The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1867-02-21
Correspondence ofthe Kenoshs Telegram, !
0maha--Its Surroundings and Prospects



OMAHA, NEBRASKA, Feb. 10, 1868,
Editors Telegraph A word from this yigor
GUS young city may be of interest to your
readers inasmuch as many ofyour staid citizens
have their attention directed to this point
just at this time.
By an energy almost unpars iAel d int he his
tory of Railroad building the N. ". R. R. Co.
have pushed their line throEgI 80 Council
Bluffs opposite here on the Missouri river
One hundred and fifty three miles of the road
having been made since April last, thus form
ing connection with the Union Pacific R. r.
at this point, which stretches its iron arms
! three hundred miles westward; carrying COM
merce and civilization far out towards the
| golden regions of the Rocky Mountains. This
new line OF communication with all the world
east by railroad, is to this country what VEN
| tilaton is to long closed room. A new en-
| orgy is awakened, and already hundreds of ac-
tive enterprising men from all parts of the
east are taking advantage of the new facilities
to establish themselves in this new field of To-
Dor which now promises such abundant success
to every branch of industry.
Omaha is q full blown city, with Mayor and
Common Council, and is decidedly JuSt in it's
pretensions. There is a population of some
! seven thousand according to the best esti-
mates, though some claim ten thousand The
city is situated on a table of land, some forty
feet above the bottom lands Of the Missouri,
and about fifty feet below the summit of the
Bluffs which flank this table land on the south,
west and north in crescent form, giving
picturesqueness and grandeur of appearance
to the locality, singularly beautiful. This
plateau in the centre of the crescent is some
two miles wide, and sloping towards the river,
and is about five miles long from north to
south, making an elegant site for ga city of
of magnificent distances" and dimensions. Al
} ready horse railroad company is chartered
in anicipation of rapid growth and spread
to the many additions to the city proper, which
| outside property owners have laid out in lots
, which are sold at nominal prices to induce
this a0ideni,4g procsSs 90 natural and common
TO all western towns.
The bottom lands of the Missouri at this
point are about miles wide, and on the op.
posite shore in Iowa, the bold bluffs of the
river, running away to north and south in q
succession of hills until lost in the distance
form a landscape rarely equalled and nowhere
excelled in the western country.
The city like most western towns is laiC
out on magnificent scale, but in many re
spects superior to all others in the west. The
river at this point runs due south, which ena
bled the founders of the place to locate the
streets at right angles with the river and will
t each other, and square with tie world The
. streets are all kroad and roomy, being 100 fee
wide, each block being divided by twenty
foot alley The buildings ofrecent construction
. are oflibersl dimensions and substantially bull
ofbrick, such as would do credit to any city 4
e visit here conVinces the observer that the en-.
n viable and wide spread reputation in point O.
business Importance, which this young citl
, has earned, is well founded. Nowhere ives
of Chicago is there such q spirit of activit,
and enterprise, Or such firm confidence in
t brilliant future, as here. There are here tive
a National and two private Banks, representing
a capital of $3.50, 900, all showing q large lin,
: of deposits. One in its last report showing
a deposit account of s75O,O 600. There are sew
eral wholesale merchants here whose sales arr
$500, 900 per annum and over, one as high al
1900, 900 last year
Two daily papers (Repu5lican and Journal,
are well sustained and ably conducted. Each
watches with eagle eyes the interests of the
:, respective political parties, while both are
wide-a-wake to the interests of Omaha and tht
infant State of which it is the capital There
is weekly German paper published here, anG
is well supported.
There are eight or ten Religious organiza
tlons all showing wonderful degree of mate
rial prosperity, whatever may be their spiritu
al state. Nearly all the congregations have
grown too large for their respective churche:
and several Of them will erect new and larger
ones the coming summer.
The Roman Catholics are about building
Cathedral which when completed will cost
something over $75, 1000 Trinity Church par
ish EpiscopaD will build new Church the
coming summer, the present building being
entirely inadequate to the wants of the rapid
ly increasing congregation. The new church
will DO of stone, and will cost $4,000. The
Presbyterians and Methodists galso intend
building new churches during the present year
but at what outlay of money your correspon
dent did not learn. This activity in church
building speaks in unmistake2ble terms of the
general prosperity and thrift of the city, and
points to a rapidly advancing state Of intelli-
gence and cultivation.
Among the residences are many that would
be an ornament to your own beautiful city, OF
even ''the City of Cream colored bricks" OF
which Wisconsin is SO justly proud And gen.
orally the dwellings have most substantial
and comfortable appearance. Many of the
handsOmest residences are situated on the
brow of the several bluffs or hills which skirt
the city on the south, west and north, pre-
senting amost slightly appearance from the
city, while from their several locations
the view is unsurpassed, overlooking the en-
tire city, and the river with its broad rich bot
tom lands, both up and down the river, with
the bluffs on the Iowa shore for miles away
for background forms landscape of Won
derful extent and rare beauty.
At the south end of the plateau on which
Omaha is situated, and some two miles from
the city, is located the domain of that most
restless specimen of the VIGOROUSLY restless
Yankee nation, George Francis Train, or "The
Credit Foncier Company" Of which he is the
head and prime mover. This consists of some
five Or six hundred acres, all laid out in lots
alternate lots being sold at nominal price on
condition the purchaser will make certain inl-
provements. The system has an attractive
flavor of liberality, but is in reality gigantic
speculation, the improvements alterr ate
lots making or intending to make the remain
ing lots of fourfold value. There are a hundred
or more small neat dwellings already built
upon the tract. It is one Of the most beauti-
full locations among the many around the city
and will eventually be favorite suburb for
cheap homes.
The State House standing on the sum