Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1858-09-24
KANSAS LETTER.

WYANDorr, X. T. Sept. l3, 1858.
DEAR JoURNAL:-I promised you Kan
sas letter. after should have become res
ident of this Territory, and now that may
consider myself Settled" l shall try and
fulfill the promise, and will first give you an
account of my trip from Fremont to Wy
andott.
Wo werc Only four days in making tho
journey, leaving Fremont on Tuesday morn
ing and reaching Wyandott on Saturday
morning. When consider how short
time we were in traversing this distance, it
is difficult to realize that l am so far from
home, but the locomotive and steamboat
are the travellers fast friends and once hav-
ing given ourselves to their guidance, thoy
bear us rapidly away from the eyes that
looked fearful farewell, and kind hands
that clsspod our own rsgretfully in parting.
Wherever we have left hearts beating with
sympathy for us, or loving eyes that look
longingly for our written messages, and lips
that only breathe our names in affcctionate
remembrance, the place becomes hallowcd
by tho sacrcdnoss of that affection, no matter
what its other associations may be. The
remembrance Of bitter wrongs and unkind-
nesscs must bo cancelled, for We love natur-
ally to recall only what is pleasant, and the
tender faces of kindred and home, and tho
smiles of kind friends arc the first and last
pictures that visit our memory. no,
We took the Toledo, Wabash & St. Louis
Railroad il being more direct route, but l
learned there was not as much travel
on this, as upon the Chicago route, and the
number of the passengers on our train was
small. During the night we were rattling
across Indiana. Ono of our fellow passen-
gers had Jug with him, about tho contents
of which he was creating considerable
amusement. He would hold his nose, and
then take swallow or two from the Jug,
making horrible face as he did so. He
said it was water from tho Artesian well at
La Faystte. l supposed it was whiskey or
something of that nature, till the conductor
brought the jug to us that we might tes. its
contents by our sense Of smell, and one ap-
plication of the smelling organ was sufficient
The strong sMphurous odor was enough to
take ones breath away, though the owner
of tho jug said that one could get used to il;
he was taking jug of the water homo to
his wife, and when she got used to it, he was
going to send for barrel Of it. By and by
he was eating peach; some one asked
him where he obtained peaches, and he re-
piled with queer twist of his face, "This
is an Artesian peach como from thousand
feet below tho ground"
The morning dawned, and we were flying
over the prairies of Illinois. The sunshine
gilded tho cupolas Of Springfield, which is
fine town in the heart of o great prairie
country.
To one born in land Of mountains and
valleys, it looks oddly to see large town
standing in the midst of an immense plain,
and far as the eye can reach, to behold
nothing but continuous stretch of level
land. Ones first thought is, "Wonder if
wood and water isn't scarce there 7"
/ should grow spirit-weary if wsrc tho
resident of such town, and sigh for sunny
hills, groen woods, and cool silvery streams;
but the scene was not without its beauty;
the dsw-drops glittored on the long grass,
and thousands of wild flowers raised their
graceful heads to meet the morning sun
light.
AT Springfield the number of our passen-
gers was greatly increased, and indeed, the
farther west we travelled, the moro the spirit
Of travel seemed to possess the people. At
noon we reached Alton, where the Missouri
unitos with the Mississippi, their waters re-
fusing for long distance to lose their in
dividuality, and flowing on, one within the
other, the Missouri, or "Big Muddy" being
determined like wilful child, not to lose
its dirty face, if possible.
Here then was the "Father of Waters"
and l was gazing upon the long lines of
shore, which, in history and geography had
become familiar land to me, but which with
the actual eye, l had scarcely ever expected
to see.
l was too weary to indulge in any Ten
thusiassics" concerning the great river, and
indeed there is very little in its yellow tur- |