The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-09-06
NOTES OF TRAVEL.


Bluffs was the somewhat cquivocal d,!rc ciyrn
US by u commercial traveller whom ", cucoun
tered by the way, We realized his full meaning
when il was too late to take adSanta.., Of his
cminently sound advice. Reaching Ouaha to-
wards midnight, We proceeded in the 'h,s 10 the
"Wyoming,' to find it Jam full, sir Western
train missed conncction-passcngers hal 10 lie
over Sc. We suggested the "MctroIolftan'
Full also" was the answer; but there WAS room
at the City Hotel So in company Win half 4
dozen other victims We proceeded to he CITY
/ Hotel. II is a larger and more precautions
structure than either of the others, but inside If
was simply arIM. What with the filth, nd yer.
min, and stencil from the back court, ", passed
& nigh. to haunt Us ever altcrward- At dav
light We CROPPED our way to the office, pad first
class" rates for nights lodging! and IS lhed to
the Wyoming for breakfast.
There is no decent hotel at Omaha. an, people
who are posted, when they go there ON h,incs..
stop at the Ogden at Council Bluffs oyr MIGHT.
making excursions across the river al back
during the daytime. There is, howcy,, nearly
completed al Omaha 4 new, very handsome and
spacious hotel, the Grand Central" to b. OMEN
ed during the present month II is h,oed fine
opening Of the new house will wipe ayry from
Omaha her present rcproach on the hotl cues
ton.
The city is growing enormously. I,ms. have
fifteen or twenty thousand people, and i doub'
/ linz up at a rate to remind one stronghold Chi
Icago. However, We can tell our rcadcs little
| they don't already know about Omaha Hnd W.
hasten to take
THE h. Il NJ. ROAD WESTWARD,
I man which we leave nt q pyr..I;u,.
about 10 miles southwark, we cross The latt and
then follow the valley Of that strcauhome %
miles westward; then leave the Plat TO the
right; pass Ashland, thriving hand'orc Young
town, and reach Lincoln, 80 miles from Omaha.
at noon, in time to take dinner at th"ucstcst,
tidiest eating house we encountered onlhc trip.
LINCOLN
| Is the capital Of Nebraska located a = plat
gently slopng towards muddy strcair q tribu-
tary Of the Blue, The most prominent hcct, on
a fine elevation south Of the town, ishc State
University, an imposing structure Of rd brick;
west Of it, on the same elevation, j. he statc
house, as awkward q piece of architcc,re - thu
old Pennsylvania state house NJ harrisburg, OF
which it appears 10 be q dwarfcd inlittion; and
then further along, with less archicctral fault
ness, are the .tate insane s-ylum, dcahnd dumb
asylum, &c. North Of the town are thcaltworks,
just coming into operation and whia promise
to be an important source of prosuciry 10 the
place. The salt wateris obtained by bring arte
sian wells, and is said to be richer in slime prop
critics than the wells at Syracuse. W made too
short 4 halt at Lincoln, however, 10 Undertake 10
do the town. The ride
PROM LINCOLN TO EEARSl
Is across 4 gently rolling, bcaufIl prairie
country, with occasional small stron-, but 10
timber. About one quarter section htour along
most Of the way is occupied, and Whai7er wheat
corn or Oat fields one sees are sure give ind
cations OF rich soil and good crop. Every ten
or twelve miles there is = yillagenumbcring
from 80 to 500 inhabitants. Thus wgaSs Crete
Harvard Exo,er, Juniats, Lowell, ~, hnallI
rccros,ing the Platt here two mill. Wide and
reaching
kEARNEY JUNCTION
lat o'clock P. NJ and finding dccenRuHr'crs at
the Harold House.
Kearnev Is city Of less than.hrcc years
growth, Of as yet limited populati, but of tre.
mendous expectations and putin on stunning
airs About every building is hotel, store,
saloon land Office, or "institutioi Of some AinG,
with lawyers, doctors, dentists. vtar!eS, barber
shops and printing Offices sctercd oil over.
The city NAV have 600 inhabints, YET it sup
ports one daily and two week papers, three
hotels, half dozen Of saloon a hneF billiard
hall than any in Ottawa, seyers!ry eoola storeN'
! grocery stores, &c. The tOwnlat SaCeaN icNF.,
on the north side OF TIE Pit river, but Titl.
handsome bluffs oyerlookin it on its northern
edge. There is Us yet vG little settlements
around it, It's principal trtc coming from the
! Republican, heavy sediment some - miles
| south; but the country is!ling up rapidly, and
| will soon have heavy lral population OF ~
| own,
| The strong point Of carney consists in IL
| being an important raoad center. 1t is at
prescnt the junction ofhe B. II NJ. with the |,
! p road. The St. 10 6DCnyer road will reach
the same point this faIct, The Brownyille and
Kearuey road IS underontract, and the st HHN
and Sioux CITY road rapidly approaching 10
form its junction her"ith the ~
Besides proatabll local trade, kcS-acy al,D
does cuitc busine, hpping westward Wheat,
| corn. potatoes, cabrcs, &c, find ready marlcl
berp for Chcvepna d the mountains, and bring
better prices than Lincoln.
! TIM town helm Iear the center Of In" state,
ana the confuer.po point Of so many railroads, is
,.rv confident one day becoming the stat
oo,,i,oI AND q table tract Of land i, already
measured off THE north bluff and held in re
serve for III sblic buildings. 1t IS treason in
| Kearpcv toeyrcss doubt but that in les, than
twenty verstGe state capital will crown that
elevation.
| No PENJLS.