The Plymouth weekly Democrat., 1868-07-30
For tho DENocRAr.
NOTES BYIHE WAY
NUMBER II.

In our former article we proposed to
give some further notes, commencing with
the village of Nelson. A short distance
west from that place the Northwestern
road crosses to the north side of Rock
river-the river at this point running
nearly east and west. Three miles fur.
ther west, on the north side of the river
is the beautiful little city of Sterling, esti-
mated 10 contain six thousand inhabitants.
The streets are like those of too many
other wesrern towns, too narrow. The
county seat was formerly there, but the
Morrissonians were rather too sharp for
the Sterling boys, and got it away from
them. Sterling contains some seven or
eight churches, and a most magnificent
school-house which cost the sum of for
ty-fve thousand dollars; the old court
house is used as ward school-house. The
city extends along the river some two or
three miles. Before the rail road was
built steamboats, came up to this point, and
it was understood that the east end of the
town would be the business part but
when the rail road was built, the depot
was located a mile or more west OF the
steamboat landing, and business left the
upper part of town, or nearly so; since
then steamboats, have ceased to run up as
high as this place.
On the south side of the river opposite
Sterling, little village has sprung up
which is called Rock Falls. 1t has some
thirty houses, post office, school house.
large mitten factory in whieh it is pro-
posed to furnish employm ent for from six
ty to one hundred girls; there are also sew
eral stores and groceries, and a Touring
mill is being erected. The river ut this
point is said to be eighty or ninety rods
wide. There is dam across the river at
the lower part Of town. The water-power
is excellent. There are some fifteen or
sixteen different mills and machneries at
this point, propelled by water, and prepa-
rations are being made for several 9TH
erS.
A little below the dam is an island Of
some two or three acres, with bridge ex-
tending to the main land. We heard
capital joke while there. 1t seems there
! - q loJoo of CooJ To,o,lo,, % C.oul:
who have different rules and regulations
from many other lodges, as it appears from
the punishment they inhict on members
who violate their laws. One of the order
last spring got very thirsty, and concluded
he would imbbe little. AS soon as it
was ascertained that this was the case, his
brethren marched him through the streets
to the music made by cow-bells and tin
pans, down to the river and ducked him
severely, and told him to ego and sin no
mere''
From this point the river bears south
west and empities into the Mississippi at
Rock Island. Some fifteen miles west of
Sterling is Morrison, the county seat of
Whiteside county 1t contains three or
four thousand inhabitants. We had
poor opportunity to see the town, as the
train only halted a few minutes. The next
town of any note is Fulton, on the east
bank of the Mississippi, and if We mis-
take not, 1t is one hundred and twenty one
miles from Chicago. 1t has been rather
a sprghtly town, much the size of Morri-
SOD, we should think. Once upon time
there was splendid building with stone
front erected at this place for tavern, but
Lyons, which is Immediately across the
river on the Iowa side, has far outstrip-
ped Fulton, which is comparatively life
less. The building which was erected for
the tavern is now used for a military
school From Sterling to Fulton the
country alternates between dry and wet
prairie, the latter predominating nelr
Flu ton; at this point Racine road crosses
the Northwestern. About three miles be-
low Fulton the rail road crosses the Mis-
sissippi, which, at this point is said to be
three fourths or a mile wide and seventy
five feet deep. There is an island about
midway in the river, over which the road
runs. Crossing that part of the river west
Of IT, sland is an ilon span in the blids
to :ei boats pass, turned by steam. On
the west bank of the river is the city of
Clinton, contains six thousand iDhabit-
ants-is we'll laid out-streets are broad
and run at right angles. We understood
that Clinton and Lyons had taken up, or
or were about to take up, their charters,
consolidate into one city and have street
cars run from one place to the other. We
saw several steamboats, ploughing through
the "boisterous deep" and there were
great many RATS of pine timber and lum-
Der living in the river We visited some