The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-04-25

. TRIP no CLEBURNR-HA RAILROAD
MEETING DESCRIPTION OF THE
COUNTRY.
We started from Dallas on Friday
at half-past 8 o'clock, with an
excellent team and an accommodating
lriver,.in company with Thomas Field,
esq, and Captain johnson, City en-
gineer, for the town Of Cleburne. We
gained the bluffs over.hanging the
Trinity bottom west OF the river In a
few minutes, and were enabled to gaze
back upon the city lying below US, For
seventeen miles In the direction OF
Cleburne we passed through, az II were,
one solid farm, with vast, wido-sweep'
ing fields Of wheat, and oats, and corn,
and cotton. The whole face Of the
country is fenced In, for this distance
OF seventeen miles, with possibly the
exception OF some two or three hum
bred acres Of white rock soil, that will
hardly warrant cultivation. With the
exception Of some slight indications OF
rust, which seemed to become more
marked ~ we neared Alvarado, the
crops looked TO be In splendid condl-
ton.
We drove along over q fine road In q
pleasant trot, eDraptured with the sur
passing beauty and fertility Of the
the country. We have never looked
upon more beautiful land, nor upon
a section OF the State that bids fair TO
be 30 densely populated. We venture
TO assert that In five years from to-day,
the traveller from this point TO Gle
burne will pass through one continu-
Gus lane bordered by the most beauti-
ful and fertile farms that the eye ever
gazed upon. Especially Will the
lovely valley OF Mountain Creek,
which lay below us on our right with
lts carpet Of dark green grass resem-
bling some immense level lawn or
illimitable wheat field, become In few
brief years either an entire garden or
farm. After lunching at n pretty
spring and brisk drive OF three hours,
we rolled into Alvarado, an enterpris-
ing and most hospitable village, upon
the eastern edge OF the cross timbers
In Johnson county, and put up rs the
hostelry of our pleasant friend;Major
Sparks. All the country surrounding
Alvarado IL rapidly becoming n
farm. The soil Is matchless In It's
wonderful fertility, and Is but II sam
pie OF that bordering the entire
eastern edge of the cross timbers from
.Johnson's Station In Tarrant county,
to the Brazos in McClennan. That
entire belt IL as fertile as the valley Of
the Nile, and possesses unusual adyan-
tages In wood and water. II Is filling
rapidly with a1ine class of farmers
and the lands are being largely pur-
chased ut round prices.
The Masonic schoolhouse mt Alvara-
do is about completed, and will open
with one hundred and twenty-five
scholars under the supervision OF
trained and accomplished teachers. 1t
Is situated about a quarter of u mile
from the village on picturesque knoll
at the edge of the timber, We found
the citizens of A.lvarado to be courte-
Gus, hospitable and enterprising, and
filed with u determination to build a
railway to Dallas. We feel pursuaded
that the most liberal subscriptions can
be obtained from the farmers and
merchants generally In that locality.
We stayed Friday night at Alvarado
and on the following morning drove
through the cross timbers some twelve
miles to the town OF Cleburne.
This place is beautifully situated on
the western edge OF the cross timbers,
contains about fifteen hundred inhabi-
tants, with severalhand some churches,
an excellent courthouse, good hotel,
and many mercantile houses and pri-
vate dwellings that would be an orna'
ment to any Texan city. We were
very comfortably quartered at the Gle.
burne House, an excellent hotel kept
by Mr.. Fowler, and speedily
introduced to many Of the leading citi
zens of Cleburne and of Johnson
county, whom we found to be, without
single exception, warm-hearted, mos
courteous and intelligent. They seemed
to vie with each other in extending tC
THE HERALD's representative every
imaginable gracious courtesy and at
tention. We visited the sanotum OF
our esteemed contemporary, the Chroni
Gle, and received every polite attention
that Its most agreeable publishers coult
extend. AT half-past twelve O'CLOCK
we disposed of dinner rs excellent al
our host could spread, which was Ger
tainly enjoyed by the trio that partool
of 1t. We were waited upon by hand
some lady, with a grace ana ease tina
we could not but admire. Our frient
Johnson evidently did 80 from the pre-
occupied manner in which heresponded
to her questions. "Will you take soup
sir ~ was her query of him, ayes