Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1875-05-27
NUMBER %
CorresPondence.
For the Gallipolis Journal.
DEWITT, ARKANSAS Co., ARK,
Anril 30, 1875.

DEWITT, ARKANSAS Co., ARK,
April 90, 1875.
Mr.. EDTToR:-Allow me in your
interesting paper to give brief de-
scription OF Eastern Arkansas.
Arkansas county lies between Ar
Kansas and White rivers, about thirty
miles west of the Mississippi river
OF mild and seasonable climate, pro-
ductive soil and gently rolling sur
lace, two-thirds prairie and oue-third
timber. Here are thousands of
acres OF United States Governments
land and State land to give away to
settlers. The United States will
give you l60 acres of rich land if
YOU will occupy and improve it for
live years. The State Of Arkansas
will give each head of family Tor
person u years old, unmarried1
16O acres If the person viii put a
fence around . acres of this, his or
her land, and to the wife and each
child l60 more for $3.50 a person.
age. A wife and nine children for
S25 can get 1000 acres of choice
land. Within 10 miles of me are
now 10000 acres of U. S. and State
land. The prairies here are 3 and
3 miles wide between streams, and
dotted with islands, of excellent tim
ber-oak and hickory. How it
could have been better arranged for
the good of man cannot see. Why
this county, so accessible, should lie
here unknown and unOccupied is a
mystery. This is an excellent coun-
try for all kinds of grain, fruit, berries
and vegetables raised in Ohio, and
cotton, besides a country where cat
tie, horses, sheep, hogs, chickens and
geese can winter without care: 9 out
of every 10 head of cattle or swine
grow up and are sold off; the fattest
of beef are slaughtered at home
without ever knowing how grain
or hay tastes. Cattle become poor
in winter, but early in the spring get
fat. Hogs fatten on mast, and sheep
keep fat all winter. Timothy, clO-
yer and blue grass do well here.
The summers are long and but
very little warmer than in Ohio.
The highest the thermometer rose
last summer was 100 degrees Fahren-
heit, and the coldest the past winter
Is degrees above zero; ground froze
4 inches-only few days.
| have lived here two years, but
have not attended Il funeral. We
have some ague and lung fever but
have few deaths.
Society is peaeeable and friendly,
and YOU can be an abolitiOnist of the
most outspoken kind and nobody
cares.
We have here q large settlement
from Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, DO
ing well. We are tolerably well sup
piled with churches. A system of
free school is provided for in our
State Constitution, but is not yet in
working order. Our taxes are
$2.75 on the 800, but paid in State
script-makes then about 81 on the
800.
This county is destitute of me-
chalics and shops; not Touring
mill nor tannery, nor cabinet nor tin
shop. nor threshingmachine in the
county, but one shoe-shop and one
wagon-shop in the county, and but
three saw-mills, and all in great de-
mand.
Why enterprising Northern men
should go to the treeless, rainless %
plains of Western Kansas and Colo
RADIO, or the bleak regions OF Min
nesota and Dacotah rather than
come to this genial and seasonable eli
mate and beautiful prairies, never
scourged with grasshoppers, is GER
tainly one of the ''seven wonders" :"
We have here abundance of game
deer, turkeys, coon, mink, wilde its
and some wolves, bears and pam
theirs.
Raised in Ohio, | have been from
Massachusetts to Kansas, and from
Cadada to New Orleans, and all
things considered, this country out
weighs them all.
Yours truly,
P. MINER.