The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1907-10-18
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA MAN
WRITES OF HIS VISIT HERE
Thinks Bemid Has Splendid Future in Writer
Visited Points North Along the N. & l. Railway,
Including International Falls.
printing offices, in each of which
weekly paper is published. II

printing offices, in each of which a
weekly paper is published. H
The land on the peninsula is very
rich and all kinds of vegetables grow
to perfection. There are said to be
many settlers along the Littlefork
river and in the vicinity of the vii
lage. The buildings are all new and
we'll built and the town has neat
and thrifty appearance. Here l
met Oliver Erickson who used to be
at Rush City and is we'll known by
many of your readers. He has a
fine general store with a good stock
of goods and is doing we'll. also
met Joe Lachapelle and his son S..
who run a nice hotel. Mr.. l.. said
that they had some land and all of
their property in the village paid
for. He wished to be remembered
to his friends at Rush City and
vicinity. By the way, I sold four
safes during my short stay at Little
fork. +
At 2:3O p. m. I took a small tub
of side wheel steamboat down the
river for International Falls. The
river was low and the boat picked
it's way slowly and carefully along.
Once we were stuck on sand
bar, but only for a few minutes. We
were on this boat for about two
hours and were then transferred to
the Itasca, fine large sternwheeler,
which was we'll equipped in every every
way. About six O'clock we came
into the Rainy River which flows
between Canada and Minnesota. It
is a fine large stream at this point,
about as wide as tho Mississippi at
St. Paul.
It was a delightful afternoon and
the scenery along the way was fine.
The banks were high both on the
Little Fork and Rainy rivers, with
all kinds of trees on the banks and
here and there clearing and farm
house. AS we came nearer our
destination, the farms were more
frequently seen and were larger.
The principal crops seemed to be
oats and hay. Some hay had been
cut and the punches were large and
numerous, showing a good crop. At
one place we saw stacks of grain.
One of the passengers said that it
was grain that had been cut last
season but not yet threshed because
they could not get machine across
the river from the Canadian side.
He said that they had been accus-
toned to taking the machine across
on the ice but that last winter the
deep snow prevented. AS night
came on it grew colder and my light
overcoat was very comfortable.
There was not a large number of
passengers, but they were very agree
able, and it was one of the most
pleasant boat rides I ever had. K
We reached International Falls at
9 p. m. and put up at the Interna-
tional Hotel, where accommodations
were the poorest of any hotel have
stopped at this summer. =.
The next day I took in the sights
of this place and the neighboring
town of Fort Frances on the Cana.
dian side. The most interesting
as we'll as the most important thing
was, of course, the fall 1t: is truly
wonderful, sight. + have never
before seen anything like it. 1t is
about twenty rods from the head
to the foot of the falls. There is
quite fall at first. The ledge is
not straight ,but partly in a semi
circle so that the different parts
converge and throw the water in a
great volume. After rushing a few
feet. it seems to strike a. ledge, and
rises almost perpendicular six or
eight feet with foam and spray,
then whirls on over other rocks and
lodges and on sides it eddys near
the shore and whirls and surges and
foams all with a continuous roar.
The falls are now shut off by the
dam in the course of construction,
excepting on the American side.
The work Of constructing the i'm
mense dam and putting in the plants