Sentence:  Red River Settlement is, to use a <WSD>high-flown</WSD> expression, an oasis in the desert, and may be likened to a spot upon the moon or a solitary ship upon the ocean. In plain English, it is an isolated settlement on the borders of one of the vast prairies of North America. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  pretentiously eloquent; highly figurative