, 1859-02-28
The Opening Of the Hannibal and St.
Joseph Railroad.
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THE cEtEBRAI1oN TRIP IRoH CHICAGO
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THE cE1rBR111oN @rR1R rRon CHICAGO
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lspesA Correspondence of th4 P,ess AID tribunal
sT. Jos1rH. Feb. s31. 1873.
| ~ change Of programme the Chicago dele-
tlon devoted y&sterday 10 seeipg what could b.
seen, Of St.. Jilepa. :aid ii ths afternoon 10
mste h.st7, lns very pleasant, viisi. to Kan.
sas. Owing to The impossibillty Of guests from
Eastern @cfhti reaching town on the 22d, tbs
formal celebration Of the opening Of the Hsnui.
bal 4 81 Joseph Railway was postponed till to-
day. In pairs and parties of half dozen a.
most every object Of iaterest in tie city Was
visited yesterday forenoon, and as tho day vss
remarkably 6ns, NE we're all delighted With our
rambles.
st. Joseph hu improved very rapidly within
the last three or four years, md il now city of
seFen thousand inhabitants. It has q Number
Of fiae business blocks, built of brick, which
wonld not do discredt to my city. The Odd
Fellows' and Masonic Hall Is truly 4 splendid
building, and very large hotel, costing soms
/ hundred tho.faud dollars, is enelosed, snd Ne
believe nearly finished. The city stands On
p1stesu, some fifty feet or mora above tho rirer
surrounded on the esst By high hills. =
spur from which divides the town nearly in tho
centre. The cour. house is built upon this hill
and from the cupola the sight il truly rnsRni6-
cent. On either side is the city, the streets filed
with cisizana and strangers moving abont IN all
directions. In the rear Of the business streets
nesting upon fhe sides and in some cases crown.
ing the suu1m;ts Of tho beautiful ills that sur.
round the city are the uest and often elegant
residences Of the people, while in front, at your
feet, rolls the muddy, ever-boiling current of
tho Missouri Directly opposite is the tosn Of
Eiwood, whote neatly painted houses speak vel
for The thrift ard enterprise Of its inhabitants.
while far IN the distance are the beautiful hills
and high rolling prairies of Kan sas II the
tourist is in the mood to re feet upon the in.
nense extent oi the valley Of the angry rirer
at his feet; to trace up its windings for two
thousand miles to RS springs. amo ng the SNOW
capped SUBMITS Of the Rocky Mountains; and
withal to combine the teachings Of his judg.
men: with the conceptions Of bis imagination,
and contemplate this mighty valley. ss it scon
will be, filled with millions Of intelligent, enter
priaing, virtuous freemen, be will hare themes
Of suggestive thought thnt will well repay q
visit to tho Missouri.
The busiaess Of the city, md the character
and appearance of the people who we're throng-
ing the streets we're matters of much interest TO
us all. and specially to those of our older ci.i-
zens, who we're members Of our party. Men
and women on horseback werc in town from
the vicinity, apparently fitting ont for
Western tour Covered wagons we're moving
along the streets, md everything seemed 10 in-
d!cate that B. Joseph is frontier city where
emigrants prepare to penetrate further into the
rich praizies that lie towards the setting sun.
Our felloT:cltizen, S. F. Gale, Esq, remarked
that st. Joseph yesterday was q facsimile Of
what Chicago was in 1885. Chicago nt that
time was scarcely larger than st. Joseph il now,
and it certainly had not so many large and sub
stantial buildings. In twenty.three years Chi.
csgo has become city Of 10000 inbabitants.
Considering the rich country that surrounds St
Joseph, though Of eourae it's commercial posi-.
tion cannot be compared with that Of Chicago.
in twenty three years We shall expect to See this
city contain st least from thirty to fifty thou
sand inhebi.ante.
In the afternoon. by invitation Of the owners
Of the large steam ferry boat, our party took sn
excursion to Belmont, six miles from st. Joseph,
in the Territory Of
We were fortunate in having the company Of
Gen- Pomeroy, Of Atchisor, aud several other
gent'esaen from kansas and st. Joseph, who
entertained us with many incidents illustrating
the early history and settlement Of the country,
From the high bluffs IN the rear OF the town We
could see Troy, the county seat Of noaiphan
County, tre.:y Eiies vest, and the Town Of Don
phan eighteen miles from tbs Missouri. The
beautiful rolling psairies fixed the impression
upon tae minds OF the company that this is
ruly a "goody land" After fea.tlng or eyes
to the full, our company assembled and 9sve
three times three cheerz for Kansas. loud, loug
and thrilling, and three for Cen. Fo..eroy, Who
acknowledged the compliment by giving Us a
most cordial welcome.
Belmont is rev town and its enterprisinr
projectors are determined to maks it a principal
s:ars'pg point for tha Western emigration fer
the plhlnE and the new gold fields, 1t is well
situated ut the base Of and u7eu the bluffs OF
the point where the Missouri River leaves the
Kansas side to run across the bottom lands to
st. Joseph.
We were p1eased to have the company during
the daJ Of Mr. Geo. b. Hoze, q ZOE ol our fel-
low cit'zep, 4. Il. Hoge, Esq who has for some
time been resident Of ST Joseph. lie is doing,
81 We learn, a very successiul lumber business,
bringing his stock by csaal aod river from Chi
cago. It is really marvel in modern commerce
that the pineries Of Michigan ard Northern
Wisconsin should be LAID under contribution to
buisd up city on the Missouri, i've hundred
miles above St. Louis.
The guests we're wisely permitted to spend
the evening in quist, affordiug time for rest and
better preparation to enjoy the festivities Jet in
store for them. B,