The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-04-14
From the North Western Prairie Farmer.
Going TO the Gold Mines.

Goins to the Gold Mines.
A few hours before going TO press, we
received letter from Mr.. r. L. Sumner,
formerly OF Muscatine, Iowa, and we'll
known to nearly all our readers as val
ued correspondent. About the first of
FEBRUARY he started for the newly discov-
cred gold mines, and promised to write
occasionally. His letter is dated at Co.
lumbus, Nebraska, March 90. We give
it entire, and ask for it careful and at
tentive perusal.
"On the Sth," he says, eve started
from Omaha for the newly discovered
gold mines in this Territory. But owing
TO the bad weather and bad roads, we
have not advanced very far-only one
hundred miles. After leaving Omaha,
We passed over nice prairie country to
the Elkhorn river. But there is no tim
Der of any consequence. l have seen
farms fenced with little willow poles, and
cottonwood for posts. When the coun-
try becomes settled, there will not be
timber enough, in most localities in Ne
braska for fire wood.
There has been good deal said about
the good qualities of the Platte Valley.
For my part, ! do not think much oft.
The land is so fiat that it is too long
draining off /: or, rather the water soaks
into the earth. The land is too sandy :
and where not too sandy, too wet, and no
timber. AS usual, there are several set
Elements along the road-some from Illi-
nois, Iowa and Michigan, and doubtless
they left a better country than this. l
know there are thousands of acres uncul.
tivated in Iowa and Illinois, which are
far better than any l have seen here. 1t
is good thing that there is difference
in opinions.
There are about half dozen stake
tosons on the road, some of them nearly
as large as Chicago And now here we
are at the great town of Columbus
little, one-horse place, mostly settled by
Europeans, some of them nice people,
There have none gone farther than this,
en- route for the mines, on account of the
ferry not being finished at the Loup Fork
river. But they will have the boat done
by tomorrow. There are about 1875 PEG
pie encamped here, who are anxious to be
on the road.
/ think we all started too soon we
have to haul feed for our teams. By
waiting for grass we would not have to
do so. and could bring provisions, which
we all viii want before next fall. Very
we'll, it takes every body to know every
thing. There is nothing like experience,
to get along rightly. The gold reports
are not half so favorable here as in the
States. A few days since S. S. Curtis
came in from the mines. He says there
is plenty of gold there-but he did moi
have enough of precious metal" to pay
his fare along the road. So l have beer
told by reliable persons. Another mar
said he could make from So to S25 pei
day. When he came here one of hi:
friends intended going to the mines; bu
he wanted him not to go-the reason he
would not divulge.
Now, if there is as much gold as mos,
say, then he would not have urged hi:
friend to not go. Emigrants think the
miners are leaving before the emigra
tion gets in, to save their necks in case
the gold should turn out to be humbug
How this is, am not able to say one
thing is certain-if it should turn ou
TO be a humbug, there will be some il
rather scaly place." would advise
all who are well fixed to stay at home til
they know there is something to 90 for
As the thing now stands, it is rather du
bious. Nobody knows anything about
it. We expect to reach the mines in
month or six weeks, provided we have
good luck"