The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-11-08
OTTAWA AS SEEN BY A TOPEKER


One of the editors of the Topeka kansas
Commonwealth recently spent few days 4
Ottawa, and this is The way he raves about it
During a recent visit to the sucker state
was the writer's good fortune TO strand upOl
| the beach at Ottawa in La Sale county, Iii
nois, a region made famous from its connec
nection with the Black Hawk wars of 1888
and 1892 The town Is situated on the tOI
banks of The Illinois and Fox rivers and i:
one of the oldest and lovelicst in the state
beautiful for its situation, beautiful for It's
broad and shaded avenues, its rocks and riv
uets, its reservoirs and aqueduCts, beautiful
in its handsome and substantial buildings
and beautiful for its good Samarltans who
found me IL stranger within their gates, and
who took me in and entertained me SO royalty
that | was ut Il loss to tell whether | was the
grand duke, the Khan Of khiva or Mr.. Shah
of Persia; and thank heaven ! was neither
Besides its picturesque location and natural
scenery, the town boasts many other curiOsi
ties, among which are It's bashiul boys, beau
tfu bellies, blushing bachelors, brilliant bru.
nettes, and pretty people OF every description
The meandering Illinois and the sly Fox riv.
ers which wind around and through the town
are almost entirely covered with bridges. 1t
is an easy matter to stand by the bridge that
carries you over" in Ottawa; indeed, there is
such an uninterrupted succession of bridges
in all parts of the city that there is nothing
in the appearance of the streets to indicate
that there are any rivers lying around loose
in thai vicinity,
remained in Ottawa several days and was
made to feel quite at home; | went there
partly through curiosity and partly because |
had never been there before. | know of no
place where few days can be passed more
pleasantly, and Tor "a permanent residence |
do not know where to 20 TO find its superior
Its hills are not mountains, but they have all
the beauty of the mountains without their
sublmity. lis rivers are not the sea- but they
are equally as beautiful, AS you stand upon
the south bluff you behold an ever.changing
panorama, with Ottawa directly in front and
the horizon for miles 50 beautifully undula-
ting that you are not certain which of more
than twenty gently.swelling slopes is the most
charming, ali Of them being covered with
clusters of cottages and mansions which the
wealth of the town has scattered like pearls
among the green emerald of its hills forming
picture which never Wcaries yOn with its
sameness and always plCases you with its
quiet beauty And then the river, the noble
Illinois river which charmed the rowing red
man into a settlement upon its banks; here
one might easily dream away an existence:
so still, so soothing. AS my feeble glance
took in but mere outline of the pleasing
spectacle, ii was diffiult for me to imagine
that the Indian girls had ever played croquet
and made split shots" in the fields or climb
ed the stately hills which rise in silent gran
deur on each sidc;-evcry trace Of their race
has been 50 entirely eilaced. They have
passed away, rs all races must, even the muir
u 4. Al. =
rounabOuts Of four hundred of Uncle Samu-
els bravest boys. We ought to have lively
sympathy for the former owners of our lovely
land-that is, if they were not Indans-bIt
since they were 50 foolish as to have been In
dians, they merit no mercy.
But let III return TO the river; its beauties
have been touched by many pen, in poetry
and prose, before which | presume my utter
anccs will and probably ought to fade away
and be forgotten. But then il has 80 many
faces that each new writer finds some new
charm and jots it down in his reportorial log
book AT night il hides Itself in It's lazy bed
and sleeps; | am not certain but that 1t even
snOres, much to the probable discontinue of
its next door neighbour the Fox, with its slug
gish waves rolling in upon rock and beach. |
But in the morning early it is awake, and
CLEANS as its silyer-tippGd waves send the
sharp g'anccS of the low-lying sun directly in |
your eyes. At noon it grows unromaniic-
puts on It's work,day dress, and announces
ltsell open Tor business, with the assurance J
that It's Od"hS VIII not suspend, no matter how |
many runs or draws may be made upOn them |
Later IN the day, as the sun falls westward |
where ali sons ought to 20, the river crows |
ruddy with the reflections of golden clouds |
which hang around the tops Of the hills. a |
rOyal drapcry around the couch into which |
the king of day. drops himself YEARLY after
the DAYS march is over And at evening II
an tOid, the river bushes itself into unusual
quiet, 50 as not Ia break the force of those
gentle whispers in which youthful lovers
who then resort 10 its banks, tell the story
which Milton says our mother Eve heard with
such new delight; a story which, through all
the ages past, has never lost its charm, and
never viii, hope.
Through the Kindness OF friends | was Civ
en- an opportunity TO ride through every street
in town, and To visit many strange and curl
Gus places. Among the number, ought TO
be condemned 10 everlasting hunger did ]
fail 10 mention Starved Rock" The name
is suggestive though not agreeably so. The
rock is round in shape, one hundred and fifty
feet in height, and about as large on top as a
couple of city lots in Topeka, or elsewhere.
The ascent is very steep and dangerous, and
ofien attended with many difficulties. | be
lleve had only two of the latter with Inc
when went up, and as their conversation |
was agreeable, they occasioned me very little |
trouble. The rock is thickly studded with |
pine :rees which are covered with mass Of
coralcolored branches The top of this nam.
moth rock is dotted with little mounds of
earth and sod, which the spectators magma
lion can shape into the graves Of the band OF
Indians who are said 10 have been starved |
here and from which tbc yocl dar;vae i,s N