A hundred fifty years ago today, December 2, 1864, the weather in Minnesota was warm and rainy.  And the Mississippi River was open to navigation, which was totally unprecedented this late in the season.  This dispatch from St. Paul was in the Chicago Tribune the next day.  It reported a boat leaving from LaCrosse, Wisconsin, to St. Paul.

Minnesota’s Road Network in 1860, Minnesota Historical Society.

There was no rail connection until 1867, when a line was built to Iowa and an all-rail route was available until Chicago.  A few rudimentary roads were in place, but the only means of economically transporting goods and passengers was by river.  So when a warm spell thawed the river in December, the pioneers were eager to take advantage of it.

References

Roads and the Settlement of Minnesota, Minnesota History, September 1940.