Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1856-02-13
~ Nv II
Washington City Jan. %. 1856.

From the Davenport Gazette, Feb 1st.
| Trarel to Fort Dodge--Ihe Cold Weather. Game
| Puddle Laads--Fort DodGc-I'TeSem and
Future.
FoRT DopGE, Iowa, Jan. II, 1856.
! Mr. EpIroM-We left your city on the LIST day
of this year, to go by the way OF Dubuque to this
place, and we have faithfully performed the- our
ney in l6 days. If we are to rely on the testi-
mony of all the people we have CHANGED to meet,
this has probably been probably as cold the
people of the U. S. ever have to suffer. In our
travels hither we have heard of at least 20 deaths
| by freezing. This number great as it is, gives
| but a mea gre view of the suffering by the cx-
| IRENE cold While we are writing, there is 4
young man lying within three feet of US, whose
! feet and hands were frozen few DAYS ago, and
at least half of them will have to be amputatc cd
On Tuesday, the Sth inst, as if to celebrate
| the great Nationa! Democratic Jubilee day, the
| mercury in the morning was found down at IS
| dogs below zero; a. II A. NJ it was at n below
and at nine at night it was 81 below. The high
est the mercury rose during the day was "a be-
MISUNDERSTANDING the sun shone bright all
day And this was the cause of much mischief.
The day was so brig ht that it betrayed many a
Sufferer, and before evening but few escaped
with whole ears, noses or cheeks. But Tor the
last wee! it has been beautiful winter weather,
with the finest sieighing The snow here is
| about 10 inches deep-calm and clear over
head.
The rush for lands at this point has somewhat
abated during this cold weather ard there is
about as much TO do as can be comfortably
transacted. This calm viii probably continue
until about the middle of April, when the tides
vii! rise higher than ever, until ali the iowa
lands viii be taken 1t is evident that this rush
Tor land is an insane mauia Land in this re
gion, without any of the advantages OF comfort
able living ior the next seven years. and With
doubtful prospects for even the distant iuiure, Is
higher than III the neigborhood OF your beau5i
full city Two or three miles from Fort Dodge
out in the wild prairie. and that OF I'd aali,y,
land is 500 per acre, and lots are selling at So
per foot.
More than haif of the hoases in the place
the old government buildings heretofore used
for barracks We believe they are now private
property, belonging to Col. Williams x Co. In
making grant to the Des MONIES River Com
pany, Congress eareiessly granted to them this
tort with all its buildings, and the present OWL
ers bought of that Company. There are, how
ever, some doubts about the title to the proper
ty. There are probably, all told, 40 hoases
here with population of $50.
This is truly the frontier. West and North is
all dreary waste. No venturous travellers GO
beyond this point, except in pursuit of game, |
which is plenty at this season. Deer and elk are
abundant, and senison is hawked about the |
streets u, y cents per ib. Atevery house. rs we
pass, We see deer frozen and standing up against t
the houses. And al one house We passed III Haf- I
din county, the occupant had ~ wolves which !!
he had killed standing silent sentinels around /
his premises. They reminded us OF the images /
with which Lord Timoshy Dexter, OF Nembury- +
port used 10 ornament his residence.
At this point they have stone coal in aban-
dance, as well as building stone. The river t
winds round The town III deep narrow, gorge,
some 70 feet deep, aid difficult IN many eases
Of ageess They have saw mill here, oet Ike
most other new locations, 1t is a poor eencern.-t
Lumber is IS per loo feet, but ii is very poor
lumber and very scarce ut that Tiintser is
scarce and We cannot see how city is ever TO
be built here without Railroad is built hrst--
Land carriage is s., go per e~t from the Aissls-
sipp,. Germ meal is SLICE per bushei, and the
nearest corn mill is about 10 mics.
No man should think of coming here for some
years, either to make a fortune OF to live com-