American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1855-11-15
rnIr TIE WEST.
10 Me R.ader, q Me qa..lLe.

To tie Readers Of hs Gaseile:
As it was promised by friend MacIllroy
in his last number, that ! would give a
sketch Of my travels and description Of
the Western country, | viii now give you
a short account in my plain ordinary meth
cd Of writing as promised. On tho 22d
day Of October took the cars at this place
for Rock Island. Passing Cincinnati. the
tomb of the lamented Harrison, Lawrence
burgh, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Chicago,
the garden city Of the West. and many
other hourishing towns, landed at Rock
Island, a beautiful city, situated on the
banks of the Mississippi, on the Illinois
side. with population of six thousand, on
Wednesday morning. On the Iowa side
Of the river is the flourishing town of Da-
venport, with a population of seven thou
sand From thence took steamer down
to Muscatine, distance Of 80 miles; then
commenced the old fashioned way Of trav-
el by stage, on the slow line. After lea
wing Muscatine, we ascendcd a hill some
two miles. then commenced the rolling
prairies, finely improved, which was some
thing new to me,-the scenery almost
eclipsed my eyes;-howeyer, l will try
and not deviate from the truth. The next
town we reached was Iowa city, at present
the seat of Government;-from thence to
Fort Desmoines, passing many new and
thriving towns. On two occasions wo got
our breakfast at one o'clock IN the day,
and dinner at one o'clock at night. Arri-
wing at Fort Desmoines at one o'clock Sun
day morning. After breakfast 1 met Mr..
Andrew Foust and David Cunningham, oI
this county, who had purchased each q
tract Of land in Story county, forty mile;
distant from Fort Desmoines, and were
about to start to see it, in company will
Mr.. Stutzman, the Land Agent through
whom they had purchased,i and two gen
tlemen from Wheeling, Va, under pro
mise that he would show them the land
They requested me to accompany them
which consented to do. We stopped 70
the night at a village called Iowa Center
with the proprietor Of the town;--of ou
supper and lodging I will not speak. w
took an early start in the morning, il
search of the land, and surveyed the roll
ing prairies all day; occasionally seen
deer passing, and prairie hens in larg
numbers. The land was Of the best qual
ity, black soil from two to six feet deer
with beautiful rivulets passing, supporte
by never failing springs. was so we
pleased that made my selection adjoir
; ing that purchased by my company, bein
g of the same quality. We together too
thirty-ssven hundred acres, within fy
miles of Nevada, the county seat of Stor
: county, town with population of abol
n five hundred. We then returned to Fo
ri Desmoinos, where l found several of m
i acquaintance, among whom was frien
h James Sherman, originally from this plac
d l think Desmoines the best business tow
h of its population I ever saw. From VIII
At | could sec and what | could gather fro
% others who had travelled through differe>
m parts Of the State, am fully satisfied til
re !here is more good land in Iowa than al
d. one state in the Uuion.
4. would say to all those who are toiliI
s. in cultivating the rocky hills of this cou
,e try, and others who buy one, two or thr
v acres of land through the country for Il
,e sake Of living here, that the price they pi
,v for each acre would buy in the West fro
d. twenty to forty acres, in better state, ;
in ready cleared. Take my advice, and Sc
,d If you cant get full price, sell at a sacrifc
v and. will vouch that at the end of t
IL years you will be paid ten fold.
IN would also say to our young mocha
or les who have families, and are slaves
r. others, gather your tools, break out, al
,h in the end you will have something fOr
is rainy day.
es As to myself, it would be vain for I
;; to say that win go west right away, as
-" have real estate here, and poor market;
We but ole thing l will say:-If any pers
wishes to purchase my dwelling, my bu
re ness house, and stock Of groceries, that I
of ter regular invoice, l will make them
=. present Of one thau3and dollars, and W
" then seek an investment elsewhere.
a. JOHN LYONS.
no Lancaster, Nov IS, 1856.
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