The Bemidji pioneer., 1901-10-17
BEMID,JI.
"P. NJ. W." Writes Entertain.
ingIy Of Beltrami COunty's
Metropolis. 35 Saloons.

Of three week s visit with friends
in the hustling town Of Bemidji,
and the editor of this paper has
granted PERMISSION to state my
impressions Of the place.
The town, as most of the per.
users Of this article are aware, is
four years old. and was named
after cold Bemidji, an Indian
chief, who still enjoys good health,
and whose log cabin adorns the
classic shores of Lake Benidji. It
is, however. uninhabited, the
chief having gone to Cass Lake to
live with friends of his tribe.
"Old Bemidji'' is affectionately re-
called by many Of the citizens,
whose intelligence and kindly dis
position have won him friends
among the sspale face popula-
ton, His picture and that Of his
cabin adorn every home in the
town, and while his features are
not particularly thing Of beauty,
they certainly represent no small
amount Of character. tits stated
that upon the advent Of civiliza-
ttion and as the many industries
sprang up (the wild beauty as a
result having been, in a measure,
destroyed sold Bemidji" was
heart sore and retired to the Cass
Lake reservation among his own
tribe where the solitude Of the
woods is undisturbed by the over.
ambitious white man.
The writer is far from being
equal to the task Of describing the
scenery in and about Bemidji.
Lake Bemidji is about three miles
wide and seven and one-half long.
The Mississippi river runs through
it, and its width at this point is
surprisingly narrow compared
to what it is at Sank Rapids. One
can jump across, and with the aid
Of q few stepping stones and some
logs it was an easy matter to span
it. The lake abounds in pike,
pickerel, perch and white fish.
the latter denoting the great
depth Of the water, as that specie
is only found in deep water, such
as the great lakes. Several
launches owned by private parties
ply the waters. "The Moose is
the largest and considered the
most reliable craft on the lake. Tt
is i'll place to say that Lake Be-
midi is a rough body Of water
when a gale strikes it, and ! speak
from experience. The Moose
carries passengers to and from the
Turtle River stage route, and
braves all kinds Of storms. Then
there is the Bertha the
Shadow. . the "Mayflower,' the
Lady Of the Lake. and the
dauntless 'Tip Toe all pleasure
going crafts. The shore line is a
thing Of beauty that no one can
fail to appreciate, and it is a
source of wonder why the place
had not been resurrected, so to
speak, long ere this. As sum-
mer resort it has no equal. The
surrounding country is being
settled up very rapidly. The mat
ter Of good roads, which are in an
almost impossible condition, is
confronting Northern Minnesota
pioneers, However, it stands to
reason that as the population in
creases better roads will inevitably
follow, and as the pine is removed
from the land farming will be the
chief industry. The soil is admir-
ably adapted for the growing Of
potatoes, being sandy loan, and
Northern Minnesota will be the
banner potato belt at no very dis
tant future.
The lumber business is the whole
thing. and will be for years. The
lakes and rivers seem to be made
purposely for the convenience Of
log driving, although much of the
logs are now hoisted onto cars and
delivered by rail. Much railroad