New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-07-15
CAnALIzE THE MINNESOTA
Immigration Agent Welsh Has a
Solution for the Transporta-
ton Problem.
Would Make the Minnesota River
a Canal From Fl. Smelling
to Big Stone Lake.
Talks Interestingly on the Subject
in an Address at Fairfax.

If the people or tne sIate "0ulo
spend one-tenth of the time talking
about improving the rivers OF their
state that they do in denouncing the
railroads, there would soon be trans
portation facilities here for all the
crops that this section of the North.
west can raise for several decades.
So says George Welsh, commissioner
of immigration for Minnesota.
Mr.. Welsh is pushing the idea Of
canalizing the Minnesota river and he
grows enthusiastic over the prospects
that it offers to give the people of the
southern and western part of the state
an outlet for their products.
The plan of Mr. Welsh is to deepen
and straighten the channel of the Min
nesota from it's mouth at Fort Shell
ing to Big Stone lake on the western
border of the state. He then proposes
that. by locks, Big Stone lake and
Traverse lake be connected so that
communication could be established
between the Red River of the North and
the Mississippi. This line. OF water
ways, he points out, could provide
cheap means of moving the crops OF
this state as we'll as those OF Canada
Immediately to the north.
He saws that much of the bottom
land along the Minnesota river has
been overlooked the past few years on
account of the formation OF sand bars
and other distractions in that river.
This land would be reclaimed by the
necessary attention to the river, and
by taking out some of the kinks in the
stream, it would be practicable to
move barges of grain and other goods
from the Canadian border past st.
Paul and down the Mississippi river.
In speaking to the citizens OF Rem
vile county on the Fourth of July, he
said:
"Our very existence in this rich
agricultural section depends in the fu-
t1lre upon our ability to transport our
commodities to and from the market
cheaply. [ therefore ask you to pay
little attention to your natural re-
sources. Conserve them and see that
gigantic corporations do not control
the blessings that were given by you
Providence for the benefit of all the
people.
'You have passing by your door a
means of transportation that the Al
mighty intended you to use, and if you
are going to use it for your benefit
and the benefit of your posterity 1t can
be done only by developing the sentl'
ment for the construction of at least
a six-foot waterway along the present
path of the Minnesota river.
''Each year the people of Minnesota
are paying upwards of sos, 900, 900 fol-
transportation. If small per cent O
this were used for five years in the
development of the waterway alons
the Minnesota, we would see our pro
ducts, especially our heavy products
grain and cattle, transported by tina
route, and our machinery and coal re
turned to US at one-quarter of tn
cost that we are paying to-day"
The opening of such waterwa.
would provide all the southern part o
the state with a direct water com
municat with St. Paul. and by con
nection with the Red river through
Lake Traverse it would be possibl
that the wheat of that. valley at tn
nearby Canadian farms would foa
down the river to be transferred at St
Paul.