The Portland daily press., 1871-09-04
DAILY PRESS.
ND.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER A, 1871.
Out i'm Kansas.
WINFIELD, COwLEY COUNTY, !
kANxAS Auu 1871
PORTLAND

KANSAS, Aug 1871. !
Dear Friend, The country here is entirely
new and OF course many things are crude but
It OIL y needs brains and money to make it
rich and beautiful.
Ihis comfy is situated in the extreme
southern part of the State ON branch of he
Arkansas river. The land was ceded to the
United States by the Indians in July 1870,
when this town was organized with three
houses now there are more than one hun
dred buildings including some twenty five
stores and shops and two churches building
there are two hotels, and this town is the
county seat.
Inc country is not fiat except the bottom
lands along the rivers but gently upduIatipg.
enough so 1or good drainage with occasionally
an abrupt mound or bluff resembling huge
eallnWork, sometimes of an acres extent.
frn,,, .a., Vi many acres, varying in height
from ten to say thirty feet, the TOP quite Level
Tue sides either slopine at an angle of abont
10 uegfees or formed of perpendicular wall
Oh limestone, not solid, but ia LAYERS like ma
sohry. This is very interesting feature in
the country; the land on the top of these
mounds is rich and fertile, the limestone is of
good quality for lime or building stone, easily
worked when quarried but grows hard on eX-
posure. When first quarried can be easily cut
with hand saw.
There is no timber except along the streams
where the prairie fires had not ragged. They
are The only ciuSe OF the absence of timber
ON the prairies. Fuel is worth about four
dollars cord delivered, so you see it is not
scarce. BlackwalnuL abounds, and is used
for the most common purposes.
The water is good for all uses but washing
1t is hard With lime, but agreeable to the
taste, and wholesome.
sometimes the thermometer indicates 100
deg. in the shode, but the nights are ALWAYS
cool ard agreeable
Mosquitoes are not half so troublesome as
in Maine.
The people nearly all have little money.
out not many have much, though there are
men living in one room in log cabins who ale
said to be worth forty thousand dollars.
There are steamboat captains, ministers,
professors OF colleges and eastern merchants
living on claims in one room houses. Money
is worth three per cent. month.
Ine living is not so good as in the east.
Beef is plenty, but of poor quality. The peo-
pie generally live on bacon or in army par
lance New no
tatoes and other vegetables are plenty, and if
one knew how, might live live WELL Melons
and tomatoes are in abundance. A melon
big enough to feed four men only costs
dime.
Every day adds to the number of people.
In this town there are probably five hundred,
and outside OF that settler on every $50
acres, though many of them are single men
whose families are elsewhere; but many Of
them will come next season.
There is consi erable fever here now and
some aeue, but none die scarcely. These dis
eases ale common where the prairie is nearly
broken, bnt disappear soon.
The soil along the bottoms is as rich as soil
can well be; probably there is three tons OF
grass per acre average and corn yields abund-
antly.
The rolling prairie is not so deep soil, but
in Maine would be considered of very superb
| or quality.
Corn plantel on prairie broken in June with
no care since, is now taller than a man can
reach. There is no better grazing country in
the world, l believe than this; hay in the
stack is worth So per ton.
The people outside the town nearly all live
in ''box houses" that is natural lumber stand
ing up and down covered with cottonwood
shingles for a roof. They usually have but
one room beside the attic, and when there is
large family it requires some skill 10 pack
them properly especially at night, when there
Is company; but stranger finds no trouble in
getting lodgings at these cabins, tor the peo-
pie are generally hospitable and willingly
share with him. 1t is no place Tor people OF
| extreme modesty.
| Nearly all the desirable claims are occupied
yet there are many of the occupants who
never intend to remain long upon them, but
are always moving just on the border These
claims can be bonght cheap and money made
| by the operation.
Yours, truly,
MAINE