St. Paul daily globe., 1892-04-19
TO CUT OFF A LOOP.
Work On the Rapid City, Mis-
souri, River & st. Paul
Road
To Be Rapidly Pushed, Con-
Meeting Rapid City With
Pierre.
Allouez Bay Settled Upon as
the Duluth & Winnipeg
Terminus.
Duluth. Mesaba & Northern
to Use the New Road
Tracks.
Special to the Globe.

Special TO the Globe.
RAPID CITY, April 1s.-With the
opening of spring the directors of the
Rapid City. Missouri River & st. Pau
railway are making arrangements tC
resume work upon the road to Pierre
The company, which is local organl
zation. was formed last spring, sub
scrlptions to the capital stock to the
sum of S125,000 were secured and a
corps of surveyors sent out upon the
proposed line. The road was surveyed
to Pierre. and during the summer and
fall some fifteen miles of grading was
done upon the road between this city
and Pierre. The company also Sc
cured territorial facilities in this
city and at Ft. Pierre, which
are valued at something like $780,
600. The enterprise is an entirely
feasible one. the building of railway
across the reservation to Pierre being
only question OF time, and an under
taking probably 10 be accomplished this
year or next. The aim Of the local com
pany is simply 10 hasten the building oil
a highway to the capital and the re-
mOval of the present anomaly, which
forces residents of the Black Hills to
travel 900 miles in order to accomplish
a distance of 100.
Radid City, the whole Black Hills
country, in fact, has a very lively inter
est in the building of the road. but it
may be fairly said that the Eastern
cities reached through this line will re-
ceive a greater benefit than they will
confer. Especially Is this true
OF st. Paul and Minneapolis.
The present trade of the region
goes to Omaha, Sioux City and
Chicago. sWhen this road is built and
connection Secured with the Twin
Cities they will naturally secure large
share Of this trade. not incOnsiderable
increase of their trade. There are now
within this little world OF the Black
Hills some forty thousand people. 1t is
a region of large enterprises i'll mining,
stock raising, numbering and other in
dustres. 1t is large hearted, liberal
region which spreads its money freely,
lives well, dresses well, and travels
largely. Iu the past this region has
been AT the mercy Of single railway
system, and that a long ways from
direct, and dependent for its supplies
upon one or two commercial points.
But change is about to occur. The
trade of the Hills, the heavy
freight traffic of the mining
and stock industries is attracting
other railway lines. The b. & NJ. has
already entered the region, and now it
is said that the Northern Pacific will
extend its line from Aberdeen to Pierre
across the reservation. But the X. c.,
NJ. X. 81 st. Z. does not propose to await
the pleasure Of the great systems, and
an effort will be made to build the line
this year. In this effort the promoters
should have tile active cooperation of
the capitalists and business men OF st.
Paul. 1t is safe venture, and the in
veStment necessary in so practicable q
line. There is little doubt but that the
line could be disposed Of at profit be-
fore the grade was completed. and the
two Northwestern jobbing points would
reap the immediate benefits of the trade
OF the Black Hills and Wyoming.
There is every reason to believe that
this trade will double within two years.
Recent mining discoveries, the estab-
lShment of new camps, and the build
ing of large reduction works at various
points in the Hills, the chlorinatlon
works at Rapid City, the smelter and
other plants at DeadwOod, and the tin
mill at Hill City, will hasten general
development or the immense mineral
resources, while the shipment of 1900
Texas cattle to the ranges OF this region
shows that the stock industry is not
upon the wane. st. Paul cannot
afford to neglect the extension of her
trade territory and her business men
should cooperate heavily with the di-
rectors of the local company in securing
the means tor the building OF the road.
Long before the first locomotive
steams into Rapid City from the East
a line now under active construction
will reach the silver mines and pene-
trate the coal fields of Wyoming, open
ing a splendid new field to the capital
and enterprise of st. Paul and Mime
apOlis.