The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-04-22
Fine Trip Over the Chicago, MiIwau.
kee & st. Paul Road.
Handsome Scenery and Sprinkiinq Of
Live Towns En- Route.
All Trains Run at Convenient Hours
For the Public.
Picturesque Spots That Attract the Eve
of the Traveller.
From Tuesdays Daily.

From Tuesdays Daily.
There is really no time of the year
during which any person, who has any
mind and imaginatio at all, cannot behold
with intense pleasure the rapid alterna-
lions of rural, village and urban scenes
from the window of moving railway
car. Whether the woods and hills be
clad IN the green verdure of midsummer,
: or adorned with the varigated hues of au-
tumn, or whitened with the crystallized
moisture of winter, or brown and scar
as they always are in the spring Just aft
9 er the disappearance of the snow, the
country adjoining any Minnesota road
bed is always picturesque.
The newer the scenes are to the travel
er, of course, the more he enjoys them.
A new road, laid out and completed be-
tween two points between which there
has been a great deal of travel here
tofore is delight by reason of its novel
ty alone, and aside from all other con-
,siderations.
The new Milwaukee roadbed passes
through region with which most Min
nesotians are quite unfamiliar. A pas
'senger leaving on the seven O'Clock train
for the Twin Cities can enjoy quite
treat OF new scenery while the daylight
lasts. The train first pulls through the
railroad yards and along the Great West
ern roadway amid surroundings that the
average Mankatonian knows by heart,
but not long after passing the old Great
Western passenger station, the traveller
begins to look upon sights that his eyes
have not met before. About two miles
north of the new union depot the train
passes Benning station. The cars are
now no longer running upon the Great
Western tracks but have entered upon
the new Milwaukee roadbed. Walls of
stone on either side of the train alter
nately rise and sink, showing the rocky
nature of the hills through which the
cuts for the track have been made in
this quarry district. There is vegetation
here too, and though all the grass has a
green blade anywhere, yet there are signs
of the approach of summer. The trees
are just beginning to bud, and if the
present spell of milder weather lasts or
is succeeded by any that is warmer, the
boughs will soon be covered with new
leaves. The passenger looks out OF
the window at his right and sees hills
rising one after another into view. On
the left side he views long low ex-
panse of brown meadows, stretching on
towards the Minnesota river. .s
The train lis gradually on the ascent
now. Presently 1T stops at the new depot
of Kasota. The train stands on the
brow of long hill. Down in the broad
valley below lies the village. Smoke
goes curling up from hundred bon
fires, and it would seem that all of Ka
sofas eight hundred people who are not
working in the quarries, must be engaged
in burning up the rubbish that the win
ter has collected in their yards. 1t is just
beginning to grow dusk now, and the
bon fires make the little village highly
picturesque.
The track now goes up long grade,
so steep as to be quite noticeable. The
country on both sides is sometimes hilly
and sometimes rolling, but always in
teresting. Fires may be seen burning the
dead grass off the pastures in every di-
rection to make room for the fresh young
shoots that will soon adorn all the pas
ture land. Mile after mile of burnt and
blackened meadows appear.
Spring blowing and seeding has at
length commenced in dead earnest. The
frost seems to be- about out of the
ground at last and the farmers are work
ing early and late to get their farms prop
.erly plowed and seeded. Farmer after
farmer is seen busily working his field.
Eight miles northeast of Kasota the
village of Cleveland is reached. This is
a little lumber town of about $50 peo-
pie. On goes the train. 1t may he seen
that the country is very wet. Water
stands in many Of the ploughed fields
and the bitches ON either side Of the
track are pretty we'll filled, though the
track is of course away above Sne
bitches, so there is no possible danger
from the water There is now long
stretch of level country to the right and
to the left, the pastures and plowed lands
being interspersed here and there with
small clusters of trees. Several miles
have been traversed since the train left
Cleveland, and the well-known village
of LIE Sueur Center looms into view
Five hundred people live here. The whole
place has an appearance of thrift and
enterprise. 1t is rather dark by this
time and the street lights in every quar-
ter of the village produce very pleasing
effect. One of the most noticeable OF the
buildings is the lie Sueur county court
house.
Eight miles more of level, wet of