The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1870-03-17
Correspondence Of the News.
Letter from a Highlander in
Missouri.

4 Trip into the Country Southeast of st. ia
Fine Farms aud Fertile iSoiI-FLourisI
ing ToUn8-Meetiqg Nth Old Friends.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo-, Feb. 26, 1870.
J. L. BoARDMAN, Esq.-Dear Sir: Will
a resident Of your county, used to enjo.
reading the letters of many of your volun
teer Western correspondents, and now, be
ing a fixture in the West myself, though
probably some of your readers would relisl
letter from this section, although it Nigh
not be so we'll written or so interesting a
those penned by several of your other cor
respondents. This is my first attempt a
a newspaper letter, and you, as well al
your readers, must overlook any short
comings in it.
Having recently returned from a toul
through the country southeast of this place
I will devote the principal part of this let
ter to description of the trip. On the
morning of the 18th inst, the weather be-
ing propitious, I hitched up "Charlie," (by
the way, a Highland county horse,) to g
Highland county buggy, and in company
with Mr.. Geo. w. Bell, started out. A
short drive carried US clear of the city linn.
its, into a country as beautiful and fertile
as ever the eyes of man looked upon.
had supposed that the farms of my own
native Ohio were better improved than
could possibly be those of this compara-
lively new country; but a ride of few
hours completely cured me Of that idea. A
larger part of the residences and Out-buiId-
ings that we passed are of the most COM
Portable and durable kind, while many OF
them are really magnificent, far surpass-
ing any that ever saw in old Highland.
A drive of ten miles brought us to Agen-
cy Ford, an incorporated village of some
500 population. The place is situated on
Platte River, and is surrounded by coun-
! try just rolling enough to make it desira-
BILE for agricultural purposes, the soil be-
ing very black, and ranging, we were told,
from three to ten feet in depth. The St.
Joseph and st. Louis Railroad, now near
Iy completed, crosses the Platte river at
Agency, and the town will soon be an i'm
portant retail point.
At NelIie's Point, commanding emil
nenee three miles further on, we found
building stone of the finest quality, in the
greatest abundance, while the soil, even
on this elevated spot, seemed equal, if not
superior, to that of the bottoms of High
land. at Casteel Creek, six miles from
Nellie's, we stopped for lunch. Both our
selves and horse refreshed and invigorated
by the lunch, an accelerated pace soon
brought us to Rock House Prairie, the CEN
ire of a well settled and fine farming coun-
try. At this place we found one store,
kept by a gentleman named Lowry, who,
with a capital of three thousand dollars,
sells 1900 worth of goods per year at
paying profit.
From this point to Plattsburg, distance
of IL miles, the country is mostly prairie,
though the timber is so interspersed as to
render the land all available for farming
purposes. Plattsburg is the seat Of Clin-
ton county, and is certainly one of the
most handsomely located towns it has ev-
er been my pleasure to see. The place is
thriving and its citizens appear well to do.
The town is older, Ibelieve, than st. JO-
seph, the land Office at which the town site
of this city was entered having been loca-
ted at Plattsburg. Six miles further on,
we entered I.athrop, town two years old,
located on the Cameron branch of the
Hannibal & st. Joe R. R. The town, al
though so young, numbers about 1000 in
habitants, and is rapidly increasing. 1t
has hotel superior to any in HillsborO,
and retail stores that would do credit to a
much larger town. The principal business
house in the place is that kept by Messrs.
Barrett & Woodmansee, two young gentle
men who removed from New Lexington,
Highland county, last fall late. To hunt
up these young men was our first business
in Lathrop. Entering their store, although
after o'clock, we found them surrounded
bv customers, and both "as busy as nail
ers." Before making ourselves known,
we proffered to buy a bill of goods, stating
that we had long distance to go, and in
sisted that we should be attended to i'm !
mediately. Mr.. Woodmansee intimated
that the old adage, "first come, first serv-
ed, !" was the rule, and we had better stay
till morning A significant chuckle from
one of us attracted his attention, and turn
ing short round he recognized us as friends
of "AuId Lang Syne," and you may bet
there was a short space of time in which
there were no goods sold.
We found the boys doing smashing
business. Taking their sales so far, as a
they will sell over $50, 900 worth !
of goods in the first II months. We spent /
a very pleasant day in Lathrop on Satur-
day, and on the next day drove out to the
farm of Mr.. c. L. Kelly, also an old High
land county man, for dinner. For the
drive we were kindly furnished with 2.4O
team by Mr.. J. o. Daniels, the principal
lumber man of the place. We found Mr.. |
Kelly and his family in good health and
well satisfied in their western home.
After few pleasant hours spent with
these old friends we returned to Lathrop,
and the next morning started on our re-
turn trip home, where we arrived
The same evening, well pleased with our
Highland county is well rep |
resented in this section of the State, Mr.. |
Richard Kelly, son of Thomas Kelly, Esq,
Of New Lexington, is one of the most prom
inent and influential citizens of Clinton
county. He is at present on a visit to his
father. But I am fearful my letter is al
ready too long. So for the present will
say "over the river" Yours truly,
JOHN w. JOHNSON.
A GAY OLD PATRIARCH.-The Balm
bridge correspondent of the Ross county /