Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1876-08-25
Letter from Illinois.

ell Bluns-The RailrOads-lowa Settlers
from Cho~ter-They Name Town After
Their old ome-Crops-POlitics,
Mr.. EDITOR In order to see the
West in its beauty, one ought TO travel
through il during harvest time or Just
before. Then, the monotony Of the level
prairie is broken and the more broken
country is seen at its best. Through the
central and southern part of Illinois and
central Iowa the land is level prairie ;
as far as the eye can reach the view is
broken only by haystacks, buildings and
few clumps of trees, planted for wind
breaks" But as one approaches the
Mississippi river on the east, or the Mis-
souri, river on the west side of Iowa the
country is mostly high prairie. Along
the rivers are bluffs, rising in some plac-
es to the hight OF two or three hundred
feet The bluffs ON the Missouri river
lie nearly two miles from the river, leav-
ing wide bottoms of deep rich soil.
The city of Council Bluffs is situated on
one of these bottoms, about two miles
from the river. Has about 10000 in
habitants. There are five railroads, ter
minating about one mile west of the city
Three of them pass through the city
making connections with the Union Pa
cifc Railroad at the u. p. transfer.
The Union Pacific Railroad crosses the
Missouri river on an iron bridge $500
feet long, set ON tubular iron piers filled
with cement. The bridge is high enough
from the water so steamboats, can pass
under, thus avoiding the necessity of a
" draw in the bridge The U. P. de-
pot at Omaha, Neb., has no pretensions
to architectural beauty except as TO size,
strength and durability. Omaha is
city of about 10000 inhabitants. There
is smelling works located there that
does large business smelling gold and
silver. Omaha has one of the finest
high school buildings to be found in the
West. 1t is on Capitol Hill, overlook
ing the city, long distance of the val
ley of the Missouri and a number of
miles inland The building is of brick
with limestone trimmings. Omaha also
boasts of the finest hotel between Chica-
go and San Francisco. There is consid-
cradle rivalry between the cities Of Coun-
Gil Bluffs and Omaha, the former city
being the terminus of the Union Pacific
Railroad enjoys what pleasure there is
in the name, while the latter city enjoys
the patronage of the railroad, the shops
and offices being located at Omaha. Re-
turning eastward we stop at Grinnell,
Iowa. 1t is town of 2000 inhabitants,
lying near the center Of the state. The
Central Railroad of Iowa crosses the
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Rail
road at this town, making it quite a
shipping point for grain. Iowa College
is located here and is doing good work
in the cause of education. At the last
commencement there were two ladies in
the graduating class. One lady, for
mer graduate, took the degree of A. NJ.
Grinnell is more like New England
town than any I've seen in the West.
The original settlers came from the New
England States. The next town north
of Grinnell is settled by people from
Chester, VT, who, to make it homelike
as possible have named their town Ches-
ter. Crops are looking well. The yield
Of oats and wheat is light. In Carroll
and Whitside counties, ILL.,, the wheat
crop is almost total failure. Many
fields have not been cut at all. Corn
promises to yield little above the av-
erage. We have had very dry weather
until within week. Politics are lively.
The different parties are forming clubs
and cheering Justify for their candidates.
The democracy of Iowa do not seem to
have very hearty appreciation of their
presidential candidate, while the repub.
licans enter into the canvass with a
heartiness that promises a rousing ma.
jority for Hayes and Wheeler. F.
Aug. 10, 1876.