Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-09-10
LETTER FROM ARKANSAS.
The Country Around Fort Smith
Westward Empire wends its Way
Inning ration Invited Induce
Inents 10 small Farm

EDITOR LEDGER am ct last in For
Smith, the utima thule of the great big
State of Arkansas. In a word, am il
the "far West" On the very verge Of
civilization, and within stones throw
of 80 | the poor Iadian." came here
in company with gentlemen from Tennes
see, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia,
prospecting" in the hope of betteripe
my condition, pecuniarily and otherwise,
but how I am to do it has not yet been
quite as satisfactorily settled in my mind
as my present wants seem to demand.
Nevertheless, this is great country, and
will eventually be the center Of the wealth
and prosperity Of the entire continent Of
America. The several prospectors with
whom am looking around" are drawn
here by the location Of the place on the
map, not one Of us knowing anything
about it. We find great many here
who came in the same manner
we did, and, liking the place,
and its surroundings, have made perma-
nent locations. As one of my friends
from Middle Tennessee wrote to his
friends at home, "God and nature have
done for this country all that man could
desire" We are all surprised that such a
county should be SO little known. Sew
eral of ny companions du roydge have
already invested in lands, and will make
this their future abiding place. We ind
that cotton, corn, wheat, oats, barley,
timothy, clover, tobacco and even sugar
cane, are the crops that are common to
the soil and climate of this productive re-
gion. ALI through the woods wild
grapes as large as small marbles hang in
luxrriant clusters. The several varieties
of this growth rather puzzles me, for
even the oldest inhabitant cahnot ac-
count for their existence. am told
that all kinds of berries grow here
without the least attention, and the
abundant orchards indicate that all
kinds of fruits, such as cherries,
peaches, apples and pesrs, are apparently
indigenous to the soil The people here,
however, are perfectly Southern in their
character, and Southern-like, allow one
Baltimore firm TO sell to this town over
800, 900 worth Of canned fruit, nstwith-
standing the entire surrounding country
ia one Of the finest fruit regions in the
world. The Indian Territory fronts
the city on the west, about like the Mis-
sissippi river and Arkansas do Memphis,
and gives the Western boundary of the
town something Of the appearance of
Front row. An old fort and the United
States Government buildings stand out
on the plain some few hundred yards
| from the most thorough business thor
oughfare, and seem to say to the restless,
progressive spirit of the white man,
Thus far shalt thou 90, but no
further" Indians from the contigu.
GUS territories flock in here for the pur-
pose of trade, traffic and barter. As a
general thing they are lazy, indolent,
drunken, dirty looking set, and fail most
sipnally to inspire in the matter-of-fact
Saxon the least particle of that ideal en-.
thusiasm they seemed to have kindled at
| former times in the breasts of their
| many poetic admirers. IF the Indian,
like the negro, is "a man and brolher,"
I do not believe that sm any of his next
of kin. At lesst | am not particular
about being very affectionately mem
toned in his will.
There are in and around this little city
about four or FIVE thousand square miles
of coal, which crops out in more than
thirty, and afford blacksmiths all the fuel
they require at but trihing cost Farms
throughout the fertile section that sur
rounds Fort Smith seem to be doing q
most thriving business, and the trades
must be doing well, as merchants tell me
they do nearly two millions of wholesale
trade yearly. The Indian Territory is
almost uncultvated, and therefore fur
nishes the finest pastursge for cattle,
hogs and sheep, which feed and fatten on
the mast and native grasses the whole
year through. The climate of Fort Smith
is of course mild and almost free from
on the thirty-ffth parallel, fully one de-
gree south Of Memphis. A fat four year
old steer sells for $40; good working oxen,
$50; ponies, $35; but horses and mules
are scarce and high. Land is the cheap
est thing in the market, and the
soil especially in the bottoms and
valleys-is extremely rich, possess
ing the most important and productive
mineral ingredients, with an excess of
potash, soda and lime-ths basis Of the
cotton Gbra ald tina cereals. But not
withstending these advantages to the
farmer, it is the climate and scenery
which render 1t most attractive to me.
Old Californians tell me that the climate
and scenery is equal. if not in many
respects SUPERIOR, TO that Of California,
while the soensry Is unsurpassed any
where. This city has about four thou
sand inhabitants, and seems to be stead
ily growing. 1t has, as before mentioned,
an immense wholesale trade with the
Territories and all Western Arkansas,
aud does probably the heaviest business
of any place Of its sigs in the United
States. Cincinnati keeps mp regular
line of packets to this point, and conse-
quently does the bulk OF the trade.
Memphis does little or nothing,
and perhaps does not care to. For
tunate city, is that Memphis of
yours, to be enabled to do all the
business her merchants can do without
making the least effort to obtain it. That
is, such is my conclusion when | see
packets here from New Orleans, O;neln-
natl and St Louis direct, bat none from
Memphis. Let Memphis wait ten years
longer for the completion of the Mem
mis- Little Rock and Fort Smith rail-