Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-09-27
Notes of a recent Trip to Omaha.


Orr route was by what Is called the southern
route, ria Philadelphia, Cincinnati, st. LOUIS
and Kansas city. and wo returned by way OF Chr
cago.
The Suspension bridge over the Ohio ut C'n-
cinnati is finished, and great and noble s'ruc,,
ure il is. railroad bridge is being butt na''
a mile frther up the stream, and will be reauy
far use in a few months At st. Louis thou
amid men are at work ON the bridge over the Mis-
si,.;,ni The obut,nents and piers arc nearly com
Melted f. il hundred feet from the surface Of
the river down to the foundations oil the pier.
Tbcy boye now been almost two years on TINS
structure. and two years more time VIII De re
quired to finish IT, Twenty miles from 1t. boui-
on Tie North Missouri railroad s the greatest
and prandest bridge in the country IL cruises the
river Nli.souri) ato great hight above the water
and the approaches to It are each nearly hall a
mile long The piers are Of stone, and the bridge
and approaches Of iron. IL cost two million OF
dollars. AZ Klnso. city another bridge, across
the Missouri, has latcly been finished and two
more bridges are now being built, one at Leayen-
worth. and one at Omaha. The Missouri is the
worst of rivers % bridge for there is no certainty
a. TO where it will bea year hence. 81 frequent
rs does il change It's bed IL Is in many places
onarter Of a mile from where it was las, year.
Tho " bottom lands" Of the Missouri are about
three miles wide, and are very rich The soil isa
back loain. 90 or 80 feet deep. The niIroad
rom Kansas city To Council Bluffs lays through
these bltton lands, and about mid way between
She river and the bluffs The latter from one Ia
two hundred feet high, and rs the bottom lands
are 50 level and extensive. they have tho appear
ance ut a distance Of mountains. Corn is the
principal production, in fact might say the only
one. saw no wheat. and but little fax grow
ing.
Omaha Is very pleasantly situated on the West
bank Of the river. Il tine city Of some seven
teen thousand inhabitants, and will eventually
be q large city. The country back il rich rolling
prairie land. and il rapidly being settled up.
The people OF Omaha are very enterpri-ing and
public spirited, and are doing all they can to
make that place me business point Of that section
Of the country They are building railroads to the
South AMI TO the North and the Union Pacific
railroad. which terminates here, extends through
the whole length of the State Of Nebraska from
E,.t 70 West, and several branch roads TO III,
nth and South are being built.
Tlcyicw from the bluiT, back Of the city j.
very fine. Looking 20 the Eis, is the city, river,
wide b1ttom lands, and BLUFFS beyond, and at the
foot of the latter l. the thriving city Of Council
81 o.. 10 the North and South as far as eye
can reach j. seen the noble Missouri winding it,
way through the green bittom lands fanked on
each side BIS the mountain like bluff.
Omaha considering It's age (only II years ODD
Is one Of the best blilt cites in the country Ii
contains -eveml large brick churches and many
extensive and substantial brick blocks, hotel,
ana high -chpllhouse second TO none ia the coun-
try each costing some two hundred thousand
dollars. Two district schO)lhouses are now he
lag built at an expense Of thirty thousand dol
lars each, and the government is building a post
office and courthouse Of stone On the bluff are
many costly residence, and a stranger in walk
ing about the city Is impressed with the fact that
il is pleasant place Of residence. and good
point for business, and that the citizens ARE
thorough and substantial class Of men, laying
well and broad the foundation for large city
both in their holdings and public institutions.
During my stay here ] bad the pleasure ol hear
ing some Of the ablcst men Of the State speak ut
public meeting on the merits and dement's OF
the new constitution which will be voted upon
this month, and have no hesitation 10 saying
that Nebraska has As able and eloquent men n
any State in the Uaion
accidentally met in Omaha, Mr. Cuuier, for
merly from Montpelier he has daguerrean "a
loon there and is first class artist
At Council Bluffs called upon two Montpelier
boy, $ Mortimer Collins and Col. II. g. Mutt
COL Mutt has the contract from the ~ p. r.
Al a..
freight acros, the Missouri River he keeps three
or four steamboats, constantly employed in per-
forming this service.
Council BlaiI- is very pleasantly situated and is
quite business point The first settlers were
Mormnns They spent the winter here when on
their way from Illinois to Salt Lake, and built
log houses, and after they vacated them, traders
who furnished supplies to those going overland to
California occupied them Since then the place
las had a steady and healthy growth and many
wealthy men have settled here.
came through Iowa hy the Chicago and North
Western Railroad-lriend Collins accompanying
me hundred miles or more on his way % visit
bis father, Silvin X. Collins, well known to your
older readers he lives on a farm near Broome
During our ride together 'Niort " gave me an in
ago 20 the NJ ntpeler settlers at Red Oak, Iowa
some fifty miles south of Council Bluffs, on the
Burlington and Missouri Railroad They all had
ine firms and were doing we'll.
After riding all day through the finest farming
country ever saw, | stopped to spend the Sab
bath at the young thriving city of Talna, now
only six years old, bat boasting Of churches, fine
stores, first class brick hotel and high school,
house, two thirty thousand dollar residences and
fifteen hundred Inhabitants, among them fine
boy whose mother was Vermont lady and whose
great great grandmother is Massachusetts lady.
Monday morning continued my ride through
Iowa, which as to farming and stock raising is
beyond question the banner State of the Union,
crossed the Mississippi at Clinton and arrived in
Chicago at evening, and left the next morning for
home, making stop Of few hours at Cleve-
land, where | had the pleasure Of seeing the
genial and iJlly faces of Fred. Prentiss and Luke
b. French, who in years past were Montpelier
boys, and are now | infer from hearsay and up.
pearances enjoying here the comforts which at
tend wealth and good health Cleveland has
grown in twenty years from city of twenty
thousand inhabitants to one Of one hundred
thousand. This growth is in measure owing
! to the location here Of great iron and copper
works. in the words Of friend Prentiss the iror
ana copper OF lake Superior and the coal o
pennsylvania meet and unite here and the result
Is great prosperity to Cleveland VERMONT TER
-Gloucester's fishing vessels have lost abou
dozen men a-month in the present vear -,