| Name of road. | Termini. | Miles. |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul-- | ||
| River Division | From La Crescent to St. Paul | 128 |
| Hastings and Dakota Division | " Hastings to Glencoe | 75 |
| Iowa and Minnesota Division | " St. Paul to Southern State line | 127 |
| Iowa and Minnesota Division, Branch | " Mendota to Minneapolis | 9 |
| Iowa and Minnesota Division, Branch | " Austin to Lyle | 12 |
| Chicago, Dubuque and Minnesota | " La Crescent to southern State Line | 25 |
| Central Railroad of Minnesota | " Mankato to Wells | 40 |
| St. Paul & Duluth | " St. Paul to Duluth | 156 |
| Minneapolis & Duluth | " Minneapolis to White Bear | 15 |
| Minneapolis & St. Louis | " Minneapolis to Sioux City Junction | 27 |
| Northern Pacific | " Duluth to Moorhead | 253-1/2 |
| St. Paul & Sioux City | " St. Paul to St. James | 121-1/4 |
| Sioux City & St. Paul | " St. James to southern State line | 66-1/4 |
| St. Paul & Pacific, First Division--Main Line | " St. Anthony to Breckenridge | 207 |
| " --Branch | " St. Paul to Sauk Rapids | 76 |
| " --St. Vincent Extension | " Sauk Rapids to Melrose | 35 |
| " " | " Brainerd, 4-1/2 miles south | 4-1/2 |
| " " | " a point 12 miles S. of Glyndon to a point 28 miles N. of Crookston | 104 |
| St. Paul, Stillwater & Taylor's Falls | " St. Paul to Stillwater | 17-1/2 |
| " --Branch | " Junction to Lake St. Croix | 3-1/4 |
| " --Branch | " Stillwater to South Stillwater | 3 |
| Southern Minnesota | " Grand Crossing to Winnebago City | 167-1/2 |
| Stillwater & St. Paul | " White Bear to Stillwater | 13 |
| Winona & St. Peter | " Winona to western State line | 288-1/2 |
| Winona, Mankato & New Ulm | " Junction to Mankato | 3-3/4 |
| 1978 |
Since the publication of the report of the railroad commissioner as given above, showing 1978 miles of railroads in Minnesota; there have been 216 miles built in 1877, and 350 miles in 1878—total, 2544 miles now operated in the State. In 1862, we had but ten miles of railroad in Minnesota; in 1878, sixteen years afterwards, two thousand five hundred and forty-four miles.
This past year, the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad has extended its line to the British Possessions in Manitoba, connecting with a road there and giving us direct railroad communication with the vast country lying north of us; while the Southern Minnesota, the Hastings & Dakota, the St. Cloud branch of the St. Paul & Pacific, are extending their lines, like arteries, through the heart of the State. In much less than ten years, Minnesota will have the most perfect railroad system on this continent.
POPULATION.
| Number. | |
|---|---|
| Population in 1870 | 439,706 |
| Population in 1875 | 597,407 |
| Population in 1877 | 750,000 |
HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION LAW.
We are proud of the Homestead Law of Minnesota. The State says to its citizen: you may be unfortunate, even culpably improvident, nevertheless you and your family shall not be left homeless or without means to enable you to retrieve past misfortunes or faults.
The law reads—
"That a homestead consisting of any quantity of land not exceeding eighty acres, and the dwelling house thereon and its appurtenances, to be selected by the owner thereof, and not included in any incorporated town, city or village, or instead thereof, at the option of the owner, a quantity of land not exceeding in amount one lot, being within an incorporated town, city or village, and the dwelling house thereon and its appurtenances, owned and occupied by any resident of this State, shall not be subject to attachment, levy, or sale, upon any execution or any other process issuing out of any court within this State. This section shall be deemed and construed to exempt such homestead in the manner aforesaid during the time it shall be occupied by the widow or minor child or children of any deceased person who was, when living, entitled to the benefits of this act."