Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-07-27
western WanderIngs.
JAMESON, DAVIS COUNTY, MO,
Inlu 9th. 1871. !

JAMESON, DAVIS COUNTY, MO, v
July 9th, 1S7l.} a
Monday, May 15th,-Broke camp very t
early. az we wished to be the first ones 10 l
get to the ferry boat on the Repnollcan
river, for we had heard that it was crowd
al and that people sometimes were obliged '
to wait for their turn to get over we
crossed the Republican river In Cloud {
COUNTY. and followed up the southwest
bank to Concordia, the County Seat OF
Cloud county. While travelling on the
bank we came upon prairie-dog town.
and being the first one we had seen, we
stopped to have some port with the dogs
This town covered about three acres OF
land and was alive with dogs. should
iudge that we saw not less than one nun
dred and fifty while we stopped TO look aU
them. They live in holes dug In the sahu
the holes always being perpendicular for
the first three feet, and the sand taken
from the hole is placed in such manner
as to form mound from twelve to h1teeh
inches high, the cavity being In the cen
+er If this mound and thus the little
creatures are elevated so as to watch Tor
approaching danger. The dogs always
lie on their holes or across them 80 that
if Won approach them they have only 10
loosen their hold and they are out OF sight.
We shot five or six of them, but as they
laid on their holes, as soon as they were
shot they fell in out of reach, and we olu
sncceea in getting any. In size the dogs
are about as large as common grey
sonirrel. but are shaped more like wood
obuck Their bark or chirp is ~ near
lilo that Of a small red squirrel as any
that I ever heard, and as squirrel sits on
the limb of a tree and chirps at you a.
Won pase. so they lie across their holes
and chirp. But 1 must give You des-
cription of their companions, which are
small hawk about the size OF night
hawk and the prairie rattle snake. we
shot one of the hawks. They are not az
sbv or as plenty as the dogs, and we saw
No sral,es in this town, although we saw
them, in others after We got further "es''
: and 7 have been told that they have all
been dug out Of the same hole AT Inc same
time. We arrived at Concordh aoou'
nina q M, Her we found my brother
Oliver. who had located near this place
e .ona : wo weeks before, and c. W. Nc
Donald, young lawyer, son OF " Sle1
McDonald. formerly of Goshen, VT wh'
had lett Harrison county, Mo, e1gh
months ago, and built the third house II
what is now the town of Concordla, witt
q rorplation of over seven hundred ant
containing the United States land cthc
, for the Northern District of Kansas.
- am told that there are upwards OF on
hundred land claims filed here every day
- and the office is SO crowded that ma
; can seldom get his papers out IN on
- dav. and many times they have to wal
- two or three days before they can get 'hel
brs;nass attended to. Provisions ar
-, very high here, as there has been nothln
.. raised here yet and the nearest railway
b. seventy miles east. We left Coneord'A
Il 4 o. M, in company with Oliver Churci
IT ILL and two other young men, who wei
III old acquaiutauces from Harrison count.
~ Mo. to take look at the country farth
al west. We travelled about ten miles an
be oamped on Wolf Creek. The l4nd alor
ol the streams is rich and good but IL
m taken up, and the people are reaklng II
ly sod and planting corn. The country we
h of the Republican is all new, and has
err, been tsken up within the last year.
,or there has never been any crops rais'
as. here. The people mostly live in log hn
YER covered with dirt, although some ha
NO stone and some few small frame house
and there are some who live in what tn
ON call dug-outs, which is cavity dug in
mo the eide of bank, with few logs
.ev form the front, and some logs laid acre
Ter the top and covered with grass, sods a
cot dirt; and still others cut the prairie
ere into squares and lay them up to make t
zos walls, and cover the top with dirt.
fine Tuesday, May 16th,- We travelled WI
of and north into Jewel county and arriv
lay at Jewel City at noon. Jewel City Is
ons tended to be the County Seat Of the cot
md ty, but the county is not yet organic
cry After dinner we passed west and saw
two houses in the afternoon. We eatpI
dly on Limestone Creek for the night Ia
ap. are no bridges here and va Aave
yell work to cross the streaEas and For
Jar on west the land is covered WI. a,
rty short grass WHOA forms a eafpss -
8 q that wagon makes no Re5, ~ -
the no weeds, grass, brush ''' ~.
UNI this buffalo grass. or any 'hins
INTO Wednesday
49,. T;,aes,o,- May 13.-We crossed
lich into ;, ! creeks anu 'uine A' -
noe, lie open pt"ii,e' :,
y. md turned our backs on all settlem
Inc We travelled over very rough cou
alton about thirty miles, saw antelope OF
neck sides of us, but they are to shy to
date We have not been out of sight OF ante
d he to-day. We camped on Oak creek TO
better night; we went into camp about 0 oe
orthy p. M, and the boys started out to loo
This game, and two of them on going u
btless river came upon herd OF five bun
press that were lying in a ravine. The
lie of crawled up and shot at large bull
% to was near by, but the contents OF b
with musket only served to brighten the
night so that they got no more shots at