American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1855-06-14
Iowo, Past and Present.

three hundred miles travel. being neat [
Council Bluff, the farthest point reached.
l left Rushvile, April 3Oth, aud reached
Chicago by way Of Cincinnati and Indian
opolis, May End, passing over the most fer
tile portion of Ohio aud Indiana; from
thence to Rock Island and Davenport, on
the Mississippi river; thence through the
Interior Of the most promising State in the
Union, Iowa, of which would like to say
few things in your valuable paper to its
numerous patrons, both at home and a.
broad, and am sorry i am not more ade-
quate to the task: but as many. of your
country readers, like myself,are more prac-
teal than philosophical and care less about
the sublime than the real, they will readily !
excuse my plain writing and permit me to
tell Il iugs in my own way. Iowa has ever
been represented to me as being State
which possessed all the natural elements I,
requisite to enoble her to take a high posi-
ton among her sister confcderates; and in
deed, from that which have seen, ! am
led to conclude that she is destined to be
the State of our Union, and that at no very
distant period. Letus fora moment glance
at some of her advantages. In the first
place she possesses 26, 100000 acres OF
land for agricultural purposes that cannot
be surpassed, nor in my opinion, equaled
by any other State in the Union, the soil
being black sandy loan from IL inches
to feet deep, well adapted to the raising
of wheat, rye, oats, corn, potatoes ana
vines Of all kinds. The remainder OF the
State is unsurpassed for grazing purposes,
the whole State over being extremely well
watered by runs, streams and rivulets OF
the purest clear water / ever saw. The
water runs swift and so pure and clear is
il that the smallest particles OF matter can
be seen directly at the bottom OF their sandy
channels. and SO numerousare these streams
that almost every section of land is blessed
with one or more; and as there are no
streams destitute Of timber upon its banks
from one half to three miles wide q of excel
lent quality there is sufficient to last the
State for coming time. Indeed | was hap
PLY disappointed in the quality as well as
: quantity of timber in the State. The tim
: her, however, is all either entered or claim
: ed, but can be be bought on very reasona
Q BILE te.ms second handed. You will find
= as general thing that an individual pos
Y sessing quarter section ofrich, high, rol-
ing prairie, also, has in the vicinity IS tn
: 80 acres of timber, so all he has 10 do is
: to fence and brake his prairie, which gen
: erally takes one and two years to have a
o complete improved farm, clear of roots,
i, trees and stumps, and rich and fertile as
!, the heart can wish What contrast be-
l. tween this and going into the woods, where
it will tako at least 90 years of hard toi
r and labor before you can get farm open
ed. The very first season yon brake youl
C land in Iowa you can raise from 40 to g.
: bushels of corn from each acre withou
i any ploughing or attention after planting
}. Now, Mr.. Editor, this is plain slatemen
u of facts, not at all exaggerated. Then is i
e not strange that so many OF our citizens il
6 old Fairfield will rent poor land and giv'
+ one half in tho bushel, besides many 0
If them must pay the taxes on farm thu
}. rented, when for one dollar and 25cts pc
a. acre they could procure in Iowa much bet
in ter land, which in few years will b
worth go to 40 dollars per acre, conse
to ouenlly out of their reach forever. Wi
n, not some one who reals this and is groun
OF down by some merciless landlord say h
r will pull up stakes and emigrae to lows
p procure for himselfin this promising Stat
u at least an eighty acre lot, and by so doin
he better his condition q thousand times
to In this day Of rapid progress every thin
th depends upon immediate action, In ver
he abort time AS in OHIO, land will be out
ST. YOUR reach in Iowa. This summer will I
doubt clear the State of Congress land ar
lis lust so soon as entered you cannot buy Il
en- less than FIVE dollars per acre, and owir
Nv to the rapid emigration TO the State fro
he all section Of our Union, land is destin'
he there, in very few years to sell readily
CT 10 TO 90 dollars, and that too in state
elr nature. Only think what Iowa was
nd years ago. Tho homo Of the Indian.
I'D every grove and along every stIeamlet
Tho smoke of his wigwam ascended;-th,
paths are even to this day visible travel
inr in every direction tho vast prairi,
while every hilltop and valley bears sol
loft evidence that the red man has just left h
wa They have thus suddenly given way
,nL fore the tide Of emigration Of the VIII
Of man from Ohio, Indiana and elsewhere,
,hn The Indian village has been superseded
in, the creation of cities. their places of
der sort by tho rapid growth of an indusiric
at population, and all their vast battle iie
show signs of improvement in archltcclu
and and agricultural improvements. The b
;mg lie cry of tribe against tribe has was
thoo itself upon the breeze. Instead ther
a ofI you now hear the "church going bell,
1oir you can scarce get ont of sight of the
GOT lage church spires. There you will {
ono Of the best common school systems
70 the Union; also sabbath schools, temperal
orJ societies, benevolent institutions. scho
root of divinity, and all under the fostering {
oon of the Legislature. Never did see m
lin. intelligent, moral people than in Iowa;
rtu. deed, in this respect she is far in adva
Of many Of her more elderly sister sta
hon She has Just vo'eda prohibitory liquor
hov by large majority, and last but not le
non she is thoroughly Americanzed, wi
and fact her last elections clearly illustra
Tor. perhaps the only State in tho Union W
told out State debt hanging over her.
oull can also boast CT peaceable, lawabid
citizens, as no lawless mob has ever
ce,. graced her virgin soil. But hasten
tho close by stating that no State in the u
,Jav has had so rapid growth, which tho
n u l. 4