Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-06-09
NAVIGATING THE RED.

NAVIGATING THE RED.
After fifty years it has been redis-
covered. that the Red river is navi-
gable and the trip of the steamer
Grand Forks from Grand Forks to
Winnipeg, just completed, is the
proof that a steamer can traverse
the distance along the Red river by
water. The trip was made in two
days and the Grand Forks arrived
at Winnipeg little ahead Of sche-
dule time. The Grand Forks Times
reviews the history of Red river ma
vigation in the past fifty years, and
calls attention to the changed con-
.dttions that must be marked by the
excursionists:
In 1859, when the Arson Northrup
made its way through the then I'M
explored and unsettled valley, only
here and there were met by a
small band of Indians, who peered
out from the trees along the river
bank with wonderment at this new
thing which was to take, as the
after years proved, such q prominent
part in the building up of the great
est valley in the United States and
the great northwest. .~t" +~. -
In 1909, the same trip is being
taken, but where, half century
ago, the pioieers saw but the wig
vans Of the Indians, and the trad
ing posts of the early days the
Grand Forks party which left here
yesterday morning has been greeted
by hosts of people and on every side
are seen the works of men. eBsu-
tiful cities haev taken the places of
the frontier posts; large farm houses
have displaced the Indian huts while
the virgin prairie Of fifty years ago
has been made to produce wealth in
abundance.
The first steamer to run on the
Red river was the Arson Northrup,
the pioneer steamship and Columbus
OF the Red river world, and her his
tory. is interesting. In 1853 two Min
nesotans, with: their teams, tents
and provisions, crossed the state to
the Red river to decide whether the
river was practicable for steam
boats.
They reported to the st. Paul
chamber of commerce that for four
or five months Of the year, the river
was navigable from we'll up toward
the source of the river, down to
Fort Gary. The chamber of COM
merce at once took action and Of
fered $1,000 to any one who would
build steamboat on the Red river.
Captain Arson Northrup came for
ward and offered, III the council
would give him $1,000, to build a
steamboat which would ply the wa
tiers of the Red river starting in the
spring of 1859, and the mony was
Immediately offered.
The captain owned 6 steamer in
Gull lake, Mimi, called the North
Star. She was already a historic
craft, as her machinery had been
in the Governor Ramsey. the first
boat that ever piled On the Missis-
sippi above the falls of st. Anthony
at Minneapolis.
Two frontiersmen, Baldwin Ohm
Stead and Lewis Stone combined
their resources and took the ma
chinery, furniture and cabin-the
boiler alone weighing 1900 pounds
Upon sheds employing thirty-four
horses, twenty-six oxen and thirty
men, and they started in the middle
of one Of the coolest winters to cross
the prairie wltnout roads or inhabi-
tants for 200 miles.
r. H. Morse, master builder and
. ]. B. Young, engineer, built the
hull, placed her machinery and the
steamer Anson Northrup was launch
ed May 10, 1882. half century ago.
On the third day of June Of that
year the pioneer, steamship started
ON her FIRST "trip to Fort Gary, Man.
No one will assert that the Red
river steamers will ever be made use
for passenger tra4-4c. The fast trains
that spin OF the miles from st.. Paul
to Winnipeg In record breaking time,
afsording passengers every comfort
that it is possible to extend to trav-
elers, from q kind OF competition
that will never be successfully met
by the placid and murky waters Of
4 the Red. - =. recent trip was in the
h nature Of novel excursion to show
z that the navigation OF the Red from
Grand Forks to Winnipeg IL posi-
BILE, and to arouse interest In the
NJ river as 4 stream capable Of Inn
& proyement BY the government,
wherein local freight steamers may
4 ply. There has been some local
3 past generation, principally In the
y sible that the river might be uti-
liked for the transpO rtation Of car-
4 goes for longer distances. But the
f.