Show State sTr A Minnesota Idea of a Bridge Approach Prepared by National I Society Washington D D. D C C. C Service Ser l Is unique among M MINNESOTA the time states In Its drainage system It sends water to three hl widely three ly separated seas seas through the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mex- Mex lIco through the Red ned river and Its tributaries to Hudson bay and through the Gr Great at Lakes and the St. St Lawrence to the Atlantic And no other state has as ns many lakes withIn Its borders There are more than of them The map of ot the time state reveals that Minnesota Is cut Into two vast triangles triangles triangles tri tri- angles by a n diagonal line running from the northeast corner where herp the Red ned river flows out northward down clown the southeast corner where the Mississippi flows out southward southward south south- ward Imagine the upper triangle painted green een and the lower trIangle triangle triangle tri trI- angle painted yellow and presto you ou have the state roughly divided Into Its natural forest and prairie parts The green triangle before the lumberman came was in general a huge pine forest and begins to be beso beso beso so again The yellow ellow triangle before before before be be- fore the farmer came was grassland grassland grass grass- land like the billows of ot a great grent sea sen majestic and 11 limitless now It is fields with wind-breaks wind of planted trees to shelter the red barns and white farmhouses The diagonal line that divides these triangles has its significance too It marks the chief trade route through the state and also a wandering wandering wan wan- dering barrier of deciduous woods now carved up to make way for farms farm and cities which everywhere separates the pinelands from thy the J prairies Broa Broader er toward the south where it attaches to the deciduous woods of Wisconsin It dwindles to n a thin scattering of stunted trees toward towar the time north north time the final outpost of ot the wood hard-wood forest of eastern Amer Amer- ica As the ends of this diagonal onal mark the low exits of the time states state's two principal rivers the outer corners of the time two o triangles mark muk the time states state's highest ground At the outer corner corner corner cor cor- ner of the tue yellow ellow triangle the time plateau known as Coteau des Pral- Pral Prairie n rie e Just crosses dividing the time Missouri Mis Ils from the time Mississippi basins with Its Immense gradual swell In Inthe Inthe the outer corner comer of the green triangle triangle tri trl- angle the Arrowhead Countr Country above e Lake Lale Superior are the Sawtooth Sawtooth Sawtooth Saw Saw- tooth mountains and the hills rock rocky choked In forest Climate Is Continental The climate of this pair pall of triangles triangles tri trl- angles Is a n grief to those who resent resent resent re re- re- re sent sum sui surprises It Is continental In the most emphatic sense Temperatures Temperatures Tem Tem- ran range e In a mild year ear through 1 0 degrees In a year with witha a n real wallop to It as ns high as ns In consequence the native of outdoor outdoor outdoor out out- door habits must maintain a n wardrobe ward ward- robe that Includes G er e everything cry thing from the shortest of swimming shorts short to the longest of long woolens Lake Superior It Is true tends to temper the time winds of the region around It but not to the shorn lamb no no Thanks Thanks' to the proximity of that deep reservoir of pure puro n a grouchy grouch visitor has been heard hear to complain that the coldest winter he ever spent SIlent was one summer summer sum suni- mer In Duluth Nor are the time blessings of ample rainfall to be ho tal taken en for granted 1 Of OC late years ears the time yellow triangle commonly commonly com com- less rainy and much less snow snowy than the tile green has Involuntarily Involuntarily taril tried the experiment of getting getting get get- ting along with next to no moisture at nt all In Irv fact Minnesota has weather er to please all tastes In strong doses oses which as a rule stimulate ra rather ther than kill The Nineteenth century marked an nn Immense change In Minnesota l The Thc white man arrived in numbers to establish himself in a n country countr where It was easier casler to make a living than In the one he had come from This was wm not a very noble nohle purpose III In one way and it led to ninny many Injustices Injustices injustices In In- justices to the existing inhabitants both omen men and animals Yet the time annals of the pioneer In Invasion In- In reveal re too a deep longing ln In those people for time the good life for they were certainly rea ready y to undergo o. o discomforts that were sordid sordid sor SOl did and hardships that were killing In their hl high h hopes Jopes for the future In n a new land t here There was much to be done for forthe forthe forthe the white man always always' s' s Insists on altering nature to suit his own views But nut energy was the characteristic characteristic char char- of the time age ae With rifle rille ax and plow platy and later with mone money miracles were tem rou wrought ht It Its Animal Population For Tor one thing the status of the tile native animals animal Is as 18 drastically hanged In Ih the yellow show e marvelously for foi the buffalo antelope and co coyote ote were agricultural Impossibilities The first two were exterminated the remnants of the co coyote ote tribe retreated retreated retreated re re- re- re treated to the green triangle altered altered al nl- al- al tere their habits to suit a n woods environment became and brush wolves woh The deer whose natural home was the diagonal woods barrier also retreated into the green tri trI- angle The lumberjack by hewing down the greater part of or the pine there did the deer n a favor or for the birch and aspen that supplanted it made a home to their liking in fact In it the they thrive and multiply Though one would not slight the luscious vast potato fields nn and other agriculture of the green triangle It has In general been rebellious In Inthe Inthe inthe the farmers farmer's hands and so remains essentially n a forest and game refuge refuge refuge ref ref- uge to this day True the trapper and sportsman have hn drastically diminished the number of Its natural citizens such as ns the timber Umber wolf golf otter fisher and lynx But the beaver still builds his dams there the black bear may be spied fishing with his paws when the fish run Into the streams the porcupine in large numbers yet gna gnaws ws the jack pine bark and tray trav travels v- v els cIs a n path which winding through the time snowy groves looks s as neat and regular as ns If some one had rolled a n heavy truck tire there And the snowshoe rabbit whose favorIte favorite favorite favor favor- ite diet Is the pine seedlings set out b by government go foresters travels the winter drifts on his padded legs The American elk or wapiti is extinct In Minnesota 1 The caribou Is almost so o a n herd held Is sometimes seen in the time remote fastnesses of the great grent swamp of county county coun coun- t. t ty north of Red ned lake But nut the moose In the Arrowhead country survives In fair numbers Canoe travelers often see sec the time noble noble nohie no no- ble hie monster at nt lunch In sonic some lake lale his body hody submerged ed for protection a against Hies Illes his lips curling around the water lily shoots that make a n dainty weather hot-weather salad for this giant among American mammals Lots of Good Fishing Fish and fowl likewise have c had to a adjust Just themselves to their new neighbor the white man A game-fish game paradise has hns a awnS awnS' way of retreating when time tile sportsman finds it Thus the thc greedy now must go to the time border ordel lakes Jakes to catch K ii boatload of pike In an afternoon But this does docs not mean that there Is not famous fishing elsewhere The muskellunge of such lakes as Mantrap or the fighting small- small mouth bass of White Earth nn and the many other fish Ush of ot a thousand Waters waters waters wa wa- make tall fish stories annually which In spite of ot the low repute of fish stories are essentially true Certainly they reflect justly the time fun that ancient sport provides And the Minnesota citizen almost anywhere may go out after supper and hook n a black bass or a n mess messof messof messof of crappies or or In not more than thana a days day's drive reach lakes in whose foot depths the time noble lake lal e trout can be caught on lines of spun Lionel Monel wire Of or the original game game bird InhabItants Inhabitants Inhabitants of the state only the time grouse giouse rouse can now be bc called abundant allt and its n abundance wanes and waxes waves Inc in c cycles cles This ruffed ruled grouse is the time characteristic bird of the green triangle Tame richly speckled led nn and ruffed It provides a voice olce for tM thi wilderness in the lie accelerated te thud of Its It wings s drumming on some hollow hollow hollow hol hol- low log a mysterious m music that tha t the time forest muffles as If to hold se- se cret Thanks to ill considered drainage and the advance ml of the farmer the wild ducks duck's s 's breeding grounds In Minnesota l are largely lost to it the black Vs V's of Its spring flight go for forthe forthe the time most part pait beyond the border Into Canada Nor NOl has lias the prairie chicken been very clever In adapting adapt adapt- ing lug Itself to life on the farm fuU and andas andas as a n target But Dut time the introduction of n a partly parasitic bird the time ring necked pheasant which does 1005 not scruple to help Itself to the farmers farmer's corn to pay for serving as us his autumn target target tar tar- get has hns proved a n huge hue success That fantastically colored colore bird looking fitter Otter to stand among the tile exotic blossoms painted on some Chinese screen than among the prairie sunflowers sun flowers nevertheless has mn made e It Itself itself it it- self completely at nt home In the tho yellow yellow yel yel- cl low triangle As for fOl small birds such as us the thc woodsman's ft lend fm-lend lend time the chickadee or that wine-red wine winter visitor whispering whis- whis p- p prIn rIn Its clear clem son song the pine gros glOS bonk beak from front the time North or time tile horned lark Inri that brings the time earliest music of or spring to tn frozen F February Holds fields they 3 ate are far fm too even evem evento to he mentioned here |