Minnesota; Its Character and Climate Part 9

Its chief object of interest is the State University, which has but just entered upon its career of usefulness.

Tourists will enjoy a few days in and around Minneapolis. It is the centre of a number of attractive objects of natural curiosity. A drive to Lake Calhoun and a day's sport in fis.h.i.+ng is both practicable and pleasant.

We cannot regard the City of St. Anthony as equalling Minneapolis as a place of residence in point of health. Even in the latter city it is important that a home be had as remote from the neighborhood of the Falls as is convenient. Its adaptability to the needs of the invalid consists more in the walks and drives, the ample boarding-house and hotel accommodations, good markets, and cheerful, pleasant society, than in the particular location of the town itself or in the character of the soil on which it is built.

Beyond, and on the line of the St. Paul and Pacific _Branch_ Railroad--now owned and operated by the Northern Pacific Railroad--the towns of Anoka and St. Cloud, both on the banks of the "great river,"

are either more desirable for invalids than most other points in the State within our knowledge, so far as _location_ is concerned. They are high and dry above the river, and possess a soil in and around them of a loose sandy character, for the most part every way favorable to good drainage and dryness. The towns themselves are quite small, yet accommodations might be found for a large number in the aggregate. The hotels offer no special temptation to guests beyond those of the ordinary private family in the way of home comforts and conveniences.

The people are kind, intelligent, and obliging to strangers; as, indeed, they are elsewhere in the State. Yet there is always a more hearty and cordial salutation among the inhabitants of towns who are anxious to secure good reputations and thereby enlarge their borders.

There is some hunting and fis.h.i.+ng near both of these places, as, indeed, there is at most all points in the interior.

Near St. Cloud are Pleasant, Grand, Briggs, and Rice's Lakes, where fis.h.i.+ng and rowing may be had, while the country eastward of the town affords fair hunting.

It is quite an advantage to any place, from an invalid standpoint, that the surrounding country affords them abundant means whereby the mind may be occupied and kept from crooning over the memories of loved ones far away, or brooding upon their own misfortunes.

On the St. Paul and Pacific _Main_ Line--also controlled and owned by the Northern Pacific Road--are a number of attractive and healthful places, where ample accommodations may be had for the invalid, and where those who come to construct new homes will find cheap lands and good society.

The chief points are, after pa.s.sing Minneapolis, Lake Minnetonka, Da.s.sel, Smith Lake, Litchfield, and Wilmar. At the latter place there is a very pretty lake close to the village, with numerous others within a circuit of ten miles, and all are well stocked with fish; and in the spring and fall wild-fowl--ducks, geese, swans, and all our migrating birds, frequent them in great numbers. Moose are occasionally seen a few miles west of the town,--between it and the Chippewa River in considerable droves. There is a very nice hotel at this point, kept by an obliging host.

At Litchfield, good society and a somewhat larger village is encountered, but with less of sporting and outdoor amus.e.m.e.nts. Near this place resides the invalid son of Senator Howard of Michigan. He came to the State a confirmed consumptive, having hemorrhages and in that state of "general debility" incident to this disease, but is now in good health, the result of the climate and out-of-door exercise in which he has freely indulged, having taken a farm and rolled up his sleeves, determined to save himself--as he has.

It cannot be expected that a brief sojourn in this State will work any marvellous cure. Herein lies one of the princ.i.p.al difficulties. A patient comes to Minnesota, and, having heard much of its power to restore the enfeebled, expects to become strong and well within a few days. They should disabuse their minds of this error before they start from home. The process of restoration with the consumptive is slow, as a rule, though some recover, it is true, very rapidly, yet with the most a year is as little time as can reasonably be expected for climate and exercise to complete a cure. It is better, if the climate is found to agree, to make the State a permanent home. A return to the old climate and occupation in which the disease originated is only to court its reappearance.

Lake Minnetonka, the place first above mentioned, is, however, _the_ point for both pleasure-seekers and invalids who are well enough to "rough it." An hour's ride from St. Paul brings you to this, the most lovely of all the lakes in the State, to our thinking. It is really a series of lakes, all bounded by irregular sh.o.r.es; while, in places, occur deep bays and inlets, giving picturesqueness and beauty beyond all ordinary fancyings.

Near the railway station are two hotels (the furthest being the best), where good fare, and at reasonable rates, can be had, with row-boats thrown in, _ad libitum_. This lake is one of the pleasure resorts for the people of both St. Paul and Minneapolis. Excursion tickets are sold for every train running thither, and many go up simply to enjoy a day's fis.h.i.+ng and sailing.

There is a little steamer running from near the railway station, which is close to the edge of the lake, to the village of Excelsior, six miles distant, near which lives one of the best guides to the fis.h.i.+ng grounds of the lake. But a guide is not at all essential to the amateur, or those in simple quest of fun, pleasure, or health, since the fish here are so plentiful that all will have luck, whether they have experience or not.

Near "Round Island," and off "Spirit k.n.o.b," in this lake, are favorite haunts of the fish, yet the "big ones" are not plentiful now at these points, though their resorts are well known to most of the old fishermen.

To tell of the size and abundance of the fish here will, perhaps, court disbelief; yet we state "what we know," when we say that a single fisherman starting, with the "guide" before referred to, at eight o'clock in the morning, came to the wharf at noon--after rowing a distance of six miles to make port--with a catch of about one hundred weight of fish, chiefly pickerel, one of which weighed twelve pounds, and measured near three feet in length. Another and less successful party of two, instead of catching a "big one," came near being caught by him. It was a funny incident altogether. They were from "down east,"

where pickerel don't weigh over a pound or so, on the average, unless fed on _shot_ after being hauled in, all out of pure regard for the hungry and worried creatures, of course. Well, this party, all enthusiastic and eager, cast the line, when, lo! a monster pickerel gobbled the bait and away he went, carrying the floats under and the fisherman over and into the watery deep, with his heel and head just above water level only. The fish, including the "odd one," were subsequently pulled in by the man in the boat who is accustomed to "takes."

Boarding can be had, at the hotels and private houses in the vicinity of the lake, at from seven to ten dollars per week. For the summer season, country life should by all means be the rule. In the inclement portions of the year the towns are most desirable; St. Paul and Minneapolis taking the lead as places of resort, and they are, at these seasons, the most desirable.

In the vicinity of St. Paul there are a number of lakes. The nearest, Lake Como, is a pretty sheet of water, and affords one of the fas.h.i.+onable drives out of the city. It is intended, we believe, in the near future, by the authorities of St. Paul, to incorporate it, with several hundred acres, into a grand park and pleasure-grounds. It should be done.

White Bear Lake, a dozen miles out on the Lake Superior and M. Railroad, is a favorite place with all cla.s.ses. Its sh.o.r.es are thickly wooded and the fis.h.i.+ng rivals that of Minnetonka. There are a score of boats anch.o.r.ed on the sh.o.r.e of this lake awaiting visitors; and the two hotels provide for the needful rest and comfort of guests. This point is second in interest only to that of Minnetonka Lake for both invalids and pleasure-seekers during the summer and fall months.

Up the Minnesota valley, while it is the most attractive in scenery and most fertile in crops, is not quite as desirable for the invalid as the places already named. Though Shakopee, Le Sueur, St. Peter's, and Madelia are not very objectionable in a sanitary point of view.

Still the valley is sloping, and its villages and towns are, for the most part, situated on the low lands, and cannot have as dry or desirable an atmosphere for patients as some other places. Yet the exceptions noted above are, perhaps, above the average in health so far as location is concerned. If, however, any invalid has relatives or friends living in the State and can find a home among them, then, even if the location was not as good as other points, this would be counterbalanced by other advantages such as come from being among them.

The principle town of this valley is Mankato. This is destined to outstrip many of those places which at present outrank it. It must become the most important railroad centre in the State outside of the capital. Situate in the very heart of the most fertile district, and possessing a population both industrious and enterprising, its future is bright and promising to a high degree. Its location is unfavorable for invalids, and should, as a rule, be avoided by them. Fogs occur here, and the place is low, and soil too rich, and of a generally too wet character to insure the highest health to delicate and enfeebled visitors.

The Falls of Minneopa are near here and are worth a visit from the tourist. Some esteem them as excelling in attractiveness any and all others in the State.

The prairies beyond Mankato, along the St. Paul and Sioux City Railway, afford the best "chicken" shooting that we know of, and much of the hunting for this game is done along the line of this road.

The southeastern section of the State, in which are situated Rochester, Owatonna, and Austin, and other budding cities, is, at present, with the valley of the Minnesota, the great wheat-growing region. But it is not alone in the cultivation of serials that the farmers may become "fore-handed." The climate is favorable to nearly all of the products of the middle and northern portions of the Union, with some kinds of fruit excepted. Indeed, we found growing in the garden of Horace Thompson, in St. Paul, the southern cotton-plant, which (while the seed had not been planted by ten days as early as it might have been in the spring) was in bloom in August, and by September it had begun to boll, and another fortnight would have easily matured portions of the same. This ill.u.s.trates in a general way the length and power of the growing season in this State. The climate, so far as crops are concerned, is perhaps a counterpart of New England.

Here, in this southeast section, are the handsome homes and well-filled barns of an industrious and thrifty people. The traveller through this beautiful portion of the State can scarce keep from breaking one of the ten commandments as he witnesses a people so well to do and so happy in the possession of their productive acres.

Here, all immigrants may, by following out to the terminus of the penetrating railways, find cheap and good lands awaiting them, and where just as beautiful homes may be made as in that portion nearer the river--now teeming with life and industries--but which, a few brief years since, was as desolate and untenanted as are the unbroken prairies to the westward. The prices vary, according to location and character, from five to fifteen dollars per acre, though a majority of the wild lands can be had at from six to eight dollars. The "St. Paul and Sioux City Road" have thousands of acres along their line which they are ready and anxious to dispose of to settlers. The value of these lands is usually doubled the moment they are broken and occupied even with but inferior buildings--only so that shelter is obtained. For "new comers,"

wis.h.i.+ng new lands, this road and that of the "St. Paul and Pacific Main Line Railway," at Wilmar, and on to the fertile valley of the Red River, afford, in our judgment, the best lands. This latter road, now that it is under the control of the Northern Pacific Railway Company, is destined to play an important part in the settlement and development of that vast region--so rich in agricultural wealth--lying along the Red, Saskatchawan, and a.s.siniboine Rivers. It must indeed prove the link which some day, in the near future, will bind the new province of Manitoba and the adjacent country to the northwest of it.

It is, indeed, the intention of the Northern Pacific Road to construct from the point of junction of the St. Paul and Duluth arms, on the Red River, a branch road, northward to Pembina, and it cannot be long ere it will be continued to Hudson's Bay.

The trade and travel between British America and the States, overland from the present terminal points of the arms from St. Paul of the N.P.R., is quite considerable, giving constant employment, during the summer and fall, to about one thousand ox-teams. Goods from all parts of Europe and the States are obliged for the most part to take this route.

The distance overland is about four hundred and fifty miles. It is a singular and picturesque sight to witness one of these trains, whether coming in or departing. They sometimes number a hundred teams, though oftener much less. They are all single ox-teams, the vehicles being two-wheeled. A convenient sort of harness is used on the oxen, not unlike, in style, that on our truck horses. One driver--a half-breed usually--manages a half-dozen teams by tying the heads of the five to the rear of each cart and then leading the sixth or foremost team by means of a raw-hide rope attached to the animal's head. One thousand pounds const.i.tutes a load for a strong ox. Thus stoves, flour, implements of agriculture, bales of goods, and even boxes of choice wines from France, marked "For the Bishop of Prince Rupert's Land, via St. Paul, U.S.A." Either the body of the church or that of the bishop must be large, judging from the quant.i.ty of these wet goods which we saw moving to the frontier.

There is a freshness in Western life that charms one, especially at the first. New scenes, new faces, new customs, new methods of speech, combine to give a delight to this experience of novelty. There is a mental exhilaration that tones the mind to a high pitch of enthusiasm and rich enjoyment, just as there is a marvellous quality in the air to brace the system and strengthen the nervous centres. Who that has gone through this double process of acclimation, as one might call it, does not retain a good impression of their experience in memory, and likewise in physique?

The dialect of the West differs from that of the East in many of the non-essentials, yet, perhaps, enough of variance is observed to make it noticeable and altogether piquant to the wide-awake Yankee, who, in turn, balances the Western "reckoning" by his unique "kalkilations." But neither are as absurd as the c.o.c.kney, who gets off his ridiculous nonsense, as, for example, the following: "Ho Lord, help us to take hold of the horns of the haltar," etc.

The observant mind can, by keeping eyes and ears open, extract much of information and amus.e.m.e.nt when travelling anywhere--especially through the West--where vigorous thought and action are at all times encountered.

CHAPTER XI.

DULUTH.

Its location and rapid growth.--Who named for.--Enterprise of its people.--Its fine harbor.--Duluth Bay.--The steams.h.i.+p connection with eastern cities.--Pleasure travel up the lakes.--The Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad.--The shortest route East for grain.--Public improvements.--The fis.h.i.+ng, lumber, and mining interests.

Away at the head of our lake system stands a most marvellous ill.u.s.tration of the rapid growth, in population and power, of the American people.

It is less than ten years since the nearly impenetrable forest was levelled to make way for the infant city of Duluth, which, under the inspiring hand of genius and capital, has grown to the importance of chartered rights and privileges more quickly than any other city with which we are familiar.

It is situated on the immediate sh.o.r.e of the lake, and across the shoulder of what is known as Minnesota Point,--a long scythe-shaped sand-bar, six miles in length, caused by the action of the waves, separating the waters of Duluth Bay from those of the lake,--and extending along the sh.o.r.e of said Duluth Bay.

From the lake back to the top of the bluff, a mile distant, the ascent is easy and regular, affording one of the loveliest sites for the foundation of a great and beautiful city.

Duluth was named for Daniel Greyson Duluth, a native of France, who was the first white man to explore the head-waters of Lake Superior. He landed here in 1679, and advanced far into the interior, westward, toward the Mississippi, cultivating friendly relations with the tribes inhabiting this portion of the country. From his time to the present little or nothing has been done toward the founding, at this point, of a place suitable to the great possibilities of trade and commerce. Thus the spell which seemed to shut from view this key-point of a vast interior country remained till the prophetic eye of capital discovered and possessed it.

That this wilderness, heretofore so wrapt in mystery, should now blossom into life, seems quite plain to the commonest observer of us all.

How faith is given us when success walks hand-in-hand with enterprise.

Though the city of Duluth is only ten years old, it boasts a population of over three thousand, with many of the conveniences of older settlements. Its streets are laid out with great regularity, and the princ.i.p.al one, next the lake, full a mile in length, is lined along nearly its whole extent with stores and warehouses of every kind and description. The sound of the hammer and saw may be heard on every side.

Buildings so crowd upon the forest that the woodman is hard pressed to clear the way; and thus the brave work goes on of transforming this wilderness into gardens where roses in their season bloom abundantly.

We counted not less than five handsome churches, all erected the past year, representing as many different denominations, and, in point of style and interior finish, quite up to the requirements of the most enlightened taste. Two convenient and comfortable hotels give rest and refreshment. Ample provision is being made for public schools; and the projectors of the town have, in their wisdom, set apart one entire square on which a ladies' seminary is to be erected; in short, everything is being done in a most determined and energetic manner.

There is no place for idlers here. Such a wide-awake community naturally weeds itself of them; and, consequently, the society is industrious and moral, if not always elegant and pretentious.