The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-05-14
Extract from the IS Log " Of an Editor En-ronte

| Z. H. N. PATTERSON, one of the editors OF
the Oquawka Spectator, writing from this
city under date Of April %, gives his d" i'm
pressions of the route to Pixies Peak, !" from
which we make some extracts as follows:
OF COUNCIL BLUFFS.
The city has impressed ne very favorably.
have had the pleasure of forming some.
what extensive acquaintance here, through
the politeness of my good friend Henry =.
Warren, and it affords me great pleasure to
bear testimony to the general intelligence,
enterprising spirit and liberality of the cltl-
zens. We have had occasion to transact
business with some of the leading firms, in
the mercantile and general Quitting line,
and must give it as my candid opinion that
no city in the West contains more honorable
or fairer dealers than Council Bluffs. There
are two newspapers published here, which
are well sustaned-their advertising patron
age being extensive, and rejecting great
credit upon the sagacity of the business
community. To Messrs. Babbitt 4 Corpen
ter, of the Bugle, and to Messrs. Maynard
Il Provost, of the Nonpdreit. am indebted
for many favors, in the way of good supplies
of exchanges. Council Bluffs is an oasis in
the desert of our Iowa ex odus, which will not
soon fade from the grateful remembrance Of
those who have been sojourners within its
| borders.
DlscoCRAGISG REPORTS.
Speaking Of meeting one or two persons
who had arrived here from the mines, with
jiscouraging reports, he says
Ipreeume it ia in tho new mine sas it was
: =, fN.it
pccted a few days; lost much more gold
Than they saved, in washing: got discourage
Ell turned their faces homeward, and have
come home poorer in pocket and no richer
/ in experience than when they left it. 1t is
Just possible that these men are right, and
that those who, with the same facilities for
observation, have concluded to risk SO much
in going back to their families, are wrong;
but will not so believe until have fully
and thoroughly tested the matter by actual
the readers of the Spectator may depend
upon something that they may bet on as ere
| liable"
ROUTE WEST OF THE MISSOURI RIVER.
An impression prevails very extensively
that the route from Plattsmouth and other
places on the south side Of Platte River is
nearer to Fort Kearney (wherc most of the
roads come togcther) than the Northern
route; that such an impression is an errone-
GUS one any person may satisfy himself by
noting on the map the great bend which the
! Platte makes to the south between the
mouth of the Loupe Fork and the Missouri,
and the location of Fort kearney, which is
somewhat further north than this place
| The distance from the Bluffs to Fort kcar-
n"y is ISL miles, while from Plattsmouth it
is 23O miles. The great objection urged
against the Northern route, however, is that
Loupe Fork must be crossed, and the Platte
River forded at Fort kearncv. have had
some experience with Loupe, when it had to
be fordcd and ferried both, and if it was
then no obstacle 10 our progress and caused
/ no detention, it canno: much to be feared
nOw, when three good ferries are establish
Cd over it while, rs for the Plt.tte have
seen too many teams cross it, anl too many
,IDdjans wade it, to be frightened into taking
n worse and longer road to avoid cool,
pleasant ford Is inches deep. The average
number Of teams that have arrived at this
place daily, during the last three weeks, is
ten to Fifteen.
PHASES OF HUMAN NATURE.
AS might be SUPPOSED, the emigration cx-
hibits human nature in all its phases, and is
marked by groater variety, as regards man.
ner of outfit, than any that has ever previous
" crossed the Plains. We have opportunity !
here Of seeing t!morouS, faterng, hesitating
indecision, which catching at every floating
ramon that is waited from the Mines, and
allows The Temperature Of its hopes to be e.
evatcd or depressed in the ratio Of the ia
yorahlc report We behold, also. that defiant
and un.i;uchng Resolution which has deter. ,
mined TO 20 through and test the matter, to .
..trv all things and hold fast to that which .
is good" and which has adopted the motto:
We know the worst, anticipate each i'll,
Bat have resolved to conquer, .4d We Will
Tier comrades. onwayd--et US push Il thro' !
Aul gam the Gold, our !nluetry's just due.
Taken as whole, am satisfied that the
great mass Of the present emigration is com .
posed Of honest, industrious poor men-
men who are accustomed to labor and Who .
will not finch ut exposure and hardship
and who arc impcled to the step they have
taken by determination to better their
condition. Admitting that there is gold in
paving o,,antitics at the new Mines-and
Ink, i no reasonable man row pretenls to
entertain much doubt upon the 2lJ'ct-the
fact that such class of men composes the
majority Of the emf grafton IS guarantee OF
their ultimate success, ana is h0p1uI IN
dicaton that far better times are about
making their advent among US.
TINES CnANGEs-coUNClL BLvFFs-KANEs-
VILE.
Nine years ago. rs many OF my readers
remember, the writer came through Council
HuTS-then kancsyIl,r--OD his way to Cal
ifornia. Nine years have wonderfully chan
ed the appearance Of the Bi9tTs and its sur
rvund:ngs. Then there was only n small
Mormon town, with scarcely passablc
house within its limits, where now stands
CITY with three thousand inhabitants, many
tins dwellings, costly business houses, and
other indications Of the existence and outlay
of heavy Capital. light miles below, where
then only stood an Indian Agency and
Mission School where u few Omaha children
were taught, perhaps, only enough to con-
vince them that'a little learDlnG's danger
Gus thing now stands the thriving town Of
Bellevue, Nebraska. Immediately opposite
US on the the West, no house then marked
the site Of the present capital of Nebraska,
where Omaha City now looms up proudly to
view. Northward from Omaha, light miles
distant, where we crossed the Missouri in
lSJU, Il rev ucSefteu nuts then maFkeu the
site of the Mormon "Winter Quarters" but
since that time Florence money has render
ed somewhat notorious the town which now
occupies that beautiful site, but which, like
the shinplastcr alluded to, has waxcd, waned
and collapsed. Al! the places above named,
and one or two others which have scarcely
advanced more than n hut or two beyond u
paper existence, may be seen at one view
from the summit of any Of the high bluffs
at the base of which nustlcs this handsome
city.
will not venture te transfer to paper the
reflections which come, unsought, to the
mind, as it dwells, even for Il moment, upon
the wondrous changes that are wrought by
the hand of Time, which is never ccasingly
at work modelling the plastic material that
humanity presents for the capriclous designs
of Fancy or the fixed and stern command
ings of Destiny.
"Timcs change, and men change with
thcnl'-thc footsteps of one race are not