The Irish standard., 1914-12-05
SKETCHES OF M|NNEsOTA'S
HISTORY

The Coming of the Settlers
Aside from the missionaries, the first
white men came to seek fur trade
with the Indians. Grand Portage, near
the mouth of the Pigeon River in the
extreme northeastern part of the
state, was one Of the early fur-trad-
ing posts: Here the canoe route from
Montreal left Lake Superior. for the
Rainy River, Lake Winnipeg, and
Great Slave Lake. Fond du Lac, at
the mouth of the st. Louis River, near
Duluth, was another early center of
the fur trade. Here the pelts could be
collected easily from north-central
Minnesota and from the region of the
st. Croix River. The first settlers on
the Upper Mississippi were also en-.
gagged in the fur trade. Later, in 1S43,
the Red River carts connected the
young fur-trading center of st. Paul
with the Hudson Bay Company's post
at Winnipeg. Pelts from the forests
of Minnesota and from the far North
west developed st. Paul into the great
est primary fur-market in the United
States and one of the greatest cen
tiers for fur manufacture in America, a
double distinction which that city re-
tains to the present day.
The timber resources of the region
drew the second influx of settlers,
who came from all parts of the coun-
try. Many lumbermen came even
from Maine, bringing with them the
logging methods so we'll developed in
New England. The first logs were
cut for market on the St. Croix in
the winter of 1836-1S37. The lumber
industry grew rapidly, many saw-mills
were built, and immense quantities
of logs were RATED down the Missis-
sippi as far as st. Louis. Just as the
fur trade had brought most of the men
into Minnesota in colonial times, so
the numbering industry brought
most of the settlers of territorial days.
The third and largest wave of immi-
grafton was brought into the state by
wheat. In the decade from 1865 to
1875, wheat-raising in Minnesota de-
veloped on so large a scale as to place
the state among the leading produ.
GERS of the world The causes for this
rapid development were: First, the
open prairie lands, so easy to cult.
vate; second, the fertile soil and fav-
orable climate; third, the introduction
of labor-saving machinery for reaping
and threshing; fourth, the coming of
the railway; and, fifth, revolution in
the milling process.
In 1874, rollers instead of millstones
were for the first time used in Min
nesota flour mill, the Washburn A
mill in Minneapolis. Minnesota spring
wheat which had yielded only med
ium grade of flour by the old mill
stone method now produced the very
highest possible grade of flour by the
new roller process. The effect was
immediate. Minneapolis flour com
manded from 81 to SO more barrel
than previously. Minnesota spring
wheat, which had been at discount
went to a premium in the markets
This advance in price made farming
in Minnesota unusually profitable, and
caused an immense rush of immigra
ton during the next few years.
About 1884, two new industries made
their appearance in Minnesota, iror
mining in the north and dairying in
the south. Each has developed i'm
mensely, and each has added much
wealth and many settlers to the
state. The growth of cities and towns
in the iron ranges has been phenome
nal.
The reasons for the tremendous in
crease in the iron ore production are
The quality, quantity, and accessible
ity of the ore; the low cost of min
ing, especially on the Mesaba and
Guyana ranges where steam shovels
are used; the low cost of rail transpor
tation down grade to Lake Superior
and of water transportation on the
Great Lakes; and the economic meth
DDS of loading and unloading the ore
vessels. This ore is delivered at the
blast furnaces in South Chicago, Gary
Cleveland. and Pittsburgh at prices
that defy competition.
The dairy and stock industry has
spread northward across the entire
state, a source of immense benefit to
the soil and Of large direct income to
the producers. Minnesota has special
advantages for the dairy and stock in.
dustry: A cool climate, fine pastur-
age, unexcelled water supply, favor.
able location for fattening young
stock from the west on its way to
eastern markets, and an unlimited
supply of concentrated foodstuffs in
the by-products Of the -four and lin