The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-06-16
Correspondence.
Er &c Herald IF ETsedosa.
Letter from the Neosho.
HAnrDEN Kansas IT,
June Is, '55

4lAAPDENs AaEsSS H.
June Is, '55
BRo. Baowr.-Iu the Herald of the
26th of Nay you place the pleasant town;
of Hampden between the Wakarusa river
and Wolf creek. You meant to have
said Neosho river and Wolf creek.
Hampden is about sixty miles nearly
south from Lawrence, and eighty-fve
southwest from Kansas city. 1t was set
tied last April by colony of about
eighty people from the different eastern
States, few from the western and mid
die States, but the majority of them came
from Hampden county, Massachusetts,.
The town site is high in its position, and
IN all respects well selected. The char
acter of the soil and the general appear
ance of the country on the Neosho does
not differ materially from your section. of
the Territory. The river is not so broad
as the Kansas, but l think it discharges
about three fourths as much water as the
latter. The word i" Neosho," like most
Indian names, is a significant term. mean
ing "clear water - ana well does the
Neosho verify the Specification of It's title,
for even after the heaviest rains its wa
tiers become but slightly discolored.
You are doubtless aware that this portion
of Kansas on and near the Neosho SUR
passes your section in timber. The
growth of timber on the banks of the Ne.
OSLO is very heavy, and in most parts
very abundant. Then there are Wolf
creek and Long creek, both emptying
into the Neosho on the east; the former
creek being at least twenty miles long
and The latter twenty-five. both well
wooded when compared with similar
creeks elsewhere in the Territory.
Being some distance from navigation,
the attention of the settlers on this stream
is already and will continue II, be called
TO stock raising. individuals residing at
the Sac agency have been in the habit OF
pasturing their ponies and other stock
ON the bottom landso the Neoshe during
the winter. am convinced that cattle
and horses win thrive there In the winter
season on the bottom-laad grasses alone.
Our neighbor Missourians, it would
seem, look upon this section of Kansas as
very valuable; for when the Hampden
colony was determining at Westport on
selecting place for settlement, some oil
our Missouri friends were kind enough
to intimate to us that the Neosho region
was the nursery of agues and fevers ;
but we are happy to inform them that we
have, thus far at least, found nothing to
warrant such friendly caution to emf
grants We have been most remarkably
free from sickness. Some of US, to be
sure, have suffered brief illness, caused
| by the privations necessarily incident to
frontier life, and it would have been
strange if we had not. would as soon
trust my health to the keeping of this
section of the country as to any other
portion of it. But before We finally left
Westport, and after it became generally
known that our faces were fully set Ne
osho-ward, we found out the secret
which prompted our friends toadminis-
ter to US the timely warning as to agues
and fevers on the Neosho for one OF
those in whose eyes our health was so
precious, sought out a gentleman who
had given us specific directions as to the
route to, and the nature of the soil, tim
Der, &c, on the Neosho; and having
found him treated him to a volley OF
oaths, abusive epithets and foul verbal
offal, affirming that the best parts of Kan
sas, by right, belonged TO them, the
Missourians, and that any man who di.
rected "the Yankees" to the Neoshe
country deserved ehastiseinent at the
hands those who, it seems, would up.
propriate to their own use the timber and
noble bottom lands of the second river ii
the Territory. We had no objection t.
share with our Missouri friends what
ever good this country affords, provided
they had been then ready to 60 along
with US, but we were not quite willing
to larry behind or to sojourn in West.
port until they felt disposed to enigrate
and cut out for themselves the largest
and best slice from the rich, inviting Ne.
OSLO loaf. We went there and cut out
our several slices of one hundred and
sixty acres, and We are Herewith con.
tent, merely wishing it understood tia!
those who would take those choice bis
from US viii hear some fierce growing
And l hope none viii consider me pre-.
sumptious when l say that the Hamp.
den colony as fully and as completely
deserves the best portions of Kansas as
any other body of men, whether from
the North, South, East or West. Tha
colony is composed of men and s0o,1aen
too, who would honor any State in the
Union. They require time alone to make
Hsmpden a flourishing town. In con
clusion let me say it has not been my OBJ,
ject in these remarks to hold out to The
emigrant inducements which do not ex.
list at Hampden-that place is in its in
fancy or rather in Its natal safe. Mer
of capital cannot fail to make good In.
vestments there In the erection of mills
| houses, dc, &c. - H.s
| d. w. SEIDERS.
/ -a----z.