The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1857-07-02

1.-THE western papers putting the free state
emmigration for the present year to that
territory, at seventy thousand. Twill
give description of this part of the great
west. | left the Mississippi at Dubuque,
and before proceed, I will say there are
many fourishing towns on the river |
will only mention few of them, Quincy,
on the Illinois side, is beautiful town,
surrounded by a beautiful country. Among
others, Keekuh, Burlington, Muscatine
and Dubuque, all of which would take
those accustomed to the progress of Penn
sylvania BY surprise; although I had
calculated the growth to be fast, they far
surpassed my calculations. The celebra-
ted Mormon city of Nauvoo is dead. 1t
remains just as they left it, except the
destruction, BY fire, of the great Temple,
whose blackened walls remain Just as the
fire left them. The large three story ho-
tel cnmmencedby the Mormons, built of
brick, remains without reof Just as
ahey left it, and many other buildings
are in the same unfinished state. Du-
buque County in Iowa, part of the
lead region, after leaving the river, is
broken with ravines and small bluffs un-
till about 10 miles back, when it becomes
more level, and finally becomes a. vast ex-
pause Of beautiful prairie, with very little
timber in sight and that very light growth
of grove timber, without a tree large
enough fora saw log. The soil is various
some sandy, some loom, some low and
wet, but all black, and where cultivated
produces heavy crops of wheat, corn, po-
tatoes, and finally most of the crops neees-
sary for comfort. Fruit tree culture, as
far as tried where I have travleed, has
been failure; the winters prove too hard
for the trees. As near as can learn, our
Potter county winter before last was
fair sample of their Iowa winters as far
north as this latitude; its southern part
is much warmer.
The time to make fortunes by removal
to the west has, in my opinion passed.
People in general immiggating from the
east have little knowledge of the difficulty
in procuring land. The western lands
have mostly been subject to auction sales,
and have passed into the hands of specu-
lators, and prairie landsheld at So to $50 per
acre, timbered from $40 to $50. will
suppose matter of fact case: an immi-
grant from the east finds government
land Well, he wants prairie, of course,
and if he gets land he can only get prai-
RE (for all the timber is bought mp fifty
miles ahead Of civilization) we'll, he
must buy timber, and pay at least $40
per acre for it, and of course he wants
something tho live in, (to say nothing
about comfortable honey. Well, per-
haps the nearest timber he can find to be
bought is from one to FIVE miles of, and
the poorlumber they have here costs from
s20 to S25 dollars per NJ #. Now how
long must it take to get house to live
in, and the cost of building, all consider
ed, makes it hard for the inhabitants of
this region. One thing is favorable, good
quarries of stone are abundant, mostly
lime.
PRICES AT ST. CHARLEs.-Wheat,
81 80 q bushel; Corn, 81 90 % bushel;
Hams, 25 cts. p ID; Flour, $3.50 f9|
cwt..; Potatoes, sl,50 q bushel; Prairie
Hay, (the only kind in market) $40 g
ton; Beans, s4,o0 y bushel; Groceries
at corresponding pricss; Oxen, from Sl00
to s150 p pair Cows, from $50 to $50
each; good Horses, $500 @ $3.50.
have but little more room; just enough
to say to the citizens of Potter who are
doing we'll, to be contented before they
venture to try uncertainties of the. West.
| find the farming community are far be-
bind the villages; the land is 9-lO of it
in the hands of spectators, and the in
habitants too far apart for schools; not
over one acre out of 200 is cultivated, in
the FIVE or six counties through which |
have passed, and that is a fair specimen
of northern Iowa.
When / find something of sufficient
interest in my travels will write again
My next travels will be through northern
Wisconsin and Minnesota. By-the-bye
| vii say that the Indian difficulties at