The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-03-08
a. SIGHTS and Scenes in Iowa.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa,
Feb. %, 1865.
= To the Editor Of the Press:
THE ABoRIGINIES.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWd,
Feb. %, 1865.
To the Editor of the Press: La
THE ABoRIGINIES.
Indians constitute but small portion of
tbe inhabitants of Iowa, though a few scatter
ed remains of once powerful and warlike tribes
still remain. Very few, If any, find their home;
in this immediate vicinity, where once was
their favorite hunt ng and fishing ground. In
no portion. of the state is there; more timber
than in theyalley of the Cedar, consequently
a greater variety of game could here be found
than upon the PRAIRIE. The Cedar was for
the Indian, and still is for his successor, the
great resort for fishing, and this, with the
hunting facilities, rendered this section very
popular in Indian days And it is said the In
tlians of the timber country were Of higher
class than their brethren of the plains. But
the red men Of to day display but few indica-
lions of having been the smonarchs of the for {
est" reminding us but little of the heroes Of
Longfellow or Cooper. They are filthy and
degraded, resembling animals more than men.
Therei is nothing attractive or interesting about
them They are short and most of them
round shouldered. The women are more de-
graded and disgusting than the men; and one,
who was educated to feel that the purest and
hottest of Gods creatures is woman, turns
away from them with loathing.A &Soe
I .Ta4aTa tTHEpAPPoosE.
/ In Peter Parley's Geography, which used
to admire in my youth well remember To
have seen the picture of a tail, beautifully
formed indian woman gracefully walking
along with an Indian infant tastefully tasten-
/ ed to her shoulders, comfortably enjoying the
ride, while enclosed in a beautiful and yafiegat-
| ed case, as it were, presenting ap attractive
tableaux But the reality drives away all
the romance. The pappoose,i simply bound
to the back Of the dirty mother by means Of a
dirtier blanket which is tied in KNIT around
the woman's neck and waist. And the squaw
goes cropping along like man with a bag OF
corn upon his shoulders, too heavy for him
easily to carry, Sometimes they are fastened
on either side Of an Indian pony. The pony
is turned out tofeed and the little fellow can
enjoy it or not, a matter apparently Of very
little interestlto the parents. They are thus
often left for hours in the custody Of the pony.
So much for the Indians. q
egGu &62ss WESTERN wORDsI % ylng1dg4
To an Eastern man, accustomed to the Yam
kee phraseology, there is much in the CONVEX
sation ola Western old resident, which sounds
new and peculiar. I was particularly struck
with the emphasis and Importance given to
the little pronoun ST. which with them is the
most important word in the sentence, taking
the place of the "pronoun shat. In asking
one torepeat a question, instead of Hs,ohat?"
many will inquire .which?" man said to
me recently that he chad right srnait chance
of wheat last year, but not so, much by
aide gap as the year before" The word tim
Der universally used for wood, woods OF for
est People burn timber One never hears
Of a pail, isi is always a sbucket.D AHera
Snow storm people never ride in sleiahs hut
Cutters" Recently arailroad train was stop
ped fast in the snow, but it was universally
understood that the train was sstalled." IF
one wishes you to do Or get anything, you are
told to .go for il" - We are often informed
that people are anxious to aget shut" of a
thing that they would prefer not to have about
them. But in good society such expressions
are not heard any more than slang phrases
are heard in good society in the East. It is
only among those who il in the East, would
use terms equally unpleasant and uncouth!,T
- = THE COUNTRY. -
The city ofCedar Rapidsf is as much like
any other place in the Easter West, its size
and business importance, as it well can be and
preserve its own Identity. AMMAN fresh from
Brunswick, Maine, would miss nqwdom ooi-T
iege, the retired sea captains, and few other
features, but in most respects he would find a.
town. that reminded him strongly OF, home
The people are mainly from New England and
New York, giving decidedly eastern tone to
society and morals. The soil is sandy but of
better quality than Brunswick. y There, are
trees growing naturally in the, rear of the
town and almost surrounding it. But about
the town there is nothing which looks partic-
nularIy crude or unfinished An eastern strang-
er here feels at bone though he may may have
come from the best society or the most beauti-
tut OF towns atthes country cooks new
One misses the beautiful white cottages with
green blinds, eemmedious out BUILDINGS and
tasty gardens OF course, enc often meets
with a frame house and briok houses, but che
outbaildings SYNDICATE that the country is still
newand that people have, not been long here.
Barns and stables are rarely built of anything
but logs, and the owner himself fares well ifhe
builds his house ia material much better
The barns are often covered with nothing but
straw and some farmers even dispense with
barns as useless expenditure of time and
money. But this state Of things is surely and
rapidly changing, and I'll be bold to say that
hec6nditfon of Iowa IS. twenty years in adj
vance of the eastern states when they were,of
the same age, though they were well supplied
with pine lumber, being under no necessity of
bringing building material from one 70 three
hundred miles. The. log houses are yearly
glVngplace to bricks and frames. The barns
are being enlarged and rendered conrodious
and gardens with beautiful flowers and an as
sortment vegetables are beginning to relieve
the tasteless appearance of the farmers sur
roundings. These farmers are making money.
Farms are increasing rapidly iryaIue. and two
years hence the visitor oftosaay would hardly
know the county, Some farmers have sold
the present season, hogs amounting to one and
two thousand dollars, to say nothing Of the
the bushels of wheat and other grains. The
corn is sent to market mainly in the shape OF
well fatted pork. In no country lis The stiller
Of the soil" better rewarded for his labor and