Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-10-04
For the EsseI counly Herald
Letter From The West.
ELK PoINr. Nept. 23d. 1S'

DEAR SIR.-Thinking that perhaps
a few lines from the West might not
come amiss, / will try to write, al
though in rather an uncomfortable
position. My seat consists of cush-
ion doubled up and placed in the bot
tom Of the wagon, while the seat an
swers my purpose as writing desk.
We left Swedes Point, 25 miles
northwest of the Capitol, Sept. l4th,
1873, where our team was in waiting.
Our outfit consists of light spring
wagon with extension sides covered
with brown drilling waterproof COW
ering, trimmed so as to roll up on the
ends and sides or fasten down almost
air tight. Our team is pair of me-
dunn sized mules, as tough as they
make them. We also have a good
bed, mess chest, &c. We followed
the Des. Moines River to Fort Dodge,
distant 80 miles from the Capitol
first passed through this country
in 1856, when there was scarcely any
improvements to be seen. A man
could drive all day without passing a
farm, while now from DesMoines to
Boon river it is one almost continuous
lane, with many as fine farm houses
rs any country can boast. At Boon
River, 60 miles from Des Moines, we
find corn two weeks later than with
us, yet there is chance for fair
crop if the frost only holds off. From
Boon river to Fort Dodge, some 20
miles, we find it rather thinly settled
owing to the lands having been deed
ed to the river and r.. r. companies,
and they are not willing to sell at
fair price. The lands are not dry as
farther south, which IS an other draw
back. Arriving at Fort Dodge we
find splendid town of its age in
1856 when | first became a resident
of this place there was but very few
buildings besides the old Fort build
ings, and when l left there in 1858,
but little improvements had been
made. In 1857 where the Court House
now stands three of us Batches put up
shanty and went to keeping bach
elor's hall rather than pay seven dol
lars week at the only public house
in the place. At that time we were
far from town and had no neighbors
to bother us. l was surprised to find
that the town now extended over a
mile past where we kept bach. The
growth of the city within the past few
years has been simply wonderful.
The population is now estimated at a
little over 1880 and the settlement of
the surrounding country, the openings
of the new coal mine, and the increas-
ed trade brought thereby, has made
the business of the place doubly i'm
portant. Besides the inexhaustible
coal fields of Fort Dodge, some of the
veins now being worked being ten
feet thick, an extensive bed of gyp.
sum underlies large tract of country
in and immedia tely adjacent to the
town. This material when ground is
used for stucco work, company
now having the contract of furnishing
the stucco for the new capitol of ILL.,.
and also of Iowa; it is also rich
manure for lands and used to be mucl
used in New England in my boyhoot
days. When quarried it is beautiful
building material, and is susceptible
Of polish, making it valuable as al
article of parlor furniture. Besides
this, there are many other kinds O
stone that are valuable for building
purposes. Alabaster or white marble
has also been discovered but whethe
in paying quantities or not l canno
say. Fort Dodge has many as fin
lpublic and private buildings a
there are anywhere west of the Miss
issippi river. But it was not to writ
up towns that set out, but to Civ
you q description of our journeying
and of the country through which W
pass. We crossed the DesMolnes rive
at this point following the North Liz
ard to Young's Grove, through as fin
an upland country as ever the su
shone on. II is plenty rolling for goo
drainage, little inclined to he sand
with some as fine springs as an
country can boast Of. We are no,
in the track of the grasshopper as th
fields of grain freely indicate ; whea
is damaged a great deal, only avel
aging from seven TO twelve tushel
to the acre, while oats are a perfec
failure. Corn will probably max
about half crop.