Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-12-27
Correspondence Delaware Gazette.
REDMAx. TAMA County, Iowa,
Decannhar 10Th 1851

land flowing with milk and prairie chickens, and
take this opportunity to inform my friends of
my travels, through the columns of your ex
cellcnt paper, which found had arrived IN ad-
vance Of me. 1 took my departure from Sam
uel divers, October 22d with the Union flag
| flying ever my wagon which was driven by my
son, samuel whilst occupied the horse and
T buggy. my dsughters, Hannah Ridgway and
1 Mary E-lSandike, forwarded IN the cars TO
South Bend; 1annah's haby being only 10
| days old-Wken they embarked. We arrived
/ at Robert Pools in Troy township, first day;
heavy rain that night made the roads slippery.
| We passed through Delhi aud took dinner at
Isacc Lakes, in Union county, and then we
! launched forth on the broud ocean of expenses,
passed through fleetwood, Escx, Larue, Ken
! ton, the county seat of Harding county (named
after Simon kenten, the famous Indian hun
ter,) Nanwert, the county seat of Vanwert
county, (named after one Of the men that cap
tured Major Andre, of revolutionary memory;)
we then left the Buckeye State and entered
Hoosierdom; passed through Fort Wayne,
thriving town on the St. Marys river; went
through Goshen, thriving town in E'khart
county. This county is perfect paradise,
/
The large ST and, best furnishcd'barns ever saw;
they throw the barns between Delaware and
Stratford entirely in the shade. We passed
through Michewack where a new distillery
raised its Hydra-head high in the air and seem
ed to bid defiance to temperance; and we reach
ed South Bend the 7th day, 2Il miles by my
estimates, averaging 80 Ii miles per day
South Bend is beautifully situated on a bend
of the St. Joseph river, with extensive wa
ter power, and drives a considerable business
in Touring, planeing, and all the etcctcras ac-
company ing such places. Here we hove too,
and rode quarantine ten days; the women folks
arrived safely in II hours, while it took us
days. Our object for riding quarantine was
not TO recruit our health, but TO help my son
Patterson husk and NAL kct his corn; he having
raised crop of corn there last summer. The
boys Edward R;dgway aid /. Z. Vandike
started few days in advance of us, fearing We
could not get our horses accommodated in one
place, having nine in the cavalcade. Nov. 7lh
we weighed anchor and again beat for the west
and passed through the Yankee Swamp, ever
Grapevine Greek. BY good luck there was
plank road over the swamp, else VIC would have
gone TO "Davy Jones locker" for as we cross
cd we could see the hummucks shake cons;d-
cradle distance on each side. Reached Laporte
passed Valparaiso, and encountered the Sand
hills, the most dcsolate place | ever saw. IA per
feet contrast to EIkhart, the land of huge
barns,) it seemed as if our wagons sunk al
most hub deep in it. Occasionally dwarf black
oak tree would show itself, and some wild in
digo, with nothing to relieve the monotony,
but one hunters cabin and occasionally glimpse
of the Colonel river on our rights and even
then 1 thought it might be delusion like the
mirage in the desert. Crossed the Colonel on
an elegant toll bridge and entered Suckerdom.
We now got into level country and beat for
Chicago, and on Sunday, Nov. 10th, wc enter
cd the renowned city; the wind blew almost a
hurricane with dense fog. We could not see
the lake, but VIC saw little5whiet of steam
tug rush into :hc canal and screaming as if it
would burst its lungs; but we soon saw what
was the matter, it was to get pivet bridge
turned so it could go up the "ragin canawl. y
We saw the remains of that beautiful steamer,
the Hunter" that was burnt at the wharf
days before, men burnt in the conhagration
We observed the groceries and bakeries open
and concluded we had got so far west that Sun
day had not reached there and it was confirm
! cd as we went on to Joliet, by meeting numcr
GUS loads of hay and wood going to market
Reached Joliet next day and put up at Parks
I tavern, 3 miles west of Joliet, where we saw 8
r singular cooking stove; it was feet wide IL
inches deep and high enough to contain
, shelves with pace on the top for Tin fxins tC
= keep victuals warm; there is Il CRATE below tt
burn coal, also capacious place for burning
= t,,1-, 4
= two folding doors, and your victuals, your tea
>, kettle your bread to bake, is all put indiscrim
! inatey on the shelves to cook. When yor
!, take them out your pots and kettles will no
soil a cambria handkerchief, for they nevel
- come in contact with the fire. Mr.. Parks, tht
: landlord, is the inventor lie showed me tht
: model he intends TO take to the Patent Office
. lie calls it Parks Cooking Cupboard W.
kept up the canal to Lasalle, and were astonish
ed at the activity of its commercial relations
Il we would see the boats going up and down al
the time, laden with mercandise of various sorts
Whilst passing along was struck with th'
y. geological appearance of the country, it appear
- ed nearly level, with the exception of some long
: high, narrow hills clothed with a small growi
of white oak timber; on ,"e plats below wher
- there was little or no soil on them, they ap
y pcared to have fsures, holes, and marks as
=, heavy bodies had once rolled over them; the
: put me in mind of what geolOgists call cra
4 and tail in England. Lasalle is place of grea
\ activity, furnace in full blast, and other mau
- u(actories with Il rail road bridge mounted O
:, eighteen huge pillars Ihiriy-fve feet high an
two abutnents making nineteen span OF on
N hundred and eighty feet each, making three
Il fourths of a mile; wagon road and canal pas>c
=, under. 1t is also very active place. Prnct
-. ton, Sheffield, Gcniseo are smart towns. W
=, now come TO Moline, st barbs of Rock lslanC
=, the two makes u fine city, here is the great an
e majestic Mississippi rolling her turbid water
:, past the lrowning batteries Of union, aud rel
- els, and casts them into the Gull of Mexico
&C help form the gulf stream that washes Fene
n ilIe and the Canarics. We Gre Ssed lis dark wa
! ers in beautiful steamboat, nndcd at Devel
co port, in hawkeyedom, and made oar way Il
a., ward James county, through Kicking Grov
a. Mechanicsville, Lisbon and Upton the C pu
n ty seat OF Cedar county, to Cedar Rapids lie
we encountered some very heavy rains, whic
-, made the road almost impossible in the slougl
- pronounced "Flues," in this couptry. We iina
,s- ly arrived at Henry w. Nandikes the 2iSt
,v Nov. being IA days from South Bend and
II days drive altogether, I'll miles averaging
no miles per day nearly, oil well. stood the joa
.,r ney we'll aud felt stouter and heartier thi
% !, when started. Hannah and the baby are al
=, well; she rode with us from South Bend.
feel happy and contented; nothing now
trouble me. can earn all eat and the iEte
est of my money will clothe me and my eh
mn tlren six in number, are all round ire, aud it
ut perfectly at home among them.
! remain Yours &c,
.' InuN NAN DIKE.