The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-10-25
Life in Kansas.

Kansas immigrant shows something o
life in new country, and will be found
interesting:
Unlike the tinbered states in the East
Except upon the rivers and watsr which
are verdantly dotted with trees, from one
to three miles in width as far as the eye
can reach. the beautiful rolling prairie
lies spread around like sea of meadows
The timber is mixture of oak, hickory
cherry, black walnut, elm, locust, &C.,
&C.; the shrubbery scarce but beautiful,
consisting of wild plums and grapes. The
prairies are now decorated with growth
of most beautiful flowers, and grand as
the brilliancy of the stars. The soil is
rich and fertile, from three to ten feet
deep, and generally composed of rich
black mould. 1t produces in abundance
wheat, corn, and many other commodities,
together with sweet potatoes. Horses, cat
tie and hogs, though of Inferior breed,
are tolerably plenty, and raise themselves
by grazing in the vast prairie in summer,
and feeding in the bottoms in winter
The wild game consists of geese, ducks,
quails, prairie hens and turkeys, which
arc abundant.
There is breeze continually blowing
on this prairie, which prevents the mos
quitoes from staying about in these parts
The roads along the prairies are as good
as can be. The ground for miles is as
level as the third avenue, and interrupted
now and then with little knobs, which you
would not call hills, and in fact our horses
of the North would not think Of walking
up them. All farmers admit that the
country has no equal, as reguards quality
of land, in raising stock particularly.
think | have now described the land, and
can only add in regard to the land as to
quality. as far as l can see there is no
humbug. The objection in most of the
parts is the want of good water and tim
Der. Yet, as regards the water, We must
wait until the settlers have dug wells, &c.
AS regards wood, of which there is a
scarcity, nature seems to have provided
coal, which, from what little has been
seen of the country, is here in great plen-
ty.
As I have said before, we started in an
OK cart, and travelled over this beautiful
prairie; the wagon or cart being covered
protected us from the sun, and by open
ing the back we had fine breeze contin-
ually playing through. This was the
most delightful ride | ever had. We
made about three miles per hour. All
the company seemed to be in high glee,
the children were seampering over the
prairie gathering wild flowers; in fact, it
was impossible for them to keep STILL
After sundowD, we halted at an Indian
log house; the Indians had all gone to a
war dance, and the house was left with a
negro slave, who gave US some corn bread
and ham, and we added prairie hens,
which shot on the way. After dinner
or tea we smoked, chatted, &C., and then
concluded how we were to sleep. There
being but one room in the house, there
could be no quarrelling about that. There
being two beds, my family had one, the
rest took the other bed and floor. BY
crossing my family sideways in bed, with
our feet on the dining table, We managed
all to get in. The slave intimated that if
the Indians came home at night they
might be drunk. and in all probability
ugly, SO we examined our pistols, placed
them under the pillow, and laid down
All went on we'll through the night, except
that more travellers asked to be accommo-
dated with lodgings, permission being
granted them to sleep under the she'd
In the morning after We had breakfast
we started again, and we passed the same
description of country as | have already
noted,
We arrived at the city Of Lawrence a.
bout dark. We were ushered into 9
house called a hotel, the only one in the
place. 1t had about one hundred guest:
at tea, which consisted of tea, bread, nc
butter, ham and molasses. Board one
dollar per day. After tea we were tolc
we could not be lodged, as the house was
full; but if we chose we could lay on the
dining table, but that they could farnisf
us with nothing except the cloth, which
We were welcome to use as sheet. Hav
ing no other alternative. we were left il
possession of the dining table, to shift as
best We could. After spreading oul
blanket and then the sheet or table cloth
we turned in on the dining table. On the
second floor above.us there were no bed
steads, but there were hunks built up five
tiers high, like an emigrant ship; in these
hunks they put three persons, making Tho
hunks and floor contain about 100 per
sons. The lumber contained in the build
ing was cut in the forenoon, and th,
building put up in the afternoon of th'
same day, SO you can judge of the quail
ty of the house. After dreaming for ,
while of the good old times of Adam ant
Eve, we were startled by a man singing
out, there was a id big snake in hi
bed You know that was enough fo
me; I made one jump out of bed, and i!
on something soft which believed was
snake. l fancied it was, as the heel 0
my foot, l thought, smashed its head.
sung out Here he is. have killed him!
Those above stairs came rushing down t
see the snake, and after getting laml
and seeking the snake. we found nothin