The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1876-07-07

the Auglaize River, on fine iron bridge
some few miles aboves+fis town. The
road here, as well as all the other
towns along the line is iik,. the travel
er who passed by the man WHO fell
among tliieves. it passes by OH tha
other side TiiJr j. nearly all tl.e old .r
towns were built just away from ,I,e
line of the road, and very little of them
can be seen from the road. From De-
fiance to the crossing of the Maumee,
the country is low and wet, and crops
very poor.
Hicksville is a tlourishing village
west of Defiance, and surrounded by a
very fine country, but croops look bad.
At st. Joe, on the st. Joe river, we
met the first passenger train going
east Auburn Junction at the crossing
the B. & o. and Detroit & Eel river,
and Jackson g. Saginaw, is in DeKalb
County, Ind. AT Garrett, little vii
lage in the woods, and named in honor
of the President of the road, and at
which place the shops of this Division
are located, is the place at which pas
sengers have fifteen minutes for dinner.
1t is place of no special interest, and
perhaps, never will be. The shops of
the company give it lively appear
ance.
For long distance west from this
place the crops look badly, but as you
approach the little village of Cromwell
the corn and wheat are both very good.
The face ofithe country is very uneven,
and the low ground is little better than
a cat swamp. We pass the village of
Sycamore, among the lakes, but some
distance from the railroad. We see the
first prairie of any extent few miles
beyond Bremen.
We traverse over much the same
kind of country, until we strike the
lake-Michigan-some forty miles east
of Chicago, We then run along the
lake shore, or near it, through n sue
cession of sand ridges and swamps, in
habited by few families of the poor
est of the poor, who exc out a preca-
rious existence, living on sand hill
cranes, and tall poles, should think,
for the country will produce nothing
else. On every side for miles and miles,
there is nothing but coarse grass,
almost entirely submerged in water.
1t seems to me that if some of our cru
sade friends were to pass through here,
they would want some other fluid, Just
for change.
South Chicago is about thirteen
miles out from the city proper, and is
located in a low wet part of the eoun-
try. Indeed it seems strange that any
body would want to risk their lives by
living amongst these swamps, and
snakes, and sand, even though it is
near to Chicago. But so it is. You
and |, Mr.. Editor, would not live there
and take our chances of speedy
gathering in," for two of the best
corner lots they have got.
But here we are in Chicago, city of
magnificent resources, of vast recuper-
ative power, of great enterprise and
bOundless ambition. In passing over
the city, we can scarcely realize, that
but four short years ago, all this ground
now occupied by costly buildings, of
the latest style of architecture, teeIning
with business, the seat of opulence
and almost untold wealth, was black
ened desolate heap of ruins. Thous-
ands of costly and beautiful buildings
sprang up as if by magic, and among
them, perhaps the most gorgeous are
the Grand Pacific Hotel, and the De-
pot of the Lake Shore and Southern
Michigan Railroad.
In my strolIs around the city, l dis
covered very many vacant lots, which
although in eligible locations are with
out buildings since the great fire. l
also observed great many fine bust
ness rooms labelled, ''to let" But l
did not learn whether this was caused
by high rents, a decrease in business,
or an over supply of this particular
kind of rooms. have certainly never
been in city of such great expecta-
tions, and my reasons for this, and also
thinking that many will be disappoint-
ed, l will mention in my next.
INDIAN AGENT.
From RpOnlar CorrasnoDdant