Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1856-12-05
OSHKOSH, Wis Nov. goth, 1856.

OSHKOSH, Wis Nov. goth, 1856
To THE Eplrons or THE FREE Pass
DEAR SIRs i-Oncc again venture to tell you Of
my whereabouts, and little experience of western
life.
| am stop ing in what some ono very appropri-
ately calls the Anglo Dutch welch orwegian State
of W1consin,in town which rejoiccs in the soubri-
quet of Oshkosh, said to BIO an Indian name but
tradition says that 1t is original Yankee for mud
hole, as go sqush" or call squash" We leave that,
however, for some future antiquarian to decide.
1t is thriving little city on the outskirts Cor
outsquirts as Mrs. Darlington says) of civilization,
conaning,of Dutch, Irish and Yankees, about eight
or nine thousand inhabitants with good sprink-
ling of squaws and Indians, and several darkies all
told.
1t is about twenty miles from Fond du Lac, from
which place several little packet steamboats, run du.
ring the warmest part Of tho Summer, (when the
lake is clear of ice) From Fond du Lac, there is
what purports to be railroad to Milwaukee. 1t is
In contemplation to connect this place with Chicago
soon, II anything is left over, after bribing the Le
gislature, and paying sundry other little expenses
from the very large land grant received from Con-
gress Something is being done the road but the
prospect of its completion is very remote.
Above here ia large tract of pine country, which
affords large lumber business which centers here
this is the principal source Of trade Although there
is fine farming country about, there is no grain
market here.
Much hustle, and appearance Of business, ard
very large consgnments OF goods. impress
stranger on his first arrival with the vast impor-
lance of the place. A little farther acquaintance
shows him that business here in every department is
done, and that the city is far in advance of the
business of the country. There is a great amount
of business talent here. Energetic young men with
stocks Of goods or brass, wishing to get to a new
place, kept going until woaried, or thinking be-
cause they have heard before of such place,
it must be an untried one, set themselves down
here. We have sixteen extensive steam mills four
large Hardware establishments, fifteen or twenty of
Dry Goods six Hotels, two Banks, nine or ten
Clothing Stores, five or six Shoe stores, many as
fifty groceries, and Lager Beer saloons entirely too
numerous to mention. All the other appliances of
village are in proportion, not to mention three
papers &c, &c. We have only two Banks which are
entirely inadequate to the demand money com
handing fifteen and brty PER cen and the only COM
modify in the m rket that is non est.
almost nothing to only fair price, has raised the
price of land proportionally Speculation has run
mad, in city and town lots and in farming land
| Oshkosh has grown from few houses to its pre-
sent Dimensions, (larger than Burlington, which by
the way is largely represented here) in six years.
plot of land is laid off for town, map i:
drawn, a photographic town such as Saxe's wittly
| describes.
"Tn Western wilds where yet unbroken rank.
| Of thrifty beavers build unchartered banks
| And proving panthers occupy the lots
Adorned with churches on the paper plots
few settlers come in the town increases Their
by sort of mutual consent they raise the price o.
lots. am well convinced that property has doub
led and quadrupled in price in year by no other
! process. The sound goes forth Of the wonderful
increase in value, and men from the older State:
caught in the net, who in turn fall in with and
keep up the system. l fully understand the remark
l heard, coming here, 4" they build cities with ga
in the West" The same process is carried on with
farming lands.
| think the same causes are at work to reduce the
price of grain again to its merely nominal value
and that great crash may be erpecte9 at the IVES
before long.
This town and country is very fine sample 0
very many parts of the West, that have seen thi
Summer.
My advice to those who are in any way 10 com
Portable circumstances at the East is to stay there
| The Great West to them is " Great Humbug -
| Living is at fabulous prices provisions with tn
single exception of bread, is triple the price thu
| East, Goods in proportion. Wheat, the staple ar
tlcie, is becoming moro and moro uncertain crop
The winters, the rust, and the fly are growing NOR
and more troublesome; the soil will wear out after
| while. Wheat commands only dollar at the LAX
ports, while it is dollar fifty or sixty in New York
Transportation by railroad, is five to ght cents pc
bushel per hundred miles. 1t is as cold or colde
with less snow here than in Vermont, though no
so far North. Late frosts are common. Corn her
is an uncertain crop. Pasturage poor. In lowe
Illinois wheat will not flourish Corn is the stapl
crop. Corn is worth twenty or thirty cent
there. Ague does not prevail in this part of Wis
consin but bilious evers rheumatic complaints an,
phthisic to greater extent than in Vermont, pre-
vail here. Aguc prevails in every part OF Mich
gan, Illinois and much of Iowa.
If emigration takes place at all it is better to u
to the newest country that can be found
Society here, though composed of New Eng
land people, has many dis,oriant elements Puri
| tanic Sabbaths are nowhere observed and in many
parts churches are rare, and there are many othe
| drawbacks.
This Is the fairest side, uneIaggeratedI give
you of the West, aud unless Eastern people have
supoA'nty Of money or health, they are sure to be
disappointed when they arrive here.