Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-10-27
Wanderings i'm the West.
NO. 20.

DEAR BLADE In my last letter l
stated some OF the advantages of emf
grating 10 rew country in the spring,
and contrasted the cases of two farmers
OF moderate means, supposing one to go
in the spring and the other in the fall. I
wish to repeat here that advise no
farmer to go in the iall-I mean to move
out with his iamily-unless he shall have
been out in advance or in some ether
way secured house Tor them aud had
ssme sod broken so as to be ready for the
coming seasons crops. II he has done
this be can easily find employment du-
ring the Writer in making such improve
ments as will suggest themselves to any
enterprising farmer; but if he has not
done this he had far better remain in his
old home TIL spring, and then go as
early as the weather will admit
In this letter 1 will suppose the case
of an emigrant arriving at his new
home in the spring, and give an outline OF
his operations for the first year or so.
But perhaps it would be as well first,
for tue benefit of those who have never
been west, to give them some idea of
how it will look when they get there,
for know that good many are dIsap-
pointed in the appearance of things, and
this disap ointment often speedily ripens
into home.sickness and chronic discon
tent and dislike for the country, when
tbara man he raaIlU M rOnd roaoan for
either. Among the other preparations
necessary to be made before starting,
none is more important than that of haVs
ing the mind fully made up to meet with
courage and a cheerful spirit all the in
c1nveniences and discomioIts of life in q
new country. With such determina-
ton as this on the part of the settler the
battle is halt won; and without such
determination he had better not go. He
should keep steadily IN view the tsct that
he is working tor the futnIe-for a home
for himself and family-and, if his means
are limited that he can't get this any
where if he is unwilling to Labor and to
wait"
Or course l can only give a general
idea of the appearance OF the country,
for no description that could be written
would apply to all sections. But there
are cerIain general features that are
alike nearly everywhere, and for the
reasons given above it is well tor those
proposing to emigrate to have as cor
rect an idea of these as possible.
Imsgine, then, the region OF country
where you live with all the houses barns,
fences, orchards and other improvements
taken out OF it, and you will llhave pref
ty good, idea Of the appearance of the
unsettled portions OF the great west. Ii
you are going INTO prairie country
you will, of course, be prepared for
the absence of timber. Perhaps there
may be belt of timber in sight along
some stream, but sometimes In a view
embracing a circle twenty or thirty
miles in diameter you may not be able TO
see more than halt dozen trees, if any
at all. II the prairie is level, or nearly
Sd you seem TO be in the hollow of a
great basin with the land gently rising
to the horizon all around you. As you
travel on you seem to be going up this
gradual assent all the time, but looking
back il seems as ii you had been as
gradually descending. And so, on what |
s called level prairie, you go on all |
lay without reaching the summit OF the |
elevation that appears all the time only
. few miles distant, Still, level as It |
'eems, there is generally descent enough !