The Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1854-1855, 1855-06-14
F.Rr DIS NoISEs. Iowa June u 1919


FoRr DIS MONIES. Iowa June l. 1855
Eds. PqUadiuns.-O OF Burlington. from
which place | wrote you. L can say but little
, as arrived in the night and left early mex
morning / noticed this much. however dur.
ing the short period of daylight | spent in il
. that it is high, dry, clean aud, 10 al appear
ance, healthy; and that a large amount Of bu-
siness is transacted here. l noticed several
fine churches, goodly number of fine large
dwellings. and several very creditable public
edifces; ali which taken together led me 10
mark it very decent and enterprising
I town, which, from present appearances may
some day, swell into very creditable city.
I Three stage coaches in company, left there
| for Council Bluffs and intermediate places.
crowded full Of passengers. To Mt Pleas
ant 30 miles, travelled over a very poor
Plank Road with every alternate plank rotted
out and the balance missing or lying length
wise This portion of Iowa is. perhaps, Of all
others. tie most beautiful 10 look upon. An
unbrokcn sea of verdure stretches away in all
directions as far rs the eye can reach. with
here and there an Island grove for the aching
vision to rest upon and 10 break the otherwise
monotonous expanse OF limtless green Here
is deep. rich soil, which produces well. but
the entire destituiion respects running water,
must ever be serious draw back upon this
otherwise most delightful portion of Iowa
NJ. Pleasant Is the county seat oil Henry. Has
some HOO inhabitants. seems TO be pleas
ant location and bears indications of consider
able enterprise and vigorous growth.
From here our road lay over country con
siderably broken, and timbered to some KENT.
with scrubby oak and hoop pole hickory, for
about 90 miles, whenw we rolled into the coun-
ty seat of Jefferson-Fairfeld. Here We
took supper, and we again started on
road to Agency City 1t commenced raining
and turned very cold. Having had the mis-
fortune to be in the poorest coach | have ever
seen--one that no doubt had seen term of
hard service in Indiana Ohio wears ago
| suffered more from cold than did during
last winter About midnight the last light
went out. and it beng very dark, and the
drivers very drunk. they halted In front of a
deserted cabin, Left their teams stand, aud
danced and howled through that old hut till
daylight. when they again started and landed
us in Agency about eight o. clock, having been
all night going fifteen miles. How thankful
ought Hoosiers to be that their Railroads have
rid themselves of three great nuiSances, viz:
Stages. Stage-rding, and Stage drivers In
a country where they have no Railroads,
stages when comfortable and not leaky. stage
riding when sufficiently speedy, and stage
dFlNels when SOBER ana Gt-nLItman!E, are all
great blessings. and ought to be appreciated
but here in Iowa they are. like the rumselIer.
the last of the speeies-having forgotten
all the virtues of the stage drivers of other
years, they have carefully retained all their
vices: but their course is. like the red mans,
toward the setting sun. and ere long the race
will pass entirely away.
The next town of importance on the road
is Oscaloosa, the county seat of Mahaska.-
This is a beautiful place situated on a high
spot IN a vast prairie, beautifully laid out, and
neatly built 1t is unquestonably the hand
soonest and largest inland town in Iowa; and
surrounded as 1t is by good country. there is
reason 10 believe it will at some future day be
if not the largest, then certainly the Queen
inland city of Iowa.
Eighteen miles further on is Pela, founded
by colony OF Hoanders, containing about
l 200 or / $40 inhabitants. 1t is beautifully
situated. and though young, bears the marks
Of rapid growth and vigorous enterprise. The
only thing | did not like to see was the en-
closing the dwelling house and the horse stable
within the same frame and roof, so that the
door OF the parlor opens into the comfortable
quarters of Bob and Billy. Here, as in every
town in Central Iowa, they have some hopes
Of getting the capital located. Between this
last place and Fort Des Moines lies the heart
IF Iowa. Here is the soil, the water, the tim
Der. the coal and the heathful atmos phere, that
will combine to make it the hear. and glory of
Iowa. ECHO.