Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/624

 606 MINNESOTA St. Croix falls are only second to them in hydraulic power. The total number of manu- facturing establishments reported by the cen- sus of 1870 was 2,270, having 246 steam engines of 7,085 horse power and 434 water wheels of 13,054 horse power, and employing 11,290 hands, of whom 10,892 were males above 16, 259 females above 15, and 139 youth. The capital invested amounted to $11,993,729; wages, $4,052,837; value of materials, $13,- 842,902; of products, $23,110,700. The most important industries are represented in the following statement : INDUSTRIES. oia l|I Number ofhandi. j s j Blacksmithing Boots and shoes Carpenter'g and building Carriages and wagons. . . Cars, freight and passen- 310 172 223 102 1 62 216 85 65 13 207 4 8 20 93 27 78 630 526 676 444 79 838 790 393 225 58 2,952 456 288 241 269 254 281 $255,511 82880 104,860 858,163 170,000 126,020 2,900,015 802.550 450.550 143,400 8,811,140 253,021 220,000 267,000 165,475 263,138 161,685 IO8JHI 653.165 1.067.203 549,568 783,800 457,888 7.-u.;>7:> 448,772 888,600 239,642 4,299,162 788,074 836,482 843.804 864,250 857,616 848,696 Grist mill products Furniture Lumber, planed " sawed Machinery, railroad re- pairing Machinery, steam en- gines and boilers Printing and publishing, newspaper Saddlery and harness. . . Sash, doors, and blinds. . Tin, copper, and sheet- The vast pine forests of Minnesota constitute an important source of wealth. It is estimated that about one third of the state is timbered land. On the head waters of the various trib- utaries of the extreme upper Mississippi and St. Croix rivers is an extensive "pine region," comprising an estimated area of 21,000 square miles. Vast pine forests are also found on the shore of Lake Superior, and on the Red river and its tributaries. The cutting and sawing of logs affords extensive employment for men and capital. In 1873, 164,743,150 ft. of logs were reported to have been scaled in the North Mis- sissippi district, including 161,880,670 ft. at Minneapolis, while 33,000,000 ft. were esti- mated to have been sawed but not scaled. The total number of feet scaled in the St. Croix district was 147,618,147 ; sawed and not scaled, 8,338,976 ; sawed and scaled, 94,229. In the Du- luth district the number of feet scaled amount- ed to 6,147,988. In the St. Croix district the manufactured lumber was reported at 74,063,- 976 ft., besides 19,200,000 shingles and 19,477,- 850 lath. Minnesota has unusual commercial advantages, having within its limits three great navigable water systems, which are connected with the railroad system of the state, and afford continuous channels of communication with Hudson bay, the Atlantic ocean, and the gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi is navigable to St. Paul about 225 days in the year. The comple- tion of the Northern Pacific railroad, which has its E. terminus at Dnluth, on Lake Su- perior, and is now (1875) in operation to Bis- marck in Dakota, 450 m., will give the state direct communication with the Pacific. This road, which joins the lake and the Red river water systems, is to be connected with the other railroads of Minnesota and the Missis- sippi river by three lines of railroad at the eastern, central, and western portions of the state. The Lake Superior and Mississippi rail- road joins St. Paul, at the head of navigation on the Mississippi river, and Duluth, at the head of Lake Superior ; while the former city will have direct connection with the Northern Pacific railroad by the two divisions of the St. Paul and Pacific, which are now in process of construction, one extending from St. Anthony to Brainerd, and the other from St. Cloud to St. Vincent, on the N. W. border of the state, a distance of 315 m., crossing the Northern Pacific at Glyndon, 13 m. E. of the Red river. This road is now in operation from St. Cloud to Melrose, 35 m. From St. Vincent it is to be continued to Fort Garry in the province of Manitoba, 61 m. from the Minnesota border. The state also has connection with the Union Pacific railroad by means of the St. Paul and Sioux City and Sioux City and St. Paul rail- roads. Furthermore, the completion of the contemplated improvements in the Fox and Wisconsin rivers will give to Minnesota a con- tinuous water channel from the Mississippi river to Lake Michigan. The commercial im- portance of Minnesota will be seen from the fact that the entire trade of its great water systems, and much of that of its railroads, will here break bulk. The state comprises the United States customs district of Duluth and that of Minnesota, of which the port of entry is Pembina on the Red river, at the northern border of the state; and St. Paul is a port of delivery. The imports at Duluth during the year ending June 30, 1874, amounted to $12,129, and the domestic exports to $13,819. In the Minnesota district the imports were $182,054; domestic exports, $690,066; foreign exports, $2,521. The chief articles of export were oats, flour, and lumber. The number and tonnage of vessels that entered and cleared in the foreign trade, together with those regis- tered, enrolled, and licensed, were as follows: DISTRICTS. EN-l fERED. < i.i ABED. REGISTERED, AC. No. Tu. No. Tont. No. 1 Tom. Dnluth.... DO 19.166 !W 19.240 7 1,882 Minnesota. 40 4,410 40 4,408 93 8,048 Total 95 28,576 98 28,648 100 9,880 rt ^ Inrl ?T1 f^ n At rto Hictript I 54 were steamers and 39 unrigged vessels; I and of those in the Duluth district, 6 of 1,282 tons were steamers. Besides the above, 259 vessels of 153,792 tons entered at Duluth in the coastwise trade, and 264 of 154,292