Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1865-10-13
Letter from Iowa.
Des Moines, Iowa, Sept. 23d, 1856

great West, with its rich prairies an
fine climate that | queried in my ow
mind whether it was best for Us at th
East to slight il out on the old line" o
come out here where it is said that cor
and wheat grow almost spontaneously
}. This point ! determined TO settle b.
. coming to see for myself. In accordanc
with this programme, about three week
ago, in company with the Hon. VIM. }
Hastings and lady, / started for the Yves
to look the matter over candidly.
We took the cars at Waterbury fo
Burlington, where we spent frs
night with our old townsman, N. S
Hill, Esq. and l would advise all frou
our way TO give them call. Tell the
girl that appears at the ringing of the
bell that you are from Craftsbury and
the doors fly open as by magic. His
house is south of the College, where you
have fine view of the city and the lake,
with the Adirondrc Mountains f O a
background. His good wife, with her
usual kindness, put up for US basket
of luncheon and fruits that caused us TO
gratefully remember her every time we
opened h e basket, for, frequently we
could get nothing else to eat. We stop
ped at Saratoga to see the place, the gay
world and try the water of the springs ;
| must say I never saw so many fool
iSh p eople together. Most of them
healthy and well, there to make a dis,
play, TO see and be seen and spend their
money. Some of the ladies had trunks
not quite as large as a drygoods store /;
the baggage masters wer g holding a
council over one whether it was best to
put the trunk into the car, or the car
into the trunk but as they d i d not
agree, suggested, as it had trucks on
they could couple it on and let it run,
p baggage car of ITSELF Tell the ladies
of Orleans County If h ey 60 to the
Springs, with any expectation of making
a sensation, not to take trunk smaller
than a woodshed.
We started about { o ur o'clock and
passed through dry, sandy country
Toward night the country we passed tLro'
ooked much better. We rode all night
nd in the morning found ourselves in
western New York, which is Fl n e
ountry, but has little fruit. We arriv-
d at the falls in the forenoon and there
witnessed h Q grsndest sight I ever
aw. We went TO Goat Island and to
he tower, where there is the finest view
rom the American side. W took
arriage d went across Suspension
Bridge TO the Canada side. While eros
ing | noticed there were a number of
cams on the bridge, and soon freight
rain came laundering along over our
heads. 1t seemed to me like big load
for few wire ropes.
We stopped at h Clifton House
where we found JEFF. Davis family, but
we took no particular pains to make their
We next went to Victory Point where
there is a magnificent view Of the falls.
W e thought w must see them from
below, so W donned the oicloth suit
and started to 60 under the falls. Some
of the party shrank back, but nearly all
followed our darkey guide. You may
imagine our emotions as we saw the wa
ters of the Great Lakes pouring down
one hundred and eighty feet, with force
that made the rocks on which we stood
tremble. / crawled along on narrow
shelf of rock until the guide motioned
for me to come back, and as the thought
of leaving nice young widow for some
miserable scamp struck me rather unfa-
vorably, turned back. We went to
our hotel, partook of bountiful repast
and were soon on our way to Chicago,
where we arrived about midnight this
is the greatest grain and lumber market
in t h world. Some parts Of the city
are finely located, but the larger part
is on low, wet ground.
Ia the morning we started across the
prairies for Alton. These prairies are
very fine bat was much disappointed 10
t h improvements. The houses are
very small and low, most of them hav-
ing only one or two rooms. The houses
are almost concealed by the corn that
grows on every side in fields from one
20 one thousand acres in size.
| am pleased with the country, but
money could not hire me to go out on
the prairies and live as the most Of the
people do. We have ten times as many
privileges and home comforts in New
England as the people at the West do,
and my advice to New England people
who are well situated is to remain so.
/ may, at some future day, give you