Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-03-20
THE CHRONICLE
LETTER FROM DAKOTA.

! OHIO, TURNER Co., DAKOTA TER,
March s, 1872. j
EDITOR CHRONICLE As your cor
respondent from Dakota is now will
you, and having on these large
/ prairies plenty of room for free
thought and action, though a woman
1 in this approach 10 the " Sixteenth
! Amendments" would ask to speak
I through your columns of this place
/ We have ever welcomed the CHROME
Gle as an old friend, since we came
West. My friends neglecting to send
| it this year, thought / would try and
get along without it, but concluded
/ would much rather do without the
$500.
As every body has complained oi
the cold weather this winter, / need
not tell you that we have had some
snow here in this 43d degree, North
latitude.
But it has been steady cold weather
this winter, and not all kinds, as we
sometimes have in Ohio; neither so
severe but what " Father Turner, ("
an old pioneer. over 20 years of age,
has been in the timber all winter,
getting out lumber for a grist mill
and church.
Hundreds OF families have spent
the winter in upholstered houses. In
fact they are the rule, while the
others are the exception lowing
of course to limited meaRs), and no
thing strange in some families, if the
children are barefoot at that. Per-
haps that might be assigned, as one
of the reasons, why more children
die here than grown people.
But L must not say anything dis
paraging of our country, as 1 have
put myself on the soliciting COM
mittee for Dakota, and also request
the assistance of the CHRONICLE to
aid us in procuring settlers for this
vast, rich, and healthy country.
am prompted to do this for many
reasons. One, and 1 may as well
name it first, because We are selfish
beings naturally, that we want this
wilderness peopled. We want help
to build churches and school houses.
We want citizens that we may be-
come q State, and Rave the i'm
munities of the same. We want
you to come because we know there
are many who can better their con-
dition every way by coming. You
can have by coming here 100 acres by
living on il, and l60 more by paying
two hundred dollars $4,000, Ofas good
soil as man ever titled, with the pros
pect of a railroad in q very short time.
We have a tri-weekly mail route now
established.
The road is surveyed, contract let,
and ties out for the Southern Dakota
K. II. running as near us as the cars
did Mesopotamia when left.
When we came here, Is months
ago, to locate our claims, !" there was
not house within six miles of US.
Now there is town six miles above
US. / mention this, that you may see
how rapidly the country is settling ;
and yet we are anxious for more 10
come.
AS 1 acknowledged at the begin
ming. that we are selfish, please don't
call it all by that name, for really, I
have a desire TO say something that
may induce people who are willing
and anxious TO work, if they knew
where to find it, to come to this
place.
All professions, as well as both
sexes over2l years Of age, are entitled
to two rights here. And for the
benefit of the single, would here
state that you can hold your claim
without being on it all the time, as in
some cases it would be almost inn
possible. The law here rather favors
single people, from the fact, | sup
fhnt 40 L., l..
as much as ttOo.
/ would say to any who may be
coming here from your vicinity, by
all means come in the spring, as you
will need the entire summer to pre-
pare for winter. There is land already
broken, that can be rented; also corn,
potatoes and vegetables can be raised
here on new breaking.
With regard to society here. of
course it is mixed. We are anxious
to better it by getting some OF our old
friends out here. The very highest
type of ministers is wanted, as there
are many people here who do not 90
to church from principle-stay at
home and spend their time in recrea-
ton, or working, because the preach
ing is not what they are accustomed to
East.
Doctors will find plenty of employ
ment here Notwithstanding, this is
very healthy country from the fact
that most of the people here prefer
the pork barrel " to the " Herald
of HEALTH" or Laws of Lifer
Another reason is, "home market "
is thebe market they have as yet,
consequently they seem to eat all
they can 20 save il.
The qualifications necessary to a
lawyer here, are to be posted on assault
and battery, cOntesting claims, and
granting divorces.
Teachers receive wages according
to their ability, from twenty to fifty
dollars per month, board not in
cluded.
As to the Indians, terror which
has, no doubt, kept many from this
far West, can say we were obliged to
wait long time before we even saw
one, and then they so much resem-
bled many white people, both in looks
and actions, as they were buying
whisky and tobacco, that we needed
to be told that they were Indians, as
they are half civilized. And you
know, Mr.. Editor, we can find plenty
of that class of people everywhere.
This. township is not named yet,
but the name of the pOstoffice is Ohio.
Any wishing to come here from
Trumbull, and desiring information,
and will either address myself or
friends here, we will candidly and
eheerfully answer them to the best of
our ability, or forward them His
tory of Dakota" ABBIE LAIRD.
IMPORTANT DATEs--The following
will refresh the minds OF our readers
as to the dates of important inven-
tiOns, discoveries and Improvements (:
Spinning whel invented, 1880.