The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1890-08-07
MINNEAPOLIS
Wonderful Growth of q Wonderful
City.
HealLhful Climate, Excellent
Schools and Conspicuous
Public Buildings.
TRANSPORTATION Facilities and
Advantages Comprising
1888 Miles of Road.
AltOgetheran Interesting Descrip
ton of the Metropolis of
the Great Northwest.

the GroaC Northwest.
The rapid settlement and devel-
opment of the great west during the
last twenty-five years, naturally
made possible the sudden growth OF
many cities and towns-so many in
fact that the general public has
ceased in a degree, to wonder at
their brilliantrise. st. Paul, Omaha,
Kansas City and Denver, with a
dozen smaller places have all in
creased rapidly in population and
wealth, and have attracted the ad-
miration of the country for their
energy and enterprise. Minneap-
oils, however, has capped the eli
max" and having distanced her
sister cities, now enjoys the distinc-
ton of being not only the metropo-
lis of the great northwest, but also
of being the largest city west of the
Mississippi, with the exception of
st. Louis and San Francisco. This
growth is the more phenomenal
from the fact that Minneapolis was
among the last, if not the very latest
to launch forth in her dazzling ca
reer of uninterrupted progress.
This fact argues for good loca-
ton coupled with superior advan-
tages. But more is undoubtedly
due to the indomitable energy and
unfagging zeal of her citizens. Not
only are the people of Minneapolis
intensely loyal to their city, but
they universally act in unison in all
matters promoting the welfare of
the city, and are quick to sieze every
opportunity to enhance their glory
and distinction. Peopled largely by
the sons of New York and New
England, the city has had the ben
eft of the best blood and sinew of
the land, and it is to-day a notice
able fact that most of her important
commercial interests are in the hands
of Americans.
HISTORICAL.
Minneapolis is young and her his
tory is necessarily brief. Previous
to the year 1888 the city's site even
had no history, and was a part of
the great unclaimed and unsettled
country over which roamed the
original owners of the soil, in their
peaceful hunt for game or their more
CHASTITY search for scalps. In the
above named year Franklin Steele
built a claim shanty on the east
side of the Mississippi, opposite St.
Anthony's Falls. Seven years later,
or in 1845, the town of st. Anthony
was incorporated. At that time the
west shore of the river at the falls
was military reservation and set
Element was not allowed. But at
the session of Congress of that year,
two ex-soldiers of the Mexican war
Robert Smith, of Illinois, and
John FL. Stevens, were by special
act, permitted to settle on the re-
serve and the former located his
claim SO as to take in the falls,
while the latter built his home on
the hillside where the Union Depot
now stands. Newcomers continued
to squat on the reserve, when in
1854 an act was passed throwing it
open to settlement and the squatters
were allowed to buy the land upon
which they had settled, at $1.25 per
acre. In that year Is votes were
cast and the population was estima-
ted at 200 souls, and in the same
year the town was christened "Min-
neapolis." The place was at once
plated and at The close of the year
had 1000 population. In 1857 the
town had grown to 1900 popula-
ton and there was great rivalry with
st. Anthony, just across the river.