The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1916-10-05
vIsITIN' ROUND IN MINNESOTA
The Mile Laos Country as Described
by Carl B. StOrrs in Min
neaDOliS Tribune.

itin' Round in Minnesota" have been
appearing in the Minneapolis Tribune.
Many of these articles are decidedly
interesting, and here is one dated at
McGrath, in the southeast corner of
Aitkin county, which is of local appli-
cation and is reproduced in full:
The upper Rum river valley lies in
the eastern-central part of Minnesota,
eighty-odd miles northwest of Mime
>apolis and about the same distance
southwest of Duluth.
The source of the Rum river is Mile
Laos, so named by the early French
explorers; and meaning "a thousand
lakes" With the exception of Red
Lake, Mile Laos is the largest body
of water wholly within the state.
Leech lake looks larger on the map,
and has more shore line, but the AGRA
of Mile Laos is greater.
The upper portion of Rum river val
ley and the territory for several miles
on both sides of Mile Laos seems
strangely like the extreme north of the
state in. character and in Wildness.
One feels at least 300 miles from Min
neapolis instead of less than 100. The
timber which used to come down the
Rum river by the billions of feet was,
of course, exhausted years ago, and
after it had been cut out the country
lay undeveloped while the more easily
cleared and cultivated regions near at
hand passed from wilderness to pros
porous communities and smiling farm
steads.
This rich region right at the doors
of the states greatest markets, is just
beginning to come into it's own. Peo-
pie who want to know what the cut
over regions of northern Minnesota
look like, without going there to see,
can find out by making two or three
hour trip into the valley Of the upper
Rum river and it's tributaries and gaze,
incidentally, across the waters of beau
tiful Mile Laos, where Father Henne-
ter by the Chippewa Indians.
Settlers who want to grow up with
the country need not go further north
to do so, for around Mile Laos is
plenty of fertile land which may be
bought at frontier prices and is far
more accessible to markets than the
regions lying nearer the Canadian
boundary.
The modern history of the Rum
river valley began in 1847. In Sep
TENDER of that year Daniel Stanchfeld,
woodsman from northern Maine, who
was member of the militia company
that defended the rights of Maine and
Of the United States in 1889 during the
campaign that rose out Of the estab-
lishment of the Canadian boundary on
the Atlantic coast, went up the Missis-
sippi river from St. Anthony Falls in
a birch-bark canoe with two compan-
ions, Severe Bottineau and Charles
Manock. They were sent by Franklin
Steele, who wished to know if there
were payable quantities of pine along
the upper Mississippi and the Rum
rivers. They padded their way
through to Mile Laos, discovered far
more pine than anyone had dreamed
of, returned and reported their dis
coveries to Mr.. Steele at Fort Smelling
In 1900 Mr.. Stanchfeld wrote:
'This little exploring party's report,
the money consequently supplied from
the East and Franklin Steele's perse-
verance and unlimited will, made it
possible to make the improvements on
the unsurveyed government land. My
written report secured the capital from
Caleb Cushing and his associates; and
his influence in congress secured the
survey of the government land adjoin-
ing the falls and including Steele's
claim. The discovery by the exploring
party of the almost inexhaustable
pine timber above the falls of St. An
thony, heralded throughout all the
states and Canada, brought immigra-
ton from every state and changed this
part of the territory from barbarism
to civilization"
Thus it will be seen that this ex-
ploring party of three was decidedly
important affair, and their birch-bark
canoe, had it been preserved, would
have made far more appropriate or
nament for any state property than a
muzzle-loading cannon that shot down
rebels on the bloody fields of the
South 20 years later. Peace has it's
heroes no less than war, but they sell
dom get statues, or even memorial
tablets.
No better word picture of this coun-
try could be found than that given by
Mr.. Stanch6eld in his interesting little
book, LAUNDERING on the Upper Mis-
sissippi."
''The pine on the main Rum river"