The Bemidji pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami County, Minn.) 1896-1917, 1900-09-13
Big New Territory
To BE Opened mp by the Rail-
way Extension trnm Bemidji.
The st. Paul Pioneer Press
Speaks Like Prophet.

At last the great central wilderness
OF Northern Minnesota, which stretch
es from the meridian of Duluth on the
east to that Of Crookston on the west,
and northward from Lake Winnibi-
Igoshish to the Canada border, embrace
ing a rallies area of perhaps eight
zen thousand square miles, is to be
pierced through its center by north
and south railroad. Surveys have
been made by the Northern Pacific
company for a line running from Be
midi northward to Koeehiching, and
a contract has been let for the con-
struction of twenty-five miles thereof,
with the privilege of increasing the
same to forty miles. The total dis
tance from Bemidji to Koochiching,
in a straight line, is almost exactly
100 miles; so when forty miles shall
have been constructed, a long step
will have been taken toward the Can
ada border.
Koochiching is onsthe Rainy river
about ten miles west OF the point which
would be reached by a line drawn di-
rectly north from Minneapolis. BY
starting from Bemidji the road avoids
the difficulties imposed by the cluster
of lakes to the eastward and is en-
abled to lay its rails for a long dis
tance along the watershed which, ac-
cording to the map, divides the water
flowing into the Red River OF the
North from those which swell the cur
rents Of the Missippi, the st. Louis
and the Rainy River. The whole re-
gion has been left singnlarly bare of
population, owing TO the peculiar
drift which has carried railway con-
struction and population on east and
west lines. And this, too, notwith-
standing the fact that in richness OF
soil and adaptability to wheat-grow-
ing and other agricultural enterprises,
it is found equal to any section of the
Dakotas. Along TIE line OF the pro-
posed railway the soil is generally
underlaid with clay.
The lack of present population pre-
sents, of course, an additional OBJ
stacle in the way Of construction;
since, as in building the pioneer lines
across the continent, supplies, work
men, everything must be carried for
ward from the initial point. But OBJ
stacles of this sort have come to be
regarded as trifes by the far-seeing
railway magnates of to-day. Neither
do they fear disaster from the lack OF
local traffic. That unsurpassed soil
will quickly attra act a farming popula-
ton whose energies will soon afford
freights as abundant as are now car
ried by the lines which only recently
pierced che Northwest Minnesota and
Dakota wildernessess and prairies,
and converted them into "the world $
granary. Furthermore, the road
will furnish the most direct southern
outlet for a considerable Canadian
population, which has gathered in
the country north OF the Rainy river,
and which is separated from the Cana
dian Pacific by stretch of wilderness
nearly one hundred miles wide.
OF course, the new road will give an
added impetus to numbering opera
tions in Northern Minnesota. 1t
could be wished that the same inan-
cial foresight which is willing to build
an expensive railway, depending for
returns on population yet to be
planted and ON a traffic yet to be Gre.
ated, might also be directed to the in
culcation of a wiser system of forestry
than that which has denuded our
states area further south. A lumber
traffic which shall last for centuries
instead Of for decade is something