The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-09-10

the numerous brick houses-business and
dwelling testify A splendid article of
sand may be found on the various streams,
which is used for building purposes In
some parts of the county, potters clay
exists, and is put to good use In the
lower part Of the county is vein of
mineral paint" which has been used ex-
tensively, and answers well the place of
dark colored paint for barns. outbuildings.
ETC.
With all these products within our
borders, 1t may be matter of importance
to the stranger to know how we get rid of
them all. Therefore we must sneak of
| our
RAILROADS.
Mahaska has about fifty miles of rail
road. The first road built was the KEo-
KUK & DEs MONIES, formerly Des
Moines Valley road, the through line
from Keokuk to Fl Dodge, passing
through Des Moines, the Capital of the
State, runs up the valley of the Des
Moines river, is $50 miles in length, and
runs through rich country. 1t has di-
rect communication with Chicago and all
points of the East, via its connections on
the east side of the river at Keokuk, and
also with st. Louis on the South, by the
same routes, and during navigation by a
splendid line of steamers on the Mississip-
pi river. Our other completed road is the
CENTRAL RAILROAD OF Iowa, which runs
from Abba on the B. & NJ r. r., in the
south part of the State to the northern
State line where it connects with the Mil
waukee 4 st. Paul r. r., thus giving us a
direct communication with the pineries of
the North
This road will be completed from Abba
south at an early day, when we will have
direct continuous line from st. Paul to st.
Louis. We now have the connection by tax
ing the North Mo-, at Ottumwa Inaddition
to this we have several other railroads,
some of which are certain to be built.
First of these is the Iowa SOUTHWESTERN,
running from Clinton on the Mississippi
river to Oskaloosa, from which point it has
not yet been located west. This road is
being built by JOY the railroad king of
the west, who never yet failed in project,
and who will have the cars running into
Oskaloosa, via indianapolis, in Monroe
Tp., at an early day.
The MUsCATINE WESTERN hasa project
ed line through from Muscatine to Pella,
| thence west to some underlined point.
| The Washington branch of the CHICAGO
Rock ISLAND & PACIFIC r. R., has been
extended west to Sigourney and will in the
course of year be running a line into
our place.
Two roads we already have, and at
least two of the projected ones we will
have in less than two years, which will
make this the best railroad county in the
State. So it is plain to be seen that if
every acre is put under cultivation, we
will have an outlet for the products
CLIMATE
This is one of the most important and
at the same time one of the worst SLAM
dered virtues of Iowa. Go to the East
and say Iowa to any of them and they
are ready at once with the stereotyped an
| swer, "awful winter" ''cold Winds" '.too
windy" and many actually believe that
the baldheaded people can all get employ
ment holding the hair on the heads of
those who are lucky enough to have that
substance left. No greater mistake creeps
into the noddles of our eastern friends
than that Iowa is more windy and blust-
cry than any other State. IF you pass
March in Iowa and go east in April the
probabilities are that you will see nicer
weather in the East, but compare the
same seasons in the two countries and you
will have no reason to condemn Iowa.
Twenty-eight winters have passed since the
writer came to Iowa, and twenty five of those
We're passed here, and three as a blue-coat
among the "gentle breezes" of the South.
| So far as we are concerned we freely say
deliver us from gentle zephyrs" and gave
us Iowa with its toughest coat Once
while on visit to Ohio, gentleman of
fifty years asked us in the best earnest, if
we had any carriages here, and if the peo-
pie could haul their hay without watching
their chance between blows We at
tempted to disabuse his mind, but fear
we failed to impress the facts thereon.
A great many such foolish notions pre-
vail, and to us they seem more ridiculous
than the child belief that the moon is
made of green cheese A friend once ask
ed US if we were much troubled with In
dians, "out there" and was surprised to
learn that many children of fifteen or
more, born here, never saw one of the
race. The same man was much surprised
to learn that wolves and other 'varmints'
were scarcer here than in his own State.
He evidently regarded us as backwoods-
man who had laid aside his buckskin suit,
and ensconsed himself in ''store clothes for
that occasion only. Where they get
these false notions we cannot imagine, un-
less the opinions are fostered by the east
ern local press from selfish motives. Not
one-half enough western papers are circu-
lated among them Taken all in all, the
climate of Iowa is delightful, healthy and
invigorating. Fever and ague is almost
unknown was bad, but since the
country has become well settled has al
most entirely disappeared. The writer
never saw person "shake until he en-
listed and visited "Rackensack." The
winters are cold enough to be healthy, but
not intensely cold, while Spring, Summer
and Fall are delightful.
SCHOOLS.
1t is a matter of great credit to Iowa
that it has one of the best common
school systems in the country; in this
country fully one-half the tax levied is
for school purposes of various kinds.
When first settled we sat on slab in a
log school house; but we believe the last
log school house in Mahaska has disap-
peared and been numbered with the things
that were, and its place supplied with
good frame and brick ones in which intel
ligent teachers instruct the rising genera
ton. Mahaska has l6 brick school hous-
es, and III Frame and we feel proud that
but few counties can excel us. The heav-
lest expenses in this line have been met,
and many years will elapse ere we are
again called upon to meet the expense of
rebuilding these houses.
| OSKALOosA,
the county seat of Mahaska, is situated
exactly in the center of the county east
and west, and but short distance south
of the center north and south. 1t is one
of the most beautiful cities in Iowa, and
! is on the line of the KeOkuk q Des