Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1867-09-27
Practical Hints to Western Emigrants
by b Ten Years. Resident.

Practical Hints to Western Emigrants
by h Ten Years. Resident.
Ho,c to Select a Prairie Furna--the Cos,
of Timber What Kinds of Crops ana
Fruits to Raise, DO, DC.
Emigration to the West Is an easy
thing to accomplish In these days OF
ready railroad communication. Newell
remember how the immigrants from
New England used to make their ap.
pearance in Central Ohio forty years
ago, i'm their long bodied covered wag-
ons, drawn by lean, wiry, worn-down
Yankee horses, with breast colors--the
wagon tongue held in place by straps
over the top of the neck, attached to q
long, light neck-yoke. We also well
remember with what an xiety the trains
of heavy freight wagons were looked
for; coming all the way from Philadel.
phia or Baltimore, with their six OF
eight heavy horses attached, each
bells,n In an iron frame above the
hames; the wagons being monsters ol
their kind-tires six inches in width
bodies long and deep, with covers oil
heavy duck extending far "fore and
aft" These wagons carried, each,
what made respectable stock In vii
lage store In those days, i'm weight
three or four tons. These wagons gen.
orally went in Squads three or -four
In company, the horses being fed In a
feed trough at the rear of the box, to-
gether with two others fastened for the
night upon the stiff tongue, the horses
being tied upon either side. These
"trains" were looked for by the coun-
try merchants upon the appointed day,
with as much anxiety ~ the importer
looks for the expected ocean steamer
nowadays, and the coming event was
generally heralded by "the boys" who
then had, as boys now have, a passion
for stirring events" and they very
quickly caught up the sound of music
from the numerous bells when afar off,
An elderly friend Of ours told us a
day or two since of his coming all the
way from New England, in company
with brother, i'm 1914, i'm light wagon
bringing their tools with them, settling
at the foot of the hills just North
of the then viKdge of Cincinnati,
where they for many years made fam
ming mills. Several trips were made
back to New England with single
horse and light wagon, over the roots
of the then dense forests of Ohio, and
the crags and rocks of the Cumberland
mountains.
Then IL took weeks to reach the Mid.
die States, and years to open farm in
the heavy timbered land of the then
extreme west. Going to the West then
meant something; opening up n farm
In the West meant something. Sturdy
oaks and naples, to feet In dame
ter, standing l20 feet high, and so close
together, and with foliage so dense that
the suns rays seldom during the sum.
mer penetrated into the gloom and
darkness below, could not be removed
I'm day. Then, when the pioneer was
compelled to go 40 or 80 miles to prim-
tive grist mill to get bnshel or two
of corn ground, requiring a week Ia
make the trip with oxen, courage and
energy were required.
Now, with a few hundred dollars i'm
your pocket, yon may start from the
remotest part of New England, and In
three to four days, without as much as
wetting the sole of your boot, or feel
ing the want Of sleep or Of your custo-
mary warm meal, be dropped down at
some station away West of the Missis-
sippi, where, within sight of fret class
Touring mills, with their four and five
run Of stone for wheat alone where
church spires reach up to towering
heights, and the rattle of numerous
looms greet the ear--you may select o
first class prairie farm at q fair price
see your deed on record, contract for
thirty or forty acres Of breaking, and
start for home in few days after your
arrival.
HOW TO DO THIS.
We will suppose our New EnQlapder
to be young man used to farming and
ready for business, with ready cash ut
hand, or with some one to back him,
furnishing the required funds as need
ed. He has been to the West and
looked for himself, or perhaps has
friends who give him oil the informa-
tion he requires. At any rate, he has
fully determined to buy and improve q
farm on the Western prairie. He COM
pletes his arrangements and says to his
wife: swell, Molly, pack your things
and be ready for the morning train. ~
"But by what route are we going ?"--
"WeIl, here are the tickets, they say
Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland. Toledo,
Chicago and Dubuque" The morn
ing train sees them off, and in three
days they are across the Mississippi, at
Dubuque, Iown.
Now We give here a specimen Of
what may be done upon several differ
ent railroads in Iowa, I'm the selection,
purchase and improvement of fnrms.-
Our new c0mers run out to Manchester
about 40 miles west OF Dubuque, to
commence explorations. Getting into
quarters at the village inn about noon,
our New Englander spends the after
noon talking with the land agents, of
whom he finds several. An appoint
ment Is made to look at several differ
ent tracts Of land, the following day,
the agents generally having the neces-
sary conveyance, and you are taken to
the land free Of expense. You are
shown q quarter section, two, may be
three or Ave miles, from the station,
away from timber, at $5, So or 81 per
acre. Here, says the agent, IL very
superior piece Of land for farming. But,
says our New Englander, ut seems to
me little too low. am told that you
sometimes have pretty wet weather
about plowing time, and have been
warned to keep clear Of low prairie, ms
on such land we are liable to be late in
liable to serious injury during spring
and summer should the season be wet.
zee no living stream or spring on this
land; am assured that there are pIen-
ty Of choice pieces to be had with liy-
ing water thereon, the land high and
dry, well drained, with q portion Of
good meadow land" well, you see
there are some thirty acres or 50 Of
meadow land on this quarter scction.n
Yes. but ] am warned against meadow
land upon which these stunted wiliowa
grow; they are said TO grow on land
that ID too wet and rough for good
meadow, and see also by the yellow
color Of the grass on this bottom, that