, the Lakes, and the St. Lawrence.

How wonderful the development of the Pacific and Rocky Mountain sections
of the public domain! In 1860 the population of California, Oregon, and
the territories lying west of Kansas, was six hundred and twenty-three
thousand; while the present population is estimated at one million,
wanting only facility of communication with the States to increase in a
far greater ratio.

In 1853 a series of surveys were made by government to ascertain the
practicability of a railroad to the Pacific. The country, however, at
that time, was not prepared to engage in such an enterprise; but now the
people are calling for greater facility of communication with a section
of the country abounding in mineral wealth.

Of the several routes surveyed, we shall have space in this article to
notice only the line running from Lake Superior to the head-waters of
the Missouri, the Columbia, and Puget Sound, known as the Northern
Pacific Railroad.

The public domain north of latitude 42 deg., through which it lies,
comprises about seven hundred thousand square miles,--a territory larger
than England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium,
Holland, all the German States, Switzerland, Denmark, and Sweden.

The route surveyed by Governor Stevens runs north of the Missouri River,
and crosses the mountains through Clark's Pass. Governor Stevens
intended to survey another line up the valley of the Yellow Stone; and
Lieutenant Mullan commenced a reconnoissance of the route when orders
were received from Jeff Davis, then Secretary of War, to disband the
engineering force.

THE ROUTE.

Recent explorations indicate that the best route to the Pacific will be
found up the valley of this magnificent river. The distances are as
follows:--From the Mississippi above St. Paul to the western boundary of
Minnesota, thence to Missouri River, two hundred and eighty miles, over
the table-land known as the Plateau du Coteau du Missouri, where a road
may be constructed with as much facility and as little expense as in the
State of Illinois. Crossing the Missouri, the line strikes directly west
to the Little Missouri,--the Wah-Pa-Chan-Shoka,--the _heavy-timbered_
river of the Indians, one hundred and thirty miles. This river runs
north, and enters the Missouri near its northern bend. Seventy miles
farther carries us to the Yellow Stone. Following now the valley of this
stream two hundred and eighty miles, the town o