| Summary: | THE FIRST SIX YFARS OF GRAND FORKS 71 to Winnipeg, a person named McKusey having the contract to furnish and set the poles between Pembina and Winnipeg. The first operator at Grand Forks was a M r. Cran who came that fall. In the fall, Thomas Walsh and Alex. Griggs established a general store at the settlement as had originally been planned. This building stood on the east side of Third street, a little to the south of where the track of the Gi'eat Northern railroad approaches the street crossing from the bridge, while the saw-mill was in its vicinity, having stood near the top of the river bank about four rods north of the railroad. There were now two boats running on the river, to wit, the old International, built ten years previously, and the new steamer Selkirk. At this time Frog Point, a little below the foot of the Goose rapids, was made the head of navigation for the boats on account of the difficulty experienced in trying to navigate the bowlder strewn channel above during an}7 low stage of water. To Frog Point merchandise was freighted by ox-teams and Red River carts from the nearest railroad points in Minnesota. Bales of • furs were shipped from Frog Point as brought up by the boats from places below, and men connected with the fur trade, river men and teamsters congregated there at times in great array. An emigration movement had now set in toward Manitoba. Hundreds of emigrants were passing through this country enroute for that province, and most of the passengers on the boats were of this class. But officers from Canada and England with their families and attendants, and agents connected with the Hudson Bay company, also traveled by the same mode of conveyance. The character of the times, which was the beginning of the transition period between the old epoch of the valley and its coming new one, its mercantile transactions and methods of transportation and conveyance, naturally produced its corresponding phase of life, destined to be transient only and never again to be seen repeated here. Besides the boats (here was no regular means of accommodating travel up and down the valley. But.it was just at this time that the stage line of Blakely & Carpenter was extended fro.m Breckenridge to Winnipeg, both to carry (he mails and accommodate the increasing travel to Manitoba. Capt. Blakely contracted with tlie Dominion government to carry the mail on the stages from Pembina to Winnipeg. 'J'he first ■ stage arrived at Winnipeg September 11, 1871. This extension of the stage route down the valley took place some little time before either of the railroads had reached Red river. The stages ran daily, summer and winter. Tlie trip from Breckenridge to Winnipeg could be made in three days, including night, travel. Statre stations were established at convenient points along the route in the valley for the care of horses and passengers; as had been done Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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