The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-06-10
KANSAS LETTER.

EDIToR JOURNAL: Having received many
letters of inquiry concerning this northesn
portion of Kansas, send you this epistle,
knowing that it will meet the eyes Of your
many readers.
Doniphan County is situated in the north
eastern part Of Kansas, bounded on the north
by the Missouri River, on the east by the his
souri River, on the South by Atchison county,
and on the west by Brown county. This
county has more river boundary than any
other county in the State, and ia adjacent and
accessible to the leading cities Of the borders,
Atchison and st. Joseph, which do more busi-
ness in the way Of wholesaling and retailing
all kinds of produce and merchandise, than
any other cities on the Missouri River, and
have also a greater number of railroads. This
county has in running order, and in course of
completion, as many railroads as any county in
the State, and numbers more small cities towns
andvillages. Having eighty miles of river
border, it has access to large bodies of timber
in the river bottoms, consequently we have
more saw mills in active operation, and saw
more lumber than any other county in the
State. Lumber is comparatively cheap. Good
lumber can be bought from SIS to $40 per NJ,
at the mills, and the expense OF improving
new farm is comparatively small.
Highland, from its elevated position and the
neatness and taste of the public buildings and
private residences, leaves a good and favora-
bic impression on the numerous visitors. Sur
rounded, as it is, by one Of the richest and
best laying portions of Kansas it can not but
be, for all time to come, desirable location.
The principal public buildings are a church
edifice and a college with a chapel where they
hold worship. They are very nicely furnished
with carpets, organs, &c. There are two
frame school houses, well furnished, one large
hotel and one large boarding house. The
principal business houses are one bank, four
mercantile establishments, three of agricul-
tural implements of various kinds, one livery
stable, and six mechanical establishments
The professional men are six local and travel
ing divines, one lawyer, one professor, five
physicians and two dentists. The principal
buildings in progress are those OF the Rev
Mcconnell from Ohio, pastor Of the Presby-
terian Chnrch, which, when finished, viii be
a magnificent and tasty residence; lurge
boarding house 24x40 feet, two stories high,
for the purpose Of accommodating students
while in attendance Mt college, and other build
ings OF less note.
The various productions Of the soil, in point
of quantity and quality, cannot easily be
surpassed in any State or territory, The prin-
cipal crop here is corn, which never fails tc
return from forty to eighty bushels per acre
The vast crop of corn of this section, of last
years growth, has been pretty generally con-
sumed by the numerous herds Of cattle and
hogs brought here by the farmers and fed fol
the eastern market Mr.. McCreary, of thi;
place, shipped one drove to Boston, Massa.
ohusetts, and others shippedto different points
but generally to Chicago. Up to this time
there have been over three thousand head o.
cattle and over four thousand head of hog,
fatted and sold in this township with the pro
ducts of the soil. The present prospects for &
crop are almost without a parallel in the his
tory Of the State.
Doniphon county has a genial and healthy
climate, with rich, salubrious soil, vel
adapted to the growth and maturing of all the
cereals, vegetables and. fruits that are cult
waited in the United States. As to the latter
Kansas stands first on the list of the Union
as she carried away the gold medal a. tbC
great exposition at Philadelphia. As to grapes
it is far superior to the Islands of Lake Erie
There are many orchards here of from three
to twenty-five, and even forty acres, all in q
healthy, growing condition. Mr.. Snyder, a
the west edge of this town, has large greer
house containing every variety of fruit anC
evergreen trees, wild and tame, with collec
ton of all kinds OF shrubs, vines
plants, vegetables and flowers, both foreign
and domestic. And in connection with this
he cultivates fifty acres Of nursery, and thil
season supplied hundreds Of persons with the
choicest fruits of his own raising. A fact
worth mentioning is that two year old tree
in this State, is as large or larger than a three
year old in tie eastern States Ihave planted
peach pits in the spring, and they grew thai
summer over hye feet. Mr.. Snyder has takeT
into mis- nursery an additional fifty acres
making in all one hundred acres
We are also, in the eastern suburbs of High
land, prospecting or penetrating into tn,
depths of the earth in search of stone coal
As is usually the case, in well boring, they
have met with a number of reyerses, seriously
retarding them in their progress On visiting
the works, Mr.. A. Parson, the obliging super
intendent of the company, informed me that
he had drifted down over two hundred feet
and had passed through one small vein o.
twenty inches but forty feet from the surface
but that not being satisfied with small things
they intend to continue until they find plenty
Of coal, or penetrate to the center of the earth
We had a fine shower OF rain last evening
and everything looks much refreshed thi.
morning. H S. CLOSE.