Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-07-11
Western Correspondence.
OMAHA, Nebraska, July i, Is,

Editors R.tlaaa Herald Having spent
the last six weeks In travelling over this
Western country, now find myself al
Omaha, "the Queen City of the West"
q city with population OF from twelve
to fifteen thousand Inhabitants, where
twelve years ago was nothing but wild
prtirie, aud where now stand magnif,
&C ; brick blocks OF stores, costing to
erect from 500 OOOto $3.50, 900 each, and
bus ess lots selling at $4,000 and up
ware The great Pacific Railroad, west
from Omaha, is now completed 400 miles,
and being pushed forward at rate OF
over two miles day. Some balf.dozen
other railroads are in course of con-
struction from the east, south and north,
all centering at Omaha, thus giving
Omaha q prominence over all other
towns on the river above St. Louis,
Real estate is advancing and rents are
enormously high. Small houses, that
cost but $500 to build, rent readily at
from $500 to $500 year. Labor of all
kinds, as well as building materials, is
high here, wages for good mechanics
ranging from four to five dollars per
day.
But enough of Omaha. will now,
for the benefit OF many OF your readers
who contemplate seeking homes in the
great and growing West, state some
facts that have come under my personal
observation as to soil, climate and prices
OF land, both improved and unimproved,
in the States where | have spent the
most time in my Investigations. In
Illinois, in all the older settled portions
OF the State, and on all lines Of rail-
roads, real estate is held at high prices,
improved farms with fair improvements
commanding from thirty to fifty dollars
per acre, and unimproved from fifteen to
thirty dollars per acre, aud in many To-
cations near large towns farms command
from sixty to eighty dollars per acre, and
on that account many are leaving ILL.,
nois for Iowa and Missouri, for the pur-
pose of getting cheaper lands. Iowa is
increasing fast in population. With
only $4,000 inhabitants in 1889, it now,
by recent census, contains over one
million people Land is not near as
high as ia Illinois; good improved farms
can be bought at from twelve to twenty
and thirty dollars per acre, and wild
lands for from five to fifteen dOllsrs per
acre, according to location. But at the
present time there Is more said Of Mis-
souri, than Of any other State West, and
there is more settling on the line of the
Hannibal and st. Joseph Railroad than
in any other part Of the State, and that
company's lands are fast being bought up
and improved by actual settlers. have
never seen any country better adapted to
stock raising than Northern Missouri,
it having plenty Of good water and be-
ing well wooded. From CAREFUL exam.
ipation OF lands adjoining the road, |
would give the preference to the follow
ing four counties: Linn, Sharitan, Car
roll and Livingston. consider these
the best counties north of the Missouri
river, and second to none in the State.
The railroad company own some very
choice lands In these counties, and to
any person coming West to look at Mis-
souri,, would advise them to call on
the aentlemanly railroad commissioner
at Hannibal, Mo, George S. Harris, Esq,
who will extend to them every facility
for information, &c, regarding the lands
belonging u he railroad company. |
spent in these four counties full three
weeks in looking at lands, and bought
an improved farm myself in each of
Linn and Sharitan counties. Improved
farms are to be had at from fifteen to
twenty-five dollars per acre, and prairie
land, with no Improvements, for from
six 10 ten dollars per acre, and fine, heavy
timh land in lots of from ten to twenty
acres each, near the prairie, can be
bought at ten dollars per acre. Both
corn and wheat do finely here. / met
one man who came into Sharitan county
one year ago last March, from Iowa.
He paid $1,000 for his farm of 240 acres,
and at once plowed and put in 10 acres
of corn, which raised him 5000 bushels.
That corn now commands $l00 per
bushel, thus paying for his entire farm
with one crop. He had besides quite a
large flock Of sheep and so head of cat.
tie. 1t costs but little to raise stock of
any kind in Missouri. I believe that
now is the time to go into Missouri to
buy lands, as they will cost double their
present price ere two years roll around
| pr edct for Missouri brilliant future,
as in point of location, climate, soil and
mineral resources, she is second to no
other State in the Union.
Truly yours,
FRANKLIN POsT.
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