MINNESOTA. 41 



cities, dependent wliolly upon uncertain rewards for tlieir daily toil, often 

 reduced to the necessity of asking aid from charitable societies, and then look 

 upon the millions of acres of vacant land waiting for the hand of persevering 

 industry to take them as a gift, it makes one wish for the means to bring them 

 all to Minnesota. Many are the families living in poverty that have no knowl- 

 edge of this fair land ; or if they have, no means to reach it. Where they are, 

 they live in abject poverty and sickness, while here in a few years they might 

 regain health and have a competence. Let some way be devised to bring a 

 knowledge of the homestead law to the notice of the poorer classes in our cities, 

 and thus benefit those within our own country, as well as to spend thousands of 

 dollars to spread the glad tidings in foreign lands. Let the officers of the chari- 

 table societies in every city, particularly in the east, be made fiimiliar with the 

 law, and, instead of dealing out bread and soup, with a meagre supply of 

 clothing, let them aid the worthy poor to reach our State, and thereby save 

 the young and inexperienced within the snares of city life from lives of degra- 

 dation. The people of the west are generous, and willing hands are always 

 ready to give aid to honest want. Information has just reached us of the rati- 

 fication of the treaty between the Pembina and Red Lake Chippewas, which 

 secures to us the whole American valley of the Red River of the North, opening 

 another field for the immigrant, and presenting great inducements from its 

 locality. It also gives us access to further exhaustless treasure that must not 

 be overlooked in this sketch, which consists of the 



SALT LAKES. 



In the northwest portion of our State, extending over an immense area of 

 country, including Devil's lake, the country is filled with salt lakes and 

 springs. Many of these lakes are of great extent, and the time is not far distant 

 when salt will be exported by rail from this section of country to supply all the 

 country bordering on the Mississippi river. Devil's lake, as well as some 

 smaller ones, are well stocked with fish of excellent quality. The salt in its 

 crude state is said to be of excellent quality, and is reported as abundant. 



A BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION 



has been established by the State of Minnesota, at the head of which is Hon. 

 David Blakely, secretary of state. Farm lands are in great request, and the 

 State is swarming with people seeking eligible locations. The same state of 

 things exists in other northAvestern States, and the indications are that heavy 

 emigration, from the north of Europe particularly, will continue increasingly to 

 swell the population of this region. The northmen of Europe are particularly 

 attracted by a climate which combines a bracing, salubrious, clear, and uniform 

 winter climate with summers so long and hot as to produce to perfection all 

 the products of the temperate zone ; by the agreeable variety of surface and 

 soil, with mingled forest and prairie, and numerous rivers, lakes, and islands to 

 diversify the scene. 



Such immigration will be facilitated by an act of national legislation ap- 

 proved July 4, 1864, which is given at length in another portion of this volume. 



