River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-10-15
GRAND RAPIDS LITTER.


GRAND RAPIDS, MINI, Get. III, 81.
Ed. JouRNAL:-Thinking that per-
haps my friends in River Falls would
like to hear how l am situated and
how am impressed with the country
up here in the pines, take pleasure in
informing them through the medium
of your columns.
left st. Paul last Monday morning
at 500 on the Duluth road and travel
ell as far as Cloquet on the same. ar
irving there at about 3 p. NJ. Cloquet
is about 7 miles west of Carleton
junction but is not on the main line
of the road. The country from Garlic
ton 10 Cloquet is literally the rockiest
that my eyes have ever gazed upon.
l heard a gentleman on the train re-
mark to comrade that 1.-THE Lord
must have had an awful grudge
against that section when he made
il" and could you but see it you
would not wonder at the remark.
Immense masses of slate rock rise on
every hand and hardly speck OF soil
is visible, the large pine trees SEEM
ingly rooted in solid rock.
Cloquet is essentially a numbering
town. The piles of lumber to be seen
there at the mills put the Saltwater
lumber yards In the shade in regard
to quantity.
AT Cloquet l boarded the train OF
the Duluth d WInnepeg road, which
is operated by the North Star Con-
struction Co., and | rolled onward
toward my destination. The road
from Cloquet to this place is through
the pines and built on marshy ground
all the way. 1t is very level with
scarcely any grade and is IS miles in
extent. From here it extends west
about II miles and terminates at
lumber camp. In all of the So miles
from Cloquet to Grand Rapids there
are only two or three stations,
the largest being La Prairie, two and
half miles east of here, between
which place and Grand Rapids live
| ly tussie for supremacy is going on.
| | arrived In Grand Rapids ut Ills don
day evening in drizzling mist and
went to the principal. hotel, Pokegama
| a very pretty three.story frame build
| ing, and have made the same my home
since that time.
This village is situated on low
bluff at the rapids of the Mississippi
river and is a very prettily situated
place. The river at this point is
crossed by a draw bridge which is
little used. only one boat having gone
above here this season. AL
boats using the draw from below have
to be hauled through by cables as the
most furious part of the rapids lie
under the bridge. The soil on which
the village is built is all sand, and
mud stands no show here even in the
mos twet weather. The drainage i:
good and the council is now at worl
building sidewalks and cutters. There
are a dozen or more places of business
here principally saloons) and two o.
three dozen houses.
Near at hand are many small lake.
reported to be alive with members o
the finny tribe. Three and half miles
away is Lake having 2ll miles o
shore line and reported to be ever
more beautiful than the far famed
Minnetonka. Three miles above her
on the line of the railroad is the gov
eminent dam and falls, which l shall
try and see this afternoon.
The paper on which l work, thu
Magnet, is hustling sheet in prosper
Gus condition. The office is wei
lighted aud has more flies in it thai
any room in which L ever sat down
They freeze up every night and a
soon as build lire ia the moning the.
begin to eat me and its slap, slap al
day. | am now quite certain, If neve
before, that "there are flies on me"
The town is even more quiet thai
River Falls, and hardly any fights arr
carried on. The DRINKS, though mum
erous are quiet and kept to themselves
One thing which sadly miss is girls
there are very few here so far as
have been able to find out, and you al
know how lonesoms | must be out o
the society of the dear creatures.
My health is good and | wish thu
same to all the people down there.
Feeling that l have told enough
and that you will all appreciate thi
the more if cease, will close now
with regards to friends, and sign my
self, Respectfully yours.
CLARENCE S. DODGE.