Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-09-09
NO. "a.
A TRIP To rORr DODGE.

past SIX In the evening, and arrived at Iowa
Falls between four and five in the morning,
where we stopped about an hour and had a
good breakfast. Iowa Falls is sure to be a
thriving town at no very distant day. tits
pleasantly located in beautiful grove on the
banks of tile Iowa River, and is surrounded
by rich farming country, which is being
rapidly settled up. That the people Of this
town are of the better and more intelligent
class is evinccd in the excellent taste dis.
played in buildings and arrangement Of
grounds. We know of no town in Iowa of
its size that can boast of so many really fine
residences as arc 10 be found in this little
place of a few bundled inhabitants. MANY
oil them are costly, and all give proof of
refined and cultivated tas;c. The next town
on our line of travel was Alden, eight miles
west Of iowa Falls. Alden is a little hamlet
that some folks once thought gave promise of
future greatness. But the seed time has past,
the harvest has come, and Alden amounts to
about as much as our potato patch did when
the bugs deserted it. From Alden to Web.
ster City, about thirty miles, it is one broad,
uhbrokeh cxpanse of prairie, with the cxccp.
tion OF one little grove, that goes by the GU.
phonious title Of Skunk Grove,--and we
were inclined to believe that there was more
truth than poetry in the name, for just be.
fore We reached the stage house there locat-
ed, the inmates had killed skunk in the
cellar and the odiferous perfume Of the mar
tyred spohsor Of the grove filled the house
from cellar to garrett From this place to
Webster City there is not a settler. Thi,
latter place is the County scat of Hamilton
county, and has a population Of about five
hundred souls. Its prospects for becoming
thriving city are not the most fattering,
yet 1t has chance to become place of some
local Importance. 1t has a large, fine looking
brick school hotts., which would be credit
to much Tore rretontious town, and which
led us to form favorable opinion of the good
ssnse and enlightened libcrality of the cti-
zens. We here made the acquaintance Of
Mr.. Ballou, the editor of the Hamilton Co.
Freeman. Mr.. b. is an energetic, wide
awake young man, and gets up an excellent
local paper, which the people of the county
should support most literally if they would
subserve their own interests. After getting
an excellent dinner at the W illson House, we
started for Fort Dodge, about twenty two
miles distant. Between these two latter
places there is but one house,-n poor one at
that, and which reminded us of dsmon.
tied ship at sea. The broad, smooth bosom
OF the virgin prairie, with the tall grass tin.
dnlatins with regular sweeps before the
breeze, was to our mind fitting representa-.
tive Of mighty inland sea, and we could
compare 1t to nothing else. But let no one
for moment suppose that because these
broad Pralres are uninhabited they afe
worthless. On the other hand, there is none
of its vast area waste land; it is Of a rich
and fertile soil, which, if but cultivated, would
feed the world. The great drawback is the
lack of timber and water, but when railroads
shall have penetrated thcse vast domains, the
difficulty of obtaining the former will be in
great measure obviated, while the latter will
have to be supplied by artificial MEANS
Northwestern Iowa contains a much larger
population than one trave.ing over the stage
road would naturally suppose The settle
ments are mainly on the streams, while the
stage route avoids these. striking out across
tho prairies. In travelling to Fort Dodge It
is seldom that the traveller cannot catch n
glimpse Of timber miles off, either to the
right or left, and if he should visit these
groves would fnd thrifty farms in abun
dance.
We reached Fort Dodge about six o'clock
in the evening, tired, hungry, dirty having
staged 1t for twenty four hours, without any
inlcrmission other than that necessary in Get.
'ihg our meals and changing horses. After
supper at the Sc. Charles, we went over to
the Republican Office and made the acquaint.
ance of its talented editor, B. F. Cue. Mr..
Ghe is one Of the prominent men of the
State, having represented Scott county for
several years in the Legislature, and during
the last session was in the Senate--and il
was universally conce led that he was among
the loremost in that body. En- appearance
nc rs plain aud unprctending, but be posses.
ses the clear, vigorous brain, and solid, ster.
ling worth winch are too often found want.
ing in many Of our public men. Mr. Melen.
dy and the writer were doIpickd in Mr.
Cues house during their stay ia Fort Dodge,
and to him and his estimablc lady would
return their heartfelt thanks for the generous
hospitality shown them.
Fort Dodge is bound to be the town be.
tween the Cedar River and the Missouri -
On account of its now isolated position il
does not assume that promincnce AZ a bust.
Eess point which its natural advantages en-.
title it to. in its large beds Of coal and gys.
sum alone, it has an element of wealth su(Ii.
cicnt TO build up first class inland city. and
then the situation Of the town is such A 10
draw the trade Of a large scope of fertile
country. What Fort Dodge most wants and
must bavc to develop its resources is rail.
road. 1t has fine natural advantages, and
when it once secures a cheap and speedy
means Of transit to and from the oifside
world, then will Fort Dodge become a biisi.
ness center second to few in the interior Of
the State.
On Wednesday, the 3lst ult., the Conven-
ton asse,rtled. or the doings of that body
we need not speak particularly as the official
minutes are published in another column
Though the representation was very fair, the
attendance was not as large as at the Con
vention beld at Webster City two years ago.
Fhe manner in which Judge Hubbard was