The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-10-14
FORT FRANCES ON YANKEE SOIL
Canada's Title to Site Of City is De-
c|ared Forfeited Failed to Build
Canal Around Falls.

ly north and east from the first is
land below the water power dam to
the far side of Rainy Lake, belongs
to the United States OF America
and International Falls.
Secret agents of the United States
Department of Justice took prelim-
mary steps toward planting the
Stars and Stripes on the Canadian
shore opposite this city Wednes.
day. They officially found that
Canada had forfeited all right
and title to the land south of the
original boundary line and the
United States government is ex-
pected shortly to make demand
on the Dominion of Canada for
peaceful evacuation.
The Italian hand of E. W. Backus
master mind of the Minnesota &
Ontario Power Company, is seen
back of this coming international
wrangle. The perfectly plausible
contention esta blished and what
ever future development of the
water power there is at this poiut
will be made on American soil. 1t
means that the contract entered into
between the company and the do
minion government last summer
that the next power development
.L. 10 To- IRA
will be years in being enforced if
ever it is.
The dreams of International Falls
becoming metropolis at this time
loom larger and more Respondent
than ever before. Half of Fort
Frances, ready-made city, to be-
come part of the City of Destiny, is
a hope that is not more than we
have expected, simply different and
so the upbuilding of the city will
now forge ahead as never before.
Aftidavits were procured by the
government agents showing that
the dominion had failed to keep it's
part of the agreement by which the
original boundary lines between
the two countries along the Rainy
river and in Rainy lake, struck in
lS49, were changed to follow the
meander line of the lake and river
past the present sites Of 1nterna
tional Falls and Fort Frances.
That contention on the part of
the American government estab-
lished, the boundary line woul ex-
tend from the north side of a small
island in Rainy river 600 yards be-
low the great power dam OF the
Minnesota & Ontario Power Com.
pany in a direction tritle north Of
east to the eastern shore of Rainy
lake. 1t would cut through the
heart of the business section of Fort
Frances which would make the pro-
perty occupied by the postoftice,
custom house and leading business
houses American territory and part
OF the city of international Falls.
In the latter sixties, following the
close of the American civil war, the
Canadian government conceived
the plan of opening a waterway
from Lake Superior through the
Rainy river basin to the headwaters
of the Mississippi river and thence
to the Gulf of Mexico. The Ameri-
can government was induced to en-
ter an agreement by which the land
between the original boundary and
meander line of the Rainy river
was to be coded to Canada in ex-
change for the construction by Can
ada of a snip canal around the tur-
bulent and impossible kooChi-
ching tails. Canada agreed to do
this and to make such canal an in
ternational waterway.
The Canadian government set to
work with will and had spent ap-
proximately $28O,OOO on the work
when the Fenian outbreak distract
ed the attention of the Canadians
from canal building and they gave
up the work, never to resume it.
Rotting remains of the work are yet
to be seen.
R. ]. Patrick, the only one of the
trio of secret agents whose identity
was disclosed, declared the entire
mission was to officially view the
river, ascertain that the Canadians
had not kept their part of the com.
pact by building the canal, that no
construction work was in progress
to that end and that none was con
emplated. He obtained affidavits
to the foregoing effect which were
of perfunctory nature.
L. E. Benedict, solicitor for the
Minneapolis Tribune, who joined
Mr.. Patrick on the train at Big Falls,
accompanied him to the power dam
and made one of the necessary affi-
davits obtained. Mr.. Patrick saw
no officials of the power company,
saying he was not directed to do
more than see whether the canal
had been constructed.
In surveying the border five years
ago, Canadian government engi
g1neers did not touch the disputed
border line. They left off running
lines far up in Rainy lake and did
not resume until the island below
International Falls was reached