The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-06-03
For the Conservative.
THE GREAT WEST.

relations, and still others may de-
sire TO seek homes in the West.
Having just returned from a visit
to the West, l thought 1t might not
be uninterestIrg to some of your
readers if l give my views of that
country:
In company with Mr.. James K.
Jones l left McConneI-vIlle, on the
Sd of May, and went by way of Gin
cinnatI, St. Louis and Kansas to
Fl Scott, in Bourbon Co., Kansas;
thence back to Kansas city up the
Missouri river 10 Atkinson, and
by Central Branch of Union Pacific
r. r. to CentralIa, Nemaha CO., Kan
sas, passing through Atkinson, a
portion of jackson ard Ncmaha
Counties, 10 northern Kansas; thence
TO Atkinson, st. Joseph. Albany
and M~arysYllIe, in Nodaway Co.,
Missouri; thence across Nodaway
Co., into Taylor Co., Iowa, and
thence TO Creston, on the Bur
lIngton & Missouri River R. R., 200
miles west OF the Mississippi River;
thence by the B. & NJ. R. r. to
Burlington, IN Iowa, by Quincy R.
r. TO Chicago, and thence to Neon
~nelsville by way of Columbus, ma
king something over $1,000 miles in
the trip. l tried to examine the
country as carefully as my time and
opportunity would permit, and IN
general terms will say that the po-
sitinn of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas
and Iowa, which saw IN my route,
is in my opinion naturally a bet
ter country than Ohio, especially
than southeastern Ohio. l do Lot
mean by this that every man would
better his condition by removing
to the West. and will give the rea-
son hereafter, The southern por-
tion of Illinois, along the Ohio 4
MISSISSIPPI r. K, 1 do no: like; as a
general thing l think the land is
too fat inclined to be sour and not
so productive az many other por-
tons of the West, yet, there r
very many fine farms and farm
districts on that route. Along the
Missouri Pacific r.. r. you see
very little good country between
St. Louis and a point some so miles
west of Jefferson city. Pettis,
Johnson and Jackson COUNT es, in
Missouri, are f~rst-rate farming
districts. The Z. r. follows tho
streams and the best prairie lands
r rot seen on the route. johnson
Co., Kansas, on the Missouri Dor
DER and Immediately south of the
Kansas river, is a very fine agricul-
tural comfy; IN my opinion the
best l saw in my route. Olatha, a
town Of about 1000 inhabitants, is
the County seat; it is situated IN a
prairie in a very healthy locality.
Miami, LINN and Bourbon Counties,
Kansas, are all good Counties, aud
yet l think the land gets thinner
and more spotted as you pass
through these counties. Fl. Scott
is a fine thriving city Of about 5000
inhabitants, Is the County seal Of
Bourbon county, and is in a fine
healthy agricultural district, one
hundred miles south of the Kanas
river; they now imagine they are
quite a city and have their tbeater
and opera house; seats are as high
as they please TO ask, and every
thing is speculation. From Fl.
Scott VIC made a short trip INTO Yer
non Co, Mo. The western part of
Vernon Co. is a pretty good farm
countrJ; the eastern part is not so
good. F.. Scott is south of the
18th degree of Latitude, and just
about two degrees south of Neon
nelsville, their winters must be
short. and their clImIte mid, yet |
could not see that vegetation was
more forward there than ia a Town
at a point 200 miles north. This is
perhaps owing to the fact that the
Winter and Spring has been ex
tremeiy dry in Kansas all of Kan
a north of Kansas River is very
line farm District as far West rs l
Travelled. The whole of Kansas
through which We passed is under
laid with limestone, the water Is
hard, especially in the nelghbor-
hood vi Fl. Scot:, where half the
Town is built of limestone. The
whole country must necessarily be
good. for wheat and corn. Some
complaints are made about the
droughth In Kansas, but they
claim that observation of amount of
water falling in the last ten years.
shows more than an average for
Kansas over other States. North
western Missouri, especially An.
drew and Nodoway Counties
through which we passed r fine
farm districts. Southern Iowa
has a very nice rich soil and is q
me farm country, but is scarce of
stone and coal and n mt q oood