314 GEOLOGICAL EXCURSION TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 



St. Paul, the capital of Minnesota, is the older of the two cities, and 

 is situated at the head of navigation on the Mississippi river. Jt forms 

 an important commercial center and is well known throughout the 

 Northwest on account of its wholesale trade. The western part of the 

 city, called St. Anthony Hill, is the best resident district, and contains 

 many beautiful homes, which overlook the river. 



Minneapolis is best known for its lumber and flour interests. The 

 new patent roller process of grinding wheat, together with the excellent 

 quality of wheat of this region, have here built up the largest milling 

 center in the world. The mills of the city have a daily capacity of 

 over 41,000 barrels, and the Pillsbury " A" null alone can produce 

 7,200 barrels of flour per day. The Falls of St. Anthony, famous as a 

 great available water power, and Minnehaha falls are points of interest 

 to the tourist.* 



The geology of the vicinity of St. Paul has been partially explained 

 in the preceding paragraph on the recession of the Falls of St. Anthony. 

 Back from the river are large accumulations of drift materials in the 

 form of moraines and intramorainic till. Along the river courses, at 

 low altitudes, are small deposits of recent river alluvium, while higher 

 up are larger and coarser deposits of modified drift, probably made by 

 the rivers when Hooded by glacial melting. Practically the same state 

 of things exists around Minneapolis, with the exception of those pecul- 

 iarities described in the pages treating of the recession of the Falls of 

 St. Anthony. 



From ISt. Paid to Minneapolis via Fort Snelling. — After leaving the 

 Union Station at St. Paul the road passes along the foot of the blutl* 

 for some distance. Here the old, decayed and eroded condition of the 

 St. Peter sandstone can easily be seen, together with some of its caves 

 ami subterranean water courses. In places, resting on this sandstone, 

 are remarkable mixtures of soil, drift pebbles and boulders, and large 

 angular fragments of Trenton limestone. These fragments are in all 

 positions and are often over 20 feet ((J m.) long and 3 i'eci (0.0 m.) in 

 thickness. It is probable that this composite mass was formed by the 

 river when its level was much above the present level. Similar angu- 

 lar blocks of limestone, mingled with the glacial debris, can be seen in 

 the bed of the Mississippi river above Fort Snelling; in fact, the whole 

 river bed (above Fort Snelling) is more or less composed of such a mass 

 of fragments which extend down to the solid rocks, 10 to 25 feet (3 to 

 7.0 in.) below the bottom of the river. After crossing the river the 

 road runs along the southern bluff, of St. Peter sandstone capped by- 

 Trenton limestone, to Mendota. 



* Guide books to each city can bo procured from book dealers. The best one to 

 Minneapolis is Hudson's Dictionary to Minneapolis, 1891, published by the Beard- 

 Hudson Printing Company, 10 North Fourth stint. 



