Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1899-05-25
MIGHTY MINI EAPOLIS
Editorial Correspondence
From the Milling City.

as a delightful city, in the memory
of the visitor, is because every
man, woman and child therein
makes it pleasantly performed
duty to answer every legitimate
question in such form and manner
THAT the questioner feels a glow Of
gratitude and goes away with
pleasant memories of the place
and people. This is eminently
true of Minneapolis, the flour city,
by the falls of st. Anthony and
Minnehaha. St. Paul and Mime
apolis are contiguous cities, con-
nected by street car lines, and
though lying on opposite sides Of
the Mississippi river, and being
eleven miles apart originally, they
now overlap and are one contin-
uous city with a combined popula-
ton of four hundred and thirty
FIVE thousand, and the permanent
and continued rapid growth of
both is assured. But it is espe-
cially of Minneapolis that we
write. In 1880 the city had 900
| population and now, less than
nineteen years since, it has nearly
a quarter nf a million and is grow
ing at a rate that makes one dizzy
to contemplate. Itis the home of
the greatest -four mills in the
world, and the annual output of
that necessary staple household
article is measured by so many
million barrels to elevator "a"
and so many million barrels to
elevator "B," and so on through
the alphabet. The Pillsbury-
Washburn -four mills are the
largest of any in the world, and
the Washburn- Crosby mills are
next in size, they ranking those of
all the mills of the world. The
elevator and milling industries re-
call the snow-white bread, such as
we do not seem to be able to get In
Vinita, and which for excellency
of both appearance and taste sur
passes anything in the line yet
seen by the writer. While on the
subject of bread we cannot forego
the mention of the fish, and such
fsh! "Planked" white fish, sal
mon trout, speckled trout, and
every kind of fish can be enjoyed
to their fullest extent in Mime
apolis. Just whas "planked"
white fish means we will not try
to explain, but perhaps it may
have some connection with the
lumber business of Minnesota and
we are told that the lumber men
have only reached the fringe of
the woods, and the great white
pine forests of the north country
remain practically untouched; so
We are to enjoy our "planked"
white fish for generations to come
when visiting this section and have
no care for the future supply of
either fish or lumber running out.
And now having been refreshed
with the white bread and the
speckled trout and sufficiently
rested let US take a drive over the
magnificent park and boulevard
system Of Minneapolis, meander-
ing as it does along the hills over
looking the great falls, and the
lake and the river. Let US try to
imagine what energetic men and
capital viii accomplish in this
place where Dame Nature has so
lavishly spread her bounties,
tempting men to partake, and only
requiring trust in her ability to
perform all that the most sanguine
can anticipate. Railroads reach
ing out in every direction; the
greatest water power in the world
at the back door grumbling be-
cause it is not allowed TO do more
in the work of progress and of
civilization; a hundred million
horse power just beginning to be
harnessed for unlimited power and
possibility. From the bluff over
looking the river floating logs can
be seen for miles and miles up and
down the river, and the black coal
smoke along the shore curling up
from scores of mills that are cut
ting the logs into lumber tell some
thing Of the magnitude of the lum-
Der interests of this region. Last
year the output was four hundred
million feet, and this year it will
be very much greater. The settle
ment of the farming regions in tie
immediate vicinity Of the city and
all over the state of Minnesota has
added TO the diversity of its indus
tries which all go to the building
Of a great city. While the materi-
al side of the question has been SO