Year: 1871

late date the enterprise was looked upon
somewhat dubously by the mass Of the
American people. The idea of bridging
the vast plains of the West with the rail
way was one not easily entertained. The
region seemed too wild and sterile the line
Of road too long and isoIated and the ben
efits Of such a highway too remote and ulI-
defined to warrant its construction Even
the bold spirits who saw the necessity and
feasibility of such ad were far enough
under the influence of the popular IDEAS on
the subject, to lead them to demand the
special backing of the United States gov
ernment, and nearly double the time found
necessary for It's actual construction, and
then no one company could assume the
building of the entire line, bur the enor-
nous work was divided between two pow
erful corporations.


Yet no sooner had the Union Pacific road
advanced far enough to make its compile
tion manifest certainty than, ike the
Ocean Cable on Its completion, it ceased





IN accepted fact to have its proper lniu-
ence on the business interests Of the nation
And this influence has been in full proper
ton 10 the greatness OF the enterprise. Il
has revolutionized American IDEAS concern
ing railroad building; through lines favor
able connections; straight routes, and fast
time.


1t is not yet two years since the last
spike of the Union Pacific was driven, and
the Northern Pacific has already reached
the Mississippi, while the Southern Pacific
has Just been chartered and munifcentIy
endowed by the government of the United
States, and will soon be commenced. Each
of these three trunk lines OF a continent at
tracts to itself grand railroad system
from the region, or continental belt OF
country that is naturally tributary to it,
termini.


" at the head Of Lake Superior can be-
GIN to see west, and south, and east of Us
the first stages in the forming of the vast
system that shall be subordinate 90 the
Northern Pacific railway, and the date of
the completion of that system in its chief
lines can be determined approximately by
considering the probable time required to
build the Northern Pacific from the Mi>siS-
sippi river TO Puget Sound. We shall not
err many months in naming Nay 1874, as
the outside limit Of the time required to


II }


plete from Lake Superior to the Pacific
ocean.


Bat the tributary lines, especially those
forming the system centering at the east RI
terminus, will hasten to perfect their CON
necuons at a much earlier period than
that. Pacific railroads are no longer an
experiment, and, taught by observation of
the pas, railroad managers will not wait
till this one is completed before endeavor
inc to have their lines, that are now con-
tcmpl3tyd or commenced, in tull running
orIea, AM ready t. give and receive their
share of the continental trade that will at
once pour over the National Grand Trunk
when It's last spike has been driven home


And there are other reasons that will
urge >ubsd AIRY lines to 4 speedy compile
ton among which are, the deSirablenesS of
an early connection with the Red river
valley, now soon to be reached and the ne
cessity OF outstripping rivals III the race, of
which there are or will be large number.


As a consequence we may reasonably
expect that the years 1872, and 1878, Gf
not the present one) will deyelope an
amount OF railroad building in the states of
Wisconsin and Minnesota to which there
has been no parallel heretofore il is a safe
assertion that the next FIVE years will do
far more toward the rapid building up of
the northern tier of states and territories
than has been accomplished in the tier trib-
utary to the Union Pacific during the last
five years, and that the centenary OF Amer
lean independence will behold a great
West that our boldest orators did not
dream of single generation ago. More is
now accomplished in single year than de-
cades were won't to witness.


The day of railroad inactivity around the
head of Lake Superior has gone forever.
Those of our citizens who have spent their
fifteen years on Lake Superior waiting for
4 railroad will not have another fifteen to
wait, nor another ten, nor another five.
With the Northern Pacific itself complete
in three years, and the chief lines OF its