GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITORIES. 299 



as relates to the soil and af^ricultural resources, I cannot do better than 

 insert the notes taken while i)assing' along the leading railroad-lines. 



And, first, I insert the ik:w notes taken along the line from JSaiut 

 Paul to Uuluth. 



For several miles out of Saint Paul until after we have passed a vshort 

 distance beyond White Bear Lake, the country is rolling and slightly 

 broken, and, where not in cultivation, is covered with oak-groves, 

 mostly bushes near the city, but in(;reasing in size after we have 

 advanced some distance into the country. The surface of the coun- 

 try here appears to be knotted and pitted, thus affording basins for the 

 numerous little lakes found in the northern part of this (Ramsey) coun- 

 ty, and in fact over a considerable area in this i)art of the State. After 

 passing White Bear Lake a slight change commences ; the conifers be- 

 gin to appear, especially in the low and swampy spots ; the surface 

 becomes more level, and the aspen {Populus trcmuloidcs) ai)pears in fre- 

 quent groves, its white bark forming a strong contrast with the dark 

 pines. About North Jiranch the country is quite level, and is covered 

 with a pretty heavy growth of oak, which at a distance resembles the 

 post-oak, {Q. obtusiloba.) The soil here also is very good, having a better 

 appearance than that previously passed over. Much of the surface be- 

 tween Wyoming Station and this point is marshy, but we should bear 

 in mind the fact that the past season, when I visited this section, was 

 more than usually wet. From North Branch to Rush City the surface 

 is level and rather wet, the soil rich, and the timber heavy, consisting 

 chiefly of oak, elm, maple, and ash. Occasionally a hickory and butter- 

 nut are seen, but these are rare. Conifers, in the swamps, are chiefly 

 tamarack or black larch, [Larix Americana^) balsam-hr, [Abies Bal- 

 sam ea.) &c. 



From Pine City, on Snake River, northward, the pine-forests prevail, 

 and the surface of the country is more or less darnj) and swampy. At 

 Kettle River we begin to meet with the low, rounded drift-ridges, the 

 soil consisting of a reddish sandy clay, intermixed with small red bowl- 

 ders; in many places the sand aj^pears to be the chief ingredient. At 

 this })oiut, and also at several points along the Northern Pacific, we met 

 with the wild strawberry in fruit, (July 3-10.) 



As we approached the junction with the Nortlieru Pacific we were 

 met by a cold northern mist, that compelled us to draw on our overcoats 

 and made fire very comfortable. From here to Duluth we descend the 

 rugged bluff that surrounds Lake Superior ; in going twenty miles we 

 make a descent of nearly 000 feet. The dark waters of Saint Louis River 

 rush down to our right over the ragged rocks with a deafening roar, 

 plunging and dashing themselves into foam as they leap from leilge to 

 ledge or drive through the narrow rugged gorges, ])resenting a scene of 

 wildness and grandeur. Whether it wi'l ever be utilized or not is more 

 than I can say, yet it is true that here is an immense water-power. 



It is scarcely within the sco[)e of my duties to speak of the prospects 

 of any town or city in a commercial ]>oint of view, but as Uuluth is 

 destined to be the chief port of the western end of Lake Superior, and as 

 a matter of course the principal shipi)ing-point of Minnesota, so far as 

 lake-transit is concerned, a few remarks in regard to it may not be out 

 of ])lace here. 



Although it will labor under some material disadvantages, yet it is 

 destined to make a place of consid(?rable importance. Its disadvantages 

 are as follows: The climate can by no means be called a favorable one, 

 although what I saw could scarcely be "taken as a fair sample of sum- 

 mer weather. The winters, as 1 understand by those who have visited 



