The Kansas herald of freedom., 1857-10-10
South of Emporia, the prairie claims

d.
taken; large proportion of them by
young men without families. The pra-
iries are generally unoccupied. About
ten miles below EInporia we came upon |
a beautiful dry bottom prairie, with grass
two or three feet high, just ready for the
scythe. 1t was what is called blue stem,
or Joint grass, the very best quality OF |
prairie grass, almost equal to timothy.
Here are thousands of acres unclaimed,
and people having herds of cattle to win
ter would do well to go there and cut
all the hay they need. We met gen.
tleman from near Topeka there on that
business. Grass is so short north of the
Neosho river owing to the dry summer,
that cattle are much cheaper than COM
mon. Farmers might join together and
cut hay enough at this point, in short
time, to winter their stock and thus save
themselves from much loss and inconve-
nience. This valley is as beautiful and
fertile as any in the world, but has the
reputation of being sickly. 1t no doubt is
more sickly than the upland, but is not
more so than fertile vallies usually have
been in the old States. The health of
this region would compare favorably with
the first settlement of the Wabash valley
in Indiana, or the Miami valley in
Ohio.
Ottumwa is twenty-five miles from
Emporia, down the Neosho. 1t is situated
on beautiful elevation which overlooks
the country and gives an impression of
healthfulness as well as beauty. 1t is a
new town, near the center of Coffee
county, and not quite eight months old.
1t has a saw mill, printing press, two
stores, and about dozen dwelling houses.
The country is well settled around, and
will soon make this point of consider
able trade.
We found few old bunker Democrats
in this vicinity, but the Free State men
expect to poll 400 majority at this cleo
ton, nearly one-third of the settlers are
not voters under the six months rule, 9th
erwise the majority would be much larger.
The road from Ottumwa to Lawrence
passes through the Sac and Fox reserva-
ton diagonally. The country is rolling
prairie, and looks dry and poor, and in
many places the prairie was on fire. On
arriving at the Agel'cy, distance of thir-
ty miles, the country changes in appear
ance. Here is an extensive body of tim
Der, near the head of the Usage river, OF
as some call it, the Meridizine, or Marlas
des Cygnes. The Sac and Fox Indians
are from Iowa. Blackhawk and Keokuk
belonged to these tribes. They live most
Iy on their annuities and by hunting
seldom doing any work. Mr. Moore says
they never steal. If they want water
melon, or anything else, they never take
it, without first obtaining permission from
the owner. They own reserve, about
: thirty miles long by twenty broad. The
whites have been trying to get a part o.
this by treaty; but the Indians prefer ell
bow room to too close proximity to the
whites.
To draw the curtain and give our read.
ers peep into pioneer life in Kansas, We
, must intrude little, and say that W.
stopped all night with Mr.. Moore, whc
lives nine miles north of Ottumwa, on tho
, Lawrence road and the last settler before
reaching the Indian reserve. Mr.. Moore
is from the State of Maine. and for twenty
FIVE years followed the seas. He has been
to all parts of the world where vessels
sail, and came to Kansas for the same
/ reason that he went to sea-becauSe o
! the excitement and novelty attending it
He is an interesting landlord-keepS trav.
, elers from necessity, because they can g
no further with safety-lives in an oper
log house, without floor, and seems tt
enjoy himself as most pioneers do, ant
boasts of his claim as being the best ht
ever saw. Two young men came in a
night, cooked their supper and ate it ant
: then went to bed in the loft. We soo1
: followed suit. A few boards were laid OF
the ioice above, and on them were spread
few blankets, with saddles for pillows
D The loft was reached by stepping into
chair then putting one foot on to the toI
l of the chairback, and springing up witt
your hands on to the joiee above. Her,
we lay down TO rest, in true Kansas style
We had not lain long before the Doctor
: our travelling companion, came up in the
: same primitive manner. We had mod
e estly taken the back side of the bed but t,
this the Doctor protested, avering that HI
might roll out, and then falling seven O
a eight feet might result in breaking hi
e limbs or something else serious, and there
= would be nobody to cure him; whereas
1 five were to fall and be damaged to any
e dangerous extent, he being surgeon
:. could put everything right in a short time
| and no great loss. be experienced. So We
consented and slept safe and sound til
morning. Our hostess prepared an excel
lent breakfast, to which we did ample
4 Justice. She was somewhat unwell and
? was evidently passing through the accli.
( mating process.
S The same two young men were there
. at breakfast. They had a frying pan
cooked their own batter cakes and ate
: their breakfast from the top of a box