The Following Outlines Of The Rolling Prairies Are
Broken Only By The Small Lakes And Patches Of Timber Which Relieve
Them Of Monotony And Enhance Their Beauty; And Though Marshes And
Sloughs Occur, They Are Of Too Small Extent And Too Infrequent To
Affect The Generally Attractive Character Of The Country.
The
elevation of the rolling prairies is generally so uniform, that even
the summits between streams flowing in opposite directions exhibit no
peculiar features to distinguish them from the ordinary character of
the valley slopes."
I think I cannot do a better service to the emigrant or settler than
to quote a part of the report made by Mr. A. W. Tinkham, descriptive
of his route from St. Paul to Fort Union. His exploration, under Gov.
Stevens, was made in the summer of 1853; and he has evidently given an
impartial account of the country. I begin with it where he crosses the
Mississippi in the vicinity of St. Cloud. The part quoted embraces the
route for a distance of two hundred and ninety-five miles; the first
seventy miles of which was due west the rest of the route being a
little north of west.
"June 9. Ferried across the Mississippi River, here some six hundred
to eight hundred feet wide boating the camp equipage, provisions,
&c., and swimming the animals; through rich and fertile prairies,
variegated with the wooded banks of Sauk River, a short distance on
the left, with the wooded hills on either side, the clustered growth
of elm, poplar, and oak, which the road occasionally touches;
following the 'Red River trail,' we camp at Cold Spring Brook, with
clear, cool water, good grass, and wood.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 127 of 188
Words from 34090 to 34371
of 50597
