through his magnifying
glass, that Duluth was drawing in
sight. The previous day we had passed
the copper mining towns of HaughtOn
and Hancock, Mich, and while the
ship was discharging her cargo and re-
ceiving freight the passengers had from
one to four o'clock to go ashore and
see the stamping and smelling mills
The opportunity was seized upon will
delight by the passengers, who were
mostly families travelling for pleasure
getting away from the heated citie
below, seemed to interest themselve
in every branch of the process ant
every exhibited specimen which CAM
from the hands of the miners fifteel
hundred feet below the surface, as per
sons of culture most likely would do
WOrkmen habitually lay by specimen
their practiced eye fall upon for sucl
occasions, getting, as they call it, thei
"tobaccO money" Many a pipe wa
better filled that evening after tn
Nydck steamed out, taking her bear
ings west by north, so that from seein
one we came to see both shore
stretching their dim lines of copper
cOlOred rocks into the distance unit
they betoOk of the same color and wer
mingled with the horizon.
Duluth at last came in sight, standin
on the right or port side of the shil
on the sloping hillside of st. Lou
county, Mimi. Down in the vale
lOOmed up before us seven immens
, elevators, whose tall forms tOwere
above the shipping, and by who's
doors there were standing and mOvin
literally miles of boK-cars, fresh frOI
\ the great wheat fields of MinnesOt
Dakota and Manitoba. On the left
the land-locked harbor were rows {
= saw-mills, having Summer supply
logs floating in Bay St. Louis, whiC
connects by natural division with I'll
' harbOr.
Beyond all of these stood the bla
furnaces, reducing the rich ore foun
in the iron ranges of st. Louis coul
ty. 1t is said that the presence of col
II per gives color throughout this enti
region, but as yet has not been four
in paying quantities like those
Michigan already mentioned. Dulut
is not old, dates back to 1856, and iii
Delaware, derives its name from
4 man, but slightly changed, one lie SCI
Duluth, a French missionary al
6 trader with the Indians, successor
lie Sale, Nicollet and Marquette.
AS we have said in a former lett,
the French were the first settlers
~ Minnesota as long ago as 1860 to 1G
expeditions were sent out by t
h French and touched at various poir
;" around the great lakes, and while col
paratively few places have anythil
Ty left to identify them, still, those nam
-, will always be identified with the histo
ct of the State Really, the remains
ap the place lie Seur Du Luth traded
IS is across the lake in Wisconsin and l
visible except in very clear da
t Duluth had boom in connection wi
eS, the Northern Pacifc:Railroad and
"u Cooke &:CO.'s enterprise to build Il
&C. great national highway in connect
with the aid Of a congressional Ia
grant for that purpose the "Zenitl
city then became known to the outs
- world, and actually rejoicing in t
fact of finished railroad which "a
her a little boom, the st, Paul & Dull
in 1870, but the Northern Pacific '
the biggest card they ever had
y, impetus was so great that the T
Western man saw no bounds to
enterprise for the future metrOpC
"A blast furnaces, fOunderies, saw-m
'0' and car shops were set in Operat
business blocks and hotels of an att
Dss tive appearance were soon built,
L. money lavished on gas-wOrks, sew
age, water works and street grading