The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1871-07-06
For the Advertiser.
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Mr.. Editor: L -v
On my leaving Iowa for Kansas, quite
number of my friends requested No to
writs them my views II the latter 0tate.
I have not the time to write to ~ per-
sonally; but with your consent l will
address them through your columns.
Before giving my views of Kansas, I
| will say that have seen no better ooun-
try than Cedar Co., nor have I ss~-sny
where improved land, accn.~fng to real
value, 10 70 cheap. - sne productions Of
the farm 90 s,andant.
Tb.~.~Is belt Of country reaching
rom the Dies Moinss river, lows, nearly
to the Arkansas, known and aptly de-
scribed, Is "hard pam" +'....@
Through all this stretch Of country
you will see excavations made on the
surface of the land for the purpose of
catching water in wet weather for the
use of stock, " hen it Is dry.
This Kind Of land will not stand
drouth well, and as last season was dry,
we found grain and hay scarce and dear
on our trip. Clay Co., Missouri, and
johnson Co., Kansas are marked excep-
tons to the above. There grain and
hay were abundant, and improved
lands were held at $50, to 500, per
acre.
We crossed the Missouri river at Kan.
sas City and passed through johnson.
Douglass, Usage, Lion, Chase, Marion
and Butler Counties and have taken
claims in Sedgewick County, between
the Arkansas and the Little Arkansas
rivers.
We think this is one of the finest
valleys in the world. 1t all lies suffic-
iently high for the purposes Of drainage,
and yet there are no considerable hills
for fifty miles in width, aud AL indsfi-
nit~ length. OF course we have slight
elevations which we call hills. ! tell
my friends that have hill about four
feet high on my claim which intend
to use ~ building site. l have not
measured 1t, and it may be six or eight,
and there are others in the vicinity still
higher, and these hills notwithstanding,
it Is all essentially bottom land, but the
channels Of the streams lie deep, and
very smsll portions Of the land are ever
overlooked. Good water 10 generally
obtained by digging S to 20 feet, tu,
there IL little timber and no rock or coal
vot I;aoovnpod
The Atchison, Topeka 4 Santa Fe
Railroad Co., have a land grant in this
valley, extending round the big bend"
of tho Arkansas. -.. ....... -.
This Co., have the road built, and the
cars running to Florence in Marion Co.,
and are rapidly pushing it OIL to New
ton In this County. From that point
which is Is miles distant, the road is
not definitely located, but will likely
come near enough to US for all practica.
BILE purposes. .--.
The bet claims in this country that
are open for settlement are all taken,
but the r. II. lands and two school Sec
lions in every township that are not yet
in market. Good claims may be bought
cheap, and occasionally CLAIM, is for
feited and may 10 dumped"
Very few claims were taken in this
valley last October, and now they are
nearly all gone, so rapid 10 the settle
ment. OF course 1t il all an experiment,
and we cannot tell whether the lands
will meet our expectations or not, but
we are quite sanguine as to the result.
The season has been favorable and crops
look fine so far. Yours truly,
J. Is. WRIGHT,
Sedgwick, Kansas, June IS, II.