The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-09-03
Western Correspondence.
TOPEKA. Kansas. Az

TOPEKA, Kansas, Aug. 25, 1879.
Editor of The Times /: - have just re-
turned from the front, as Grant used to say
in times past, as far as Reno county on the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe r. r..
The county is 30 miles wide and AZ long,
contains 1860 square miles, and was organ
lied six months ago. Hutchinson, the
county seat is a nice, thriving and business
town of groceries, Q dry goods stores, 2
drug stores, 8 bakeries, 1 printing Office, 1
bank, lumber yards, tin stove and hard
ware store, and has no saloon, and no whis-
key is permitted to be sold or given away
in the town. There was not house there
last January. Last year there was less
than 400 acres broke, now the assessor re-
turns 6000 acres planted in the county, all
done since March. In fact settlers came
in and made their homes since January,
and still settling up as rapidly as before
In a year hence, there will not be "home-
stead" in the county. The A. T. & s. r.
r., has contracted with Mr.. S. P. Kelsey TO
let him have 30 sections of land to plant in
forest and ornamental trees. This road is
laying track at the rate of two miles per
day they have sleeping cars to accommo-
date 800 men, and their dining car is always
pushed along to the front. One man has
the contract to board these men he has
his herder and his butcher along. Another
party has the contract to pull up and drive
their wells every day, so they have fresh
water all the time. The Indians do not
trouble them as reported. White renegades
steal their horses occasionally. They lost
thirty, some two weeks ago in one night
They always follow the trail and if they
catch them they hang or shoot them, bury
. and mark their graves horse Theft
Such is law on the frontier. Instead of
letting them live to steal again, they exc
cute them to save further trouble.
This Arkan sas valley is the largest body
Of good land have ever seen in twenty
eight States. The way this got the name
of the desert, was about as follows THE
Santa Fe trail ran along range of Sand
hills that passes up the valley between the
Little and Big Arkansas. l went out to
see these singular Sand hills of which so
much has been written. They are piles of
sand drifted up, some of them 60 feet high,
in all shapes, and in little nolls covered with
dwarf plum, very nice, and wonderfully
fruitful. There are little lakes of fresh
water all among these hills, and here and
there little streams trickle down their sides,
and there is grass on most of them. A
strange freak of nature-I saw growing on
a hillock of pure white sand, blue stem
grass feet high. How can we account
for vegetation growing on them? But 1
am making this too long. Topeka has
new car factory under construction to cost
ZOO, 1000 dollars, also the Iron King bridge
works, to cost $500,00O. They expect to
make 100, 900 dollars worth of these bridges
in 1878. Also the stone work of the Wash
burne Cottage is to be finished by the mid
die of September. The female Seminary
is just finished, and will be ready to re-
ceive pupils by January term. This is
wonderful productive year. Come to our
State Fair on the 10th of September, and
see corn 10 feet high. t. b. T.
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