Year: 1872

has an article reviewing the progress of
the Northern Pacific Railroad, from
which we extract the following interest
ing facts:


When the contracts for this season
are completed, the Company will have
permanent business in the great traffic
of the Upper Missouri River, with all
the Government transportation in the
North West. A few miles beyond the
point where the railway strikes the
Missouri the river bends to the west
ward, and is navigable for steamboats,
for 1000 miles of water way from the
railroad crossing to Fort Benton, at the
foot of the Rocky Mountains, in Wes-
tern Montana.


Nearly forty steamer are employed
during the season in the trade of these
upper waters.


In Apil next, at the opening of navi-
CATION. there will be direct communi-
cation, east and west, by rail and river,
from Lake Superior, in longitude so
degrees, to the populous districts in
Western Montana, in longitude I1O
degees. From this point westward it
is about 400 miles through the passes of
the Rocky Mountains to that portion of
the Columbia River whence it is naviga-
BILE to the Pacific.


The finished sections of road entitle
the Company to about ten million acres
of land, granted by the Government,
constituting an area about twice the
extent of Massachusetts. Ten million
contiguous acres belonging to the Gov
ment are at the same time rendered
habitable and salable. The lands are
situated OH either side of the line, and
principally consist of excellent farming
land, with the productive soil character
istic of all the prairie region. Settlers
have already applied for more than
quarter of million of acres. The
Company has already begun the cancel
lation of its seven-thirty first mortgage
bonds by the proceeds Of its sales of
land, and is accomplishing its great
work with success and economy.


There is prospect Of large emigra-
ton of the tenant farmer class from
England in the coming Spring. One
colony alone, recently formed there,
through its poineer agents secured a
tract in Clay County, Minnesota, of
1S5, 900 acres directly on the line of
railway. The intended settlement is to
be named Yeovil. after town in the
West of England whence the majority
of the coionists will come The first
contingent Of this colony numbers about
1000; the remainder will follow in
1873.


The bureau having in charge the
Land Department of the road has built
and furnished convenient reception
houses for the free accommodation of
intending settlers and their families
while engaged in selecting their farms.
One Of these is at Duluth, another at
Brainerd, where the road crosses the
Mississippi, and third at Glyndon, at
the crossing Of the Red River. Emi-
grants used to trundle with their OK
carts over forlorn and desolate prairies,
and bivouac where the night found
them. 1t is quite different now. They
are carried in comfort to the very sites
of their future homes,-and the organ
ization of the system is such that they
are protected from imposition or
spoliation from the time they leave their
old homes across the water till they
begin the foundation of their new ones
under the sunset. Every able-bodied
and industrious man ard woman who
comes hither makes the nation richer
and contributes to the general prosperi-
ty, and in this view the condition and
propects of the road are source of
Legitimate congratulation. Arrange
ments are making for pushing construc-
ton east and west during 1878.