MINNEAPOLIS 



3824 



MINNEAPOLIS 



The mink of Northern regions is very valuable 

 because of its fur, which has withstood the 

 changeable dictates of fashion; beautiful and 

 durable, it makes desirable apparel when con- 

 verted into coats, hats, muffs, etc., and it is 

 not imitated in inferior furs. The mink of 

 Nova Scotia and that of the state of Maine 

 produce the finest and glossiest fur. The darker 

 specimens bring the highest prices; a muff of 

 good quality costs $100 or more. The pelt 

 must be secured early in the winter, before the 

 playful little animal injures it by scrambling 

 through holes and broken ice. 



Minks have a fondness for the water courses, 

 where food, consisting of frogs, fishes, etc., is 

 plentiful, but mammals are not safe from their 

 attacks when they wish to satisfy their hunger. 

 The young, not more than four or five, are 

 born in the spring in some hole among the 

 rocks or in a hollow log, where they remain 

 until winter. The mink has a strong, disagree- 

 able odor, not so pronounced, however, as that 

 of the skunk and rarely perceptible; at least it 

 is not offensive to most people, except when 

 the animal is in a rage. See FUR AND FUR 

 TRADE; ANIMAL. 



MINNEAPOLIS ** 



.INNEAPOLIS, mineap'olis, MINN., 

 the county seat of Hennepin County, is the 

 largest city in the state; the population in 1910 

 was 301,408; in 1915 it was 343,466. It is in 

 the southeastern part of Minnesota, and is situ- 

 ated on both banks of the Mississippi River, 

 167 miles south and west of Duluth and 424 

 miles northwest of Chicago. Saint Paul, the 

 state capital, situated on a northward bend of 

 the river, is ten miles east of Minneapolis, and 

 the two places, known as the "Twin Cities," 

 have continuous suburbs and are connected by 

 several interurban electric lines. 



Three principal factors have contributed to 

 the growth and development of Minneapolis as 

 one of the great commercial centers of the 

 northwest; these are Saint Anthony's Falls, 

 which generate power for factories, a location 

 near extensive grain fields and forests, and ex- 

 cellent shipping facilities. An enormous apron 

 and concrete floor were built in the river in 

 1879 to prevent the threatened destruction of 

 the falls by the wearing away of the original 

 limestone ledge. A system of locks and dams, 

 whose construction was begun in 1915, increases 

 the work of the falls 40,000 horse power and 

 makes the river navigable to the city. Railroad 

 systems entering the city are the Chicago, Mil- 

 waukee & Saint Paul; Northern Pacific; Great 

 Northern; Minneapolis, Saint Paul & Sault 

 Ste. Marie; Cljicago, Saint Paul, Minneapolis 



& Omaha; Chicago Great Western; Chicago, 

 Rock Island & Pacific; Minneapolis & Saint 

 Louis, and the Burlington Route. Five roads 

 enter the Great Northern passenger station, or 

 Union Depot; three enter the Chicago, Mil- 

 waukee & Saint Paul passenger station, and 

 the Minneapolis & Saint Louis Railroad has its 

 own station. Nearly twenty railway and high- 

 way bridges cross the river within the city 

 limits. 



The word Minneapolis combines the Indian 

 word minne, meaning water, and the Greek 

 word polis, meaning city. The extent of the 

 city from north to south is ten miles, and from 

 east to west, six miles; the estimated area is 

 fifty-three square miles. The West Division, 

 much the larger part of the city, is divided by 

 the river from the East Division. The great 

 mills of Minneapolis are grouped along the 

 river near Saint Anthony's Falls. The princi- 

 pal business streets are Hennepin Avenue, 

 Nicollet Avenue and First and Second ave- 

 nues; many of the handsomest residences are 

 along South Mount Curve and Clifton and Park 

 avenues, in the southwest part of the city. All 

 the streets are wide and, with the exception 

 of a portion of the business district, run due 

 east and west, north and south. 



Parks and Boulevards. In developing a sys- 

 tem of parks, Minneapolis has taken advantage 

 of the unusual opportunities offered by a num- 



