The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1868-06-18
. WingIets from our Special u
NEW JEFFERSON, GREENE Co., Iowa,
3&4 #IE8%- Ef83 s4F@ .JulYfs IN h. 1888 "a


" wingIets from our !" Special !"
.sa New JEFFERSON, GREENE N CO. ,:s Iowa,
DEAR ADVERTISER The numerous
inquiries and various opinions I have
heard about western counties in Iowa,
have prompted me to make brief state
ment of what have seen during ai
weeks sojourn in this part Of the State. |
/ left Upton on Saturday evening. June
9Th, and breakfasted the next morning
in Boonesboro, the county-seat Of Boone |
county. Here remained several days, |
visiting the country round about, the !
coal mining districts, and the town of |
Noingona. The greater part Of the
town OF Boonesboro has the appearance
Of having been built many years ago
but the older buildings are being rapidly
torn away and handsome new ones
erected i'm their places. The court house
Il . model Of beauty-is built of brick
with slate roofs large. conveniently
arranged. and was built at cost Of
$s5.UM. ...~-..s.s
Montana is the principal town in
Boone county--is situated about one
mile distant from. Boonesboro, and is the
division between the eastern and west
ern branches Of the Chicago and North
western r. r. The workshops Of the
railroad company are at this place
Here they have also erected two story
depot building. $40 feet long and Is feet
wide; a round house Of sufficient capac-
ity to hold % engines, and various other
buildings.
Boone county is pIentifully supplied
with wood and coal. ! visited the min
ing town Of Moingona, thrifty little
village situated in the Des Moines val
Mrkes IT w att ht hatpr fft ih etaIstss
streams Of the Skunk and Polecat,
along the banks of which there are num-
erous mines. A few miles west Of Moin-
gona the Northwestern Coal Company
are mining on an extensive scale, whilst
the Moingola Coal Company are now
mining with good success directly under
the town. At the invitation of "A friend
took an ''underground' trip through
his mines, which to me was ANYTHING
but pleasant. After having travelled OF
my knees through darkness, mud and
dripping water for some five or six
hundred yards, we came across some
SINNERS who were leisurely smoking their
pipes and AS leisurely working out the
coal, 10y the light of small lamps worn
oh the head. Here these men snend
their lives, and seem perfectly contented
with their lot.
The farming country of Boone county
is the finest have seen west of Cedar
The land is high and rolling and well
adapted to the culture of grain. Unim-
proved prairie lands of the best quality
arc rating from 50 to $l2 per acre. The
grassl'oppers at this time are entirely
too numerous to he interesting; and to
give correst idea Of their number
would require more trutl, than l am
able to muster. A few evenings before
l lett Boone county, l saw board fence
ti'at was almost entirely covered with
them, and it was no uncommon thine
to See half dozen children STANDING
guard around some garden, with brush
Al hand driving away the glasslloppers
must say that / was greatly disap-
pointed at seeing Greene county. After
nearing so many favorable reports from
st'is place | expected on coming here to
ma land flowing with milk and
money On the contrary, | Travelled y
miles due west from the east line of tha
county, and saw but three or four
houses. The land on both sides of the
railroad for four miles is low and very
Wet, ana full Of ponds and marshes.
New Jefferson is the county seat. and
the only town in the county. Il has a
population of about 700, all told. The
town is nicely located on prominent
piece Of ground, but surrounded with
frog ponds and marshes, with the ex-
ception VI an occasional strip of ground /
solid enough at this time to drive over
with loaded wagon. The immense
lm0unt OF business that is said to be
lone 1t New Jefferson, failed to see
mere arc numerous stores, land apen-
-. INSURANCE offices, &c.--cntirek too
nany for the country to support. The
uiidings Of the place are generally new
ut small, although some preparations
re being made for the erection of larger
nes. The country for five or six miles
birth q jefferson is Of the same charac-
: OF that along the railroad; but be-
md, distance Of five miles, the coun-
Z Il more rolling and better calculated
farming purposes. It is here that
: Cedar county friends are starting
nus. y was whilst travelling across
county Intervening between this
elfy AND New Jefferson. with very
Z aaos1s, asdilapidated buggy and al
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