The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-12-25
AN EARLY SURVEY.
Field Notes Made When the Old
Territorial Road Was
Located.

Mendoza on the Mississippi river to
the junction of the Big Sioux with the
Missouri. This road was laid out for
military purposes, and ran through
Mankato. Recently, in order to de-
termine where the old territorial road
was originally laid out in West Man
kato, inc Enger Haynes sent for the
original plat in the possession of the
government, and with it were sent
Lieut.. RenO's field notes. Some ex-
tracts from these will be very inter-
esting The fourth and fifth divis-
| ions OF the report are those relating
| to the country about MankatO and
Blue Earth county, and we will give
them early in full, as they will be of
interest to many of our readers
Leaving the Chaminshkah we pass
ed over nine miles of high rolling
prairie, gravelly and interpreted with
numerous circular shallow ponds.
Here we crossed Perch river, which is
little stream taking it's source in a
small lake of the same name, and
after meandering the prairie for fifteen
miles, making very slight indentation
in it's surface, it empties into the
| WatOnwan. From Perch river we
passover rich, level prairie country,
interspersed with disconnected ponds,
for twelve miles, when we reach the
| WatOnwan river. This stream is well
wooded, and at our crossing was about
forty feet wide and three feet deep.
Before crossing the MankatO[now
called the Blne Earth river near it's
| junction with the WatOnwan, we fol-
lowed along it's eastern bank, over a
dry, level prairie, until we reached the
hills bordering the LeSueur river. In
descending these we had great diff
Guilty in preserving our maximum
grade of 50, and also after crossing
this stream the approach to the Min
nesota river was very rugged. We
therefore determined to return and
endeavOr to find a more practicable
route on the western side of the Man
kato. Going back 25 miles, and cross
ing the WatOnwan few miles above
it's mouth, we followed along the
western side of the Mankato, over
level prairie. interspersed with num-
erouS ponds and marshes, to the first
bench of the Minnesota river. The
descent to the second bench, 100 feet
below, is easy, requiring very little
side cutting, thence over dry and
rocky country, thinly studded with
scrubby oak for three miles to the
Mankato, which we crossed near it's
mouth, and thence over low bottom
of mile to the village of Mankato,
where this division terminates. AS
this last route proved to be the
shortest and least expensive, we
adopted it.
After passing over $50 miles of
prairie, unoccupied by single white
settler, we were agreeably surprised
ed to find at the mouth of the Manka-
to fiourishing settlement of 200 in
telligent and energetic countrymen.
Their village, styled "Mankato City,"
is on the eastern bank of the Mime
sofa at the great bend, and being in
the heart of rich agricultural region
and on a river navigable for steam
boats for three or four months in the
year, it possesses all of the elements
of future prosperity and importance.
A few Sioux Indians still linger about
their ancient village, but the mass of
the tribe had gone to their new
home further up the Minnesota.
The Mankato and it's numerous
tributaries being generally well tim
bered and flowing through a country
unsurpassed in the salubrity of its
climate and the prOductiveness of it's
soil, offers great attractions to the
enterprising farmer.
Leaving the village of MankatO, we
followed along the second bottom of
the Minnesota river over dry, level
prairie for eleven miles, to Babcock's
mill. These bottoms are from one to
three miles wide and about fifty feet
above the river Along the bases of
the bluffs the soil is very rich, but to-
wards the river stratum of sand
stone mixed with lime lies very near
the surface, which, although very
, favorable for a road, is but little suit
ed to agricultural purposes.
At Babcock's mill the second bot
tom disappears and wide, low bot
toms, annually overlooked, take it's
place. In consequence of this we
were compelled to leave the river
and ascend to the table land, which is
about 300 feet above the Minnesota.
Here we entered what is known by the
name of the .'Dig woods" of Minneso-
ia. 1t is the biggest body of timber
between the Missouri and Mississippi
rivers, extending 100 miles to the
north and 40 to tile east. Oak, ash,
elm, walnut and maple are the most
abundant, but almost every variety of
deciduOus timber is found. Numer-
ous beautiful lakes, abou ding in fish
of the most delicious flavor, are en-
Dosomed in this forest. Some of these
lakes are eight miles long and deep
enough to float frigate, having a
beautiful gravel beach, with occas-
ional large boulders along the shore.
Others are shallow and filled with
wild rice, which in the fall attracts
great numbers Of wild fowl to their
waters. 1t is also a valuable article
of food to the Indian. Wet meadows
or marshes frequently connect chains
of these lakes These are covered
with very high grass, affording fine
pasturage for cattle, and making ex-
cellent hay. Some are too marshy for
grazing, but are easily drained. The
lakes in this region occupy about one
J sixth OF the area, the marshes probab-
ly as much. and the rest gently undu-
lating and densely timbered, with
soil of inexhaustible fertility, offers
the best locations for farms of any
country we saw along the route.
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