The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-05-27

fEH of the finest and most strategic
E4U locations in the United States
at the geographic center OF
- - North America.
Forming the head of the great Mississippi
Valley, the richest and most productive agr1-
cultural region in the world, and containing the
source of the Mississippi River, Minnesota is
exceedingly we'll situated, for an inlan6 state.
TO take chief part in the commercial lite OF
the nation. A combination of causes make its
interstate and foreign trade of large importance.
The state is the head of navigation on the
Mississippi River the head of navigation on the
Great Lakes and it is the natural terminal OF
the three great northern tranScontinental rail-
way lnes-the Northern Pacific Railway, the
Great Northern Railway and the Chicago, Mil
waukee and St. Paul Railway. A fourth trans
continental railway service is furnished by the
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie
Railway in connection with the Canadian Pa
cihc Railway.
This combination of natural and artificial
highways of commerce gives Minnesota an out
standing position in transportation affairs. that
is reflected in the great volume of business trans
acted in its leading centers. Not only the wheat
and lumber and fruits, vegetables and cereals of
Oregon, Washington and British Columbia
come eastward to Minnesota via the great north
ern transcontinental lines of railway, but a con-
siderable amount of Oriental products brought
from China and Japan, are elements of impor-
lance in the states commerce. Its geographic
location and its unsurpassed transportation ia
cilities have made of Minnesota the greatest dis
tributing center for and the natural gateway to
the vast commerce of the Canadian and Pacific
Northwest. 1t is the chief railway center of
the Northwest and one of the greatest in the
United States.
Minnesota is both a Great Lakes Province
and Prairie Plains Province, and the states
topography presents many of the best features
of both The state generally is a rolling billy
country of strong relief with wide variety Of
striking and charming landscape.
The state divides itself into three natural
parts. Southern Minnesota was looked upon as
a veritabe pastoral Garden of Eden by those
pioneers who drove their covered wagons from
the Mississippi River steamboat landings, in the
days before the Civil War, and headed west
ward. Western Minnesota partakes largely of
the nature of the prairie plains country and con-
tainS the Red River Valley, THE breadbasket
of the world" the most famous and richest
wheat-growing country in America. North
Eastern Minnesota is the country of the iron
ranges, of forests and lakes and streams of every
kind the land beloved of the Chippewas. the
early fur traders, the disciples of Izaak Walton
and all those who find solace in outdoor life.
Minnesota is fourteen hundred miles west of
the Atlantic seaboard at New York City, nine
teen hundred miles east of the Pacific Coast at
Seattle and thirteen hundred miles north of the
Gulf Coast country at New Orleans. Within
four hundred miles of Chicago, it is readily ac
cessible from all sections of the American Mid
die West.
From the high, healthfu1 plateau that is Min
nesota, flow the headwaters of three great con-
tnential river systems The Red River of the
d IL.
Mississippi River flows southwark to the Gulf
of Mexico, and through Lake Superior more
eastward to the Atlantic Ocean the waters that
form the St. Lawrence River.
Minnesota measures four hundred and five
miles from north to south, has width of 354
miles along its northern boundary, 185 miles at
its center and 262 miles on its southern bound
airy. 1t is bounded on the north by the Ca
madam provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, on
the west by North Dakota and South Dakota,
on the south by Iowa and on the east by Wis
consin, with 200-mile southeast window
overlooking the largest lake In the world-Lake
Superior.
Minnesota. with its S4286 square miles of
area could conveniently absorb all of the New
England states-Maine New Hampshire, Yer
mont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Con-
necticut-and still have plenty of room for New
Jersey and Maryland. The great state of Illi-
nois could be set down inside the borders of
Minnesota and there would be IL 900 square
miles of Minnesota showing outside the bound
aries of Illinois.
Old England, with its forty counties and
50,851 square miles of area, could be placed
within the borders of Minnesota leaving plenty
If room for Scotland and its 1876 square
niles of hill and heather.
With population of 2,651, 306, gained in
three quarters of century, and distributed over
her eighty-seven counties, Minnesota is entering
definitely upon her greatest era of progress and
development. Natural wealth beyond estimate
has been packed by lavish. Nature into this great
state, and as the facts become more and more
widely known, Minnesota's opportunities beck
on with irresistible lure to forward looking peo-
pie in the older states of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa
and Missouri. The trend toward Minnesota
from these older states has been pronounced dur
ing the last ten years. There now is every in