The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-06-17
A TRIP WEST.
Mankato Boy Writes an Interesting Let.
ter from California.
SAN JOSE, CAL, May 20, 1898.

that perhaps some Vi uy Olu maukdIo
friends would enjoy reading a short
description of the country between
| Minnesota and California via the
Canadian Pacific, 1 have ventured to
describe our trip over the route. We
left Minneapolis Tuesday morning at
9:45 over the $500 Line" branch of
the Canadian Pacific road. The coun-
try through Minnesota and North
Dakota is not deserving Of special
mention except for the fertility OF It's
soil. The Dakota prairies are indeed
monotonous, and in the extreme
northwestern portion where you travel
mile upon mile without sign OF hui
man life, it seems the very height of
desolation. We arrived at Portal, the
last station on the U. S. soil at 7 100 a.
m. Here is the U. S. custom house.
About 100 yards up the track is the
first Canadian station, North Portal,
where the British officers made pre-
tense at searching our baggage. They
lust stick their hands down in your
satchels and pass on. Its just lot OF
red tape and it shows the friendliness
of the two governments. Canada's
soil is repetition of North Dakota,
only little more desolate, If such a
thing is possible. The land is used
almost entirely for ranching purposes.
The railroad runs through Assiniboia
in a northwest direction to Pasqua,
where it joins the main line of the
Canadian Pacific. The country shows
that it is new, as there is only one
town of any size between Dakota and
Seattle, and it only has $500 people,
From Pasqua the country becomes in
teresting. The road rises and winds
into the basin of "Old Wives Lakes
extensive bodies of water having no
outlet, and consequently alkaline.
From now on for distance of 200
miles the country is absolutely tree
less. The prairies are marked and
SCARED in every direction by the old
buffalo trails and wallows. Near
Rush Lake is situated one Of the
farms OF the Canadian Ranch COM
pany. 1t contains 10000 acres. At
Swift Current, division point, the
company has a large sheep ranch
where they annually round up about
%, 900 sheep. We soon approach the
Cypress hills, an ideal stock country,
rich in grasses and possessing an un-
falling supply of water. At Maple
Creek we passed large Cree Indian
village. We stopped for dinner at
Medicine Hat-population, 1000. Has
churches, hospital and other public
buildings. An important station OF
the Canadian mounted police is es'
tablished here. There are several
large coal mines, and the river, the
S. Saskatchewan, is navigable for 800
miles to Lake Winnipeg. Prairies are
covered with ranches and the entire
country is underlaid with two or more
beds of coal, while natural gas is found
in many places From Tilley, on
clear day, the Rocky mountains may
be seen $50 miles away, At Gleichen
they come into full view with their
snowy peaks extending far along the
horizon. At Calgary population f.
5OO) is an important trading post OF
the Hudson's Bay.company, and here
are located a number of large saw
mills. At Cochrane we we're well in
to the grassy foothills and river ter
races-an extensive ranching coun-
try-great herds of horses in the val
legs, thousands of cattle on the ter
races, saw mills aud coal mines all
along the valley. After ascending to
the first terrace the outlook is mag
nificent. Towards the left the foot
hills rise in successive tires OF sculp-
tured heights to the snowy range be-
hind them. Soon the wide valleys
change into broken ravines and of a
sudden through an opening In the
mist, turned a roseate hue by the
early sunlight, with it's delicate pearl
tipped peak outlined against the clear
blue, we see single snow-clad senti-
mel of the Rockies. But just IS We be-
gin to fully appreciate its beauty a
gauzy mist passes over it and it is
hidden from our sight. Just beyond,
a station called Kananaskis, the
mountains form a seemingly impene-
trabe barrier, but we dash on and en-
ter the mountains between two verti.
cal walls OF dizzy height. This is the
gap by which the Rocky Mountains
are entered. A remarkable contrast
is noticed between the ranges ahead.
On the right Enthusiastically broken and
castellated heights-on the left mas
sive snow-laden promontories, rising
thousands of feet,penetrated by man.
moth alcoves, as it were, in which the
lights and shadows Of fantastic color
ing be hidden They are tremendous
upheavals of stratified rock of the
Devonian and Carboniferous ages.
Some sections, miles in breadth and