The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-08-24
A DELIGHTFUL OUTING
BEMIDJI, Aug, IS 1890

BEMIDJI, Aug, IS 1899.
DEAR Mr.. EDITOR:--l presume
that the writer's experience7in this
northern Minnesota is not novel
experience to many of the HERALD
readers but as truth does not suffer
by reiteration it may; not be amiss
to note a few facts and incidents
for the benefit of the novitiate-
After riding for six or seven hours
by rail due north from Sank Cen
ire and realizing that twice that
time would be required by an ex-
press train to reach the northern
limits of the state of Minnesota,
one is made to realize how much
of the state is yet awaiting deve-
lopment. Three of the great bor-
der counties north from Duluth
and Walker are each about a
hundred and fifty miles long by
one hundred broad, some of them
containing lakes from twenty to
fifty miles in length, and some
twenty miles wide. One is greatly
tempted to go north yet another
hundred miles beyond Lake Cass
/ to the Lake of the Woods for the
sake ofsthe still wilder scenery and
acquaintance with nature in her
undisturbed forest solitudes. In
this age of vandaIisms and disre-
gard for antiquities and traditions
in the rush for grain, it is pleasant
to be alone with God and what is
somewhat like the primeal Gre
alton. It is finely said that men
and their deeds pass away but ma
ture seems immortll. Probably
life there in the woods is as it was
a hundred years age. This entire
north country ought to be pre-
served to posterity asa National
Park, the center of which should
,benear this point, the summit of
the great water shed which de-.
vides the waters between Hud-
son Bay and the Gulf. This heiohtof
land stands fifteen hundred feet
above the sea level. To one who
loves the forest solitudes, it seems
to me there is nothing like the
deep pine woods. These mighty
kings of the forest the white and
Norway some of which measure
four feet at the base, allowing six
logs to be cut from them each six
teen feet long, suitable for lumber,
and over sixty feet before coming
to limb,are wonders to.those who
have not visited the great forests
of Washington and Oregon.
To one at all given to poetic
feeling, they seem to be creatures
of intelligence, monumental of the
traditions of the wilderness from
the ancient past. Crowned with
their wealth of majestic plumes,
luminous in the glory of the sun
light and then again dark and
shadoWy, they seem mysterious
and inspirational.
They have witnessed the storms
of many generations the warfares
of the elements and of the savage
tribes. These are all tribal battle
fields and swarms of hostile canoes
have met in the death struggle up
on these peaceful lakes. sug-
geSted to an educated Indian on
the ground that he make his for
tune and fame by writing up the
tradltionary history of the Chip
peWa he replied after the manner
of the civilized westerner, of whom
ne ever essays to be a poor copy
there is no money in it." He said
40 tribe had such a history but the |
1eighboring Winnebagoshish. The
Sioux were once the owners of |
hese lake regions, but the Chippe-
vas from the North in many war |
ares drove them out of the timber
nto the prairies, having coveted /
heir superior country with its i'm
Vulnerable lakes and everglades,
IS fish swarming rivers, and for
sts full Of game of every variety.