Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1859-03-24
For the Republican.

excitement over the States, l ask for a
small space in your valuable little paper.
I am Induced to this from the fact that l
have been an old resident in your county,
and wish to give to the many old friends
that left there, and TO those of them par
ticularly who wish to come west, the bene-
fit of what experience l have gained by
several years residence in Nebraska Terri
tory. Before l 90 any farther l wish to
call your attention to an article in your
paper of Feb. 10th, in which you rather dis
paraged the gold mines Of Nebraska,
(Cherry Creek) and intimated that interest
ed parties were making tremendous efforts
to encourage immigration through the me-
dunn of the press. You may probably
think that l also am interested in writing
this article from selfish motives, but hope
that you and my friends of Holmes Co.
will not think so, hare no selfish mo-
tives to interest me, | am no owner of cor
ner lots and quarter sections, l am but a
poor man endeavoring to make my living
by the sweat of my brow, l live in coun-
try which calls from me spontaneous praise,
its rich lands in broad rolling prairies, dot
ted with timber, sufficient for our wants,
where there is no ten or twenty years of
hard grubbing and continual manuring to
make little farm, where the climate is
healthy, the winds sweep over it pure and
unadulterated, there is the land for me,
and if my friends of Holmes were here
once they would join in with ME in its
praise.
And now about the gold mines. That
there is gold at Pixies Peak and Cherry
Greek, am convinced beyond a Doubt
Men whose veracity is unimpeachable have
been there from this part. Men who have
not published their success and who have
not engaged in town and land speculation,
but who went to convince themselves and
their friends of the truth of the matter,
have assured me that the reports from
there have not been all humbug, but that
there was gold there and plenty of it. 1t
is not so plenty that men can scrape up,
without any labor, the pure gold and make
fortunes in day, but by labor they can
with certainty make from $500 to $1,000
per day, this will be certain 10 him who
labors, and if he meets with success he
may make much more, many have made
much more. So far, as vet, the most of
those who have gone to the mines have
spent the most of their time in prospect
ing-hunting the country over for the best
diggings, and thus have not made much,
some of those again become discouraged,
because they could not pick up a $4,000
or 100000 in day, and came back
giving discouraging accounts of the mines,
but all agree that from $500 to $1,000
per day can he made, with certainty.
Now as to the route to be taken. Every
one who goes will, OF course, be desirous of
going the cheapest, easiest, and nearest
way, the difficulty in reaching the Missouri
river will not be so much by far, as will be
that of going from here to the mines, those
who wish to travel by public conveyances
will know the facilities for such in the
States clear to the Missouri river, and those
wishing to travel by private conveyance, of
course, would strike this river at the near
est point. The mouth of the Platte Tor
near iD they will readily see, by reference
to a map, is the nearest point, they will
have a better and nearer road by coming
to that point, and that is also, the best
place to start for the mines. And now to
prove it. Omaha, 25 miles above the
Platte, is about as near point as there is
to the mines, but emigrants will have the
Platte and ether streams to cross, which
render that road both difficult and danger
Gus. This point, Z miles below the Platte,
is the starting point Of a road, the same
length as that from Omaha, without any
streams of any consequence to cross, about
90 miles west of here, the road strikes the
government road, which is very level and
easy of travel and in an almost straight
line for the mines. In starting from here
there is gradual ascent to the high prairie,
from the very bank of the river, and some
of the most beautiful country to pass
through that have ever witnessed, those
who may take this road, will be inducied, 1
am convinced, when they return from the
mines, to settle down and live here. There
is much talk of taking the road from
Leavenworth, in Kansas Territory, but that
road is more than 100 miles longer than
from here, besids there are many large and,
in the spring, very dangerous streams to
cross, and the road runs along through
country which is more unsettled than is
he road from here. Those who come by
liver had better come, at least, this high up
before starting overland. The distance
rom here to the mines is about 600 miles.
To those of my friends who do not wish