We passed through Toronto and thence to Sarnia, and on to Chicago. We
crossed to Port Huron and proceeded at once to St. Paul. This was our
first stoppage. We spent a day in St. Paul, and, indeed, the city
deserves a day, at least, from all who travel that way. It is a
beautiful place. However, it seemed to me much on the same plan and in
the same style as all the Western American cities. From St. Paul's we
went on to Winnipeg. I must say that I was not very favourably
impressed by my first visit to this metropolis of the North-West On my
homeward trip I found vast changes for the better in the place. Still
it may have been, only to my eye that the city appeared far from clean
and anything but attractive. I must admit that it was rainy weather--
and oh! the mud! I have heard that there are two classes of people
leave Quebec after a first visit--the one class are those who caught a
first glimpse of the Rock City on a beautiful day. These people are
unceasing in their admiration of Quebec. The other class are those,
who came into the city, for the first time, on a rainy day, when the
streets were canals and mud was ankle deep. It would be impossible to
convince these people that Quebec was anything but a filthy, hilly,
crooked, ugly, unhealthy place. I may be of the latter class, when I
refer to Winnipeg. But most assuredly I am not prejudiced, for since
my last passage through that city I have changed my idea of it
completely.

From Winnipeg we proceeded by rail to Brandon and thence, by
construction train, to Troy. We were then four hundred miles from
Winnipeg and we had four hundred miles to travel. But our cars ceased
here. At Troy we got our tent ready, supplied ourselves with the
necessaries upon such a journey, and getting our buckboard into order,
we started upon the last, the longest and yet pleasantest part of our