Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 August 1878 — “The Odorous Piney Woods" [ARTICLE]

“The Odorous Piney Woods"

These word* caught our eye as we wore lazily glancing through The North anil treat Iltustrated, anti they caused us to long fur a trip to the home of the “pincy wood*.” Without much thought as to where are should stop, we look our start, fToai the good city of Lmtisvile, Ky., ar.d soon found ourselves at Chicago. There we found but one route that could give us what we were looking for, nnd found that to be the new Chicago. St. Paul & Minneapolis Line, that led through prairie and incidow, through hill and valley, along great lakes and streams, and finally into the depths us llie pine forests of Wisconsin, and so on to St. Paul and Minneapolis. Buying our tickets we started, and left tits Canal and Kiuxie str.ets depot of the Chicago & North-Western Railway, and passed through many pleasant villages, such as Irving Park, DespUines, Barrington, Crystal Lake »«d Woodstock, and reached Harvard, thence to Beloit, Hanover and Madison, where wo are 140 miles from Chicago, and at the capital of Wisconsin, a city of over fifteen thousand people. The city is pleasantly situated on an isthmus about three-fourth of a mile ,wi<te, between Lakes Mendotn and Monona, ip the center of a broad valley, surrounded by heifihte from which it can be seen at a distance of several miles. Lake Mendotn lies northwest cf the town, is six miles long and four miles wide, with clean,gravelly shores, and a depth sufficient for the navigation of steamboats. Lake Monona is somewhat smaller. At 176 miles from Chicago, and 80 from Madison, we reach the celebrated Devil’s Lake. This is a beautiful' body of water, surrounded by precipitous mountains on every side, except at two points, ono beiug at the southern end, where the railroad enters the lske basin, and the other at the northern end, where the railroad finds exit from the l>ssin of the lake. Ou every side of the lake you see “rock piled on rock” in every conceivable form, and in immense columns, pillars, piles and masses of very great magnitude and height. The railroad runs along the shore of the lake on a bed that was literally blasted out of the sides of the mountain. From the car windows all. the beauties of Ibis wonderful and wierdly mysterious region cun readily be teen. This was the home of Minnawaukene, * beautiful but unfortunate Indian maiden, and many legands are related of her by the simple hserted and kindly people o f the vicinity. This lake is a favorite summer resort, and to it the people for many miles a round come for picnicing, sailing, boating, fishing nnd other sports. At Barahoo you reach the Barnboo river, nnd from thence pass along its valley for many miles. At Elroy you are 212 miles Chicago, and at the southern terminus of the West Wisconsin Railway. From Elroy you hasten northward on the new and admirable track of the West Wisconsin road, and soon rench the great pine woods, which have rendered Wisconsin celebrated the world over. Into the heart of the pine lumber region you speed, passing through Black River Falls, lluubird, Augusta, Kau Claire, Menomonee and othei noted lumber towns, and finally cross the River St. Croix at Hudson; Tliis river is the dividing line between Wisconsin and Minnesota. A few miles beyond, you reach a branch to St ill wot or, a flourishing town on the St. Croix river. A fifteen mile ride brings you to St. Paul, and here you rest, or push on eleven miles further’ to the active, bustling cities of Minneapolis and St. Anthony. At St. Paul you can make dose connection, via the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad, for Duluth, Moorebead, Bisni.irk and other points on the line of the great .Northern Pacific Railroad, and also with the St. Paul & Pacific Railway, for Breckensidge, Fort Garry and points in Manitoba. 0» the line we have hastily sketched, you have a variety of scenery—the quiet, beautiful prairie country of Northeastern Illinois; the rolling farming country of Southern Wisconsin ; the wildly romantic mountain scenery of the Devil’s Luke country: the breezy, odorous “piney woods,’’ with their busy mills, active towns and numerous logging camps; and the charming river country of the St. Croix valley. A greater diversity of country can *ot be found anywhere in a journey of the same length. You will find comfortable, cleanly and enmmodius dining stations and hotels along this line, at which ample time la given for all meals. On* mnnnyement controls the route, and Pullman’* Palace Sleepers run through to St. 1 au( nnd for Minneapoti*. It will be seen that this line runs nearly due northwest from Chicago to St. Paul, and is but a ft;w miles longer than an sir line, and it is the shortest practical route over which a railroad line tan be bsplfi between these jxiuit*. This assures the passengers the i quickest time that can be made. No other route is or candte made a* direct. We are now settled down by a quiet brook, where we dally pull from the “vasty deep” the speckled beauties we have hoard so much about.— The Courier.