The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1855-05-18
Letter from a Kanzas Emigrant

April Is, 1855.
We like the counlry-my wife says that
she has no desire TO 60 back again. All
she thinks about, is, 10 get US house on
our claim, 60 10 gardening and farming, a
COW and some hens, aud then she thinks
she will be all right. The children enjoy
themselves very we'll, but think they
would like il better If there were some
more children TO play with; but l suppose
we shall have enough OF them before long.
Mr.. Merrill did not send for us until afler
the election was over, as he did not think il
advisable for us 10 come up, on account OF
the excitement.
II cos, US one dollar per hundred pounds
for our freight, and twelve dollars for myself
and family, from Kanzas City 10 this place
although the fare will probably not be
more than half so much when they CON-
mence running the boats on the Kanzas
River, and that will DO very soon, as they
are now making preparations 10 do so. We
are about five miles from Lawrence City,
on the south side OF the Wakarusa, and
abont twenty rods from The river. II is not
a large s,ream,-being about four times as
large as Weslbrook, although they say il
is much larger and swim running stream
amer The rains set in. II is good water for
cooking or washing, but il is no, SO soft as
rain.wa,cr. Mr.. M. lives in sigh, Of US, on
the side Of Lone-Tree. Bluff, and little
over half mile from the river. He has
some fifteen or twenty acres OF timber a
round him, principally oak. East from
him, and the next claim, is where think
of putting down my stakes. We are living
on wha, Is called bottom land, as level as a
floor, and containing hundreds OF acres, and
covered partly with old last year grass
One claim will not reach from the river
back to rising prairie, which is rolling prai.
rie beautifully rising and swelling with
mounds and hills or bluffs oil around
Lone. Tree Bluff might give one the idea
tina, !, was lonely place, from the name u
bears-but not twenty feet from The edge oil
the Bluff, where the ee siards, is Men,lls
wood LOT, a pretty grove OF trees, p.i ,cipal-
" oak. The Bluff is 400 or 500 feet high
from the Wakarusa level, and contains pro-
badly 20 acres, with scarcely tree lex.
cep, The lone.tree) or shrub on il. And
they say i, would be good land for whea, OF
fIui,-and from lis top is a mos, magnificent
prospect. We can see the prairie, dotted
in every direction with the houses Of those
who have taken their claims, the woodlands
bounding The Kanzas River, the Wakausa
and creeks in every direciion-and as far a,
the eye can reach are rolling prairie, bluff
and woodland. To the south, about miles
il The old Santa Fe road 10 The north, abou
4 miles, is the old California road, crossin,
a bluff about a mile this side OF Law
renee, crossed i, yesterday in going I,
Lawrence, and that part Of il that | saw
was like McAdamized road. ] think w
shall have no public roads 10 build here, 10
there are no swamps 10 cover-or forest
clear, for that purpose we may have SOM
cheap bridges 10 build, across small streams
bu, no, many. There is any quantity Q
the very les, Of limestone about here, AM
pleniy Of il around Lone-Tree-Bluif.-
There are several kilns in operation now
and they say we can have lime for 20 cents
bushel. There is good clay for making
bricks, and think they will soon be int
that business. There is not much saIdsion
Tor building purposes above here, but Their
is enough further up the river, GO or 8
miles; limestone answers well, as you ca
find il in almost any shape. ! bcliev
there is plenty Of coal. have seen som
slate, though no, of very hard kind.
think il will yet be found sufficiently har
for covering buildings. There are indica
tons of lead and iron. have found som
red chalk-and they say there has bee
gold found by the Indians, and should nc
be surprised 10 see il myself, fov | hav
found quartz very mn"h resembling IN
California gold.bearing quartz, though
NAV be no, be found in sufficient quanlilie
10 pay for digging. There is plenty {
black walnut, white oak, Tor what shout
call yellow oak) locust, hickory, Tor wa
nuO sycamore, slippery elm, and bu.'o
wood; strawberries, sbcrries, blackbel
ries, June plums, grapes, hops, arlichoke.
and anything else iha, you have mind
raise on your Owl hook. But you must nc
expect 10 find them malured at this season
j, is sufTicier, for me TO say they are here
and that we shall have them in due Tim,
have seen two catfish, caught from IN
Kanzas River, one OF which l should thin
weighed nearly 100 pounds, and the o,ht
nearly as large; they resemble what W
call horned-pouis, but they say they are o,
cellen, fish. They tell me there are fish
the Wakarusa, such as Cat, perch, pickcre
and buffalo fish, bu, have not had
chance 10 try for them yet. Wild ducks
geese, and other water fowl, arc plenty
white and black swans some few, and vii
turkeys, though believe not very plenty
I have seen couple Of deer, but ] believ
il hard TO get shot at them
The land is rich as barn-yard-wi
need no dresslng-,he only trouble at pres
en-, is the fencing part; that we can hay
in time by planting The Usage ,9!h iiT;se or
.,l..l.ls ,nGw6 cotton wood, which will
gov ia two or three years sufficiently 10
make good and lasting fence; or we can
build Of stone, bu, il would be Too labori.
Gus and take TOO much time. As for buy
ing rails Of the Indians, il is out OF The
ques,ion-lhere is no Indian territory near
enough TO us for that. though there may be
in some parts OF the territory; they tell me
i, has been done - but the Understands
are all taken up here by settlers. believe
tina, rails can be bought for about two and
one half or three dollars per hundred-and
I suppose j, will be bes, 10 buy fence e.
nough TO fence in few acres, unit! wo can
grow our fence.
There is no fear Of any trouble from the
Indians about here, as there arc not many
about. Many Of them are more civilized
than some Of the withstand. in coming
through the territories, you will see them
living in good houses, well dressed, neat
and clean-,alk as good English as anybody
and mind their own business generally.
There Is one tribe called The Caws that are
rather lazy sci: they 90 about begging,
and some OF them get drunk, when they
can pe, liquors. THIS was formerly their
territory they belong now up near Topeka,
o5 miles above Lawrence-but they are
sometimes down about Lawrence, and even
10 Kanzas City.
II is no, quite time for the rainy season
yet; | believe they come on about The frs,
Of May. They say they have had an
unusual long spell Of dry wea,her-but not.
wi,hsianding the drouh the trees are bud.
ding, and have seen some green leaves
on some OF the small ,rees-and in spots