Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-05-02
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| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
FROM NEBRASKA.
WEST PorNT, Cunning Co., Mob, I
April %, 1877.
EDITORS CoUR1ER.-This pleasant
little city Of West Point, is situated
on the north side of the Elk Horn
river and about IS miles north Of Free
mont. The Elk Horn river is pref
| ty, clear, narrow and deep little
stream and crookeder than an elk's
horn. The river abounds in fish Of
many kinds, but very little timber is
found ON the banks. The land sur
rounding West Point 10 all prairie
and % pretty prairie 80 can be. As
far % the eye can reach there is one
vast prairie, dotted over with
groves and farms and not fence in
In sight, unless it may be q small
door yard fence or q willow fence.
To one accustomed to see fences
around every farm, the sight Is nov
Ell one. Thousands of acres Of grow
ing grain IL lying out now, without
Anything but herd law to protect it.
Here every body herds his entire
stock, or may be one little boy with
pony herds the stock OF half dozen
or more neighbors. Farmers are
very busy now planting their corn.
Wheat, oats and rye are all well up
and look splendidly 50 far az l have
seen, but some fear that the growing
crop will be destroyed by the grass
hoppers, a. they have begun TO ap-
pear, am sorry to say, rather too
plcntif0lly to suit al. I have seen,
on plowed ground, millions, sup
pose, Of the little grassh0ppers, about
the size Of an ordinary house fly and
have heard Of many that were large
enough to fly, but ! have not seen any
20 large. / have heard farmers say
that even now the little grasshoppers
are injuring the small grain.
Some witless Individual wrote q
long strain to the Scranton, Pa. Re-
publican, in which he endeavored to
depict the distressed condition Of the
grasshopper sufferers of West Point.
He endesvors to create the impress
sion that Thousands of our people are
actually starving suffice 1t to say that
not one instance Of starvation has
been known to exist, but on the con-
trary, there are thousands of bushels
of corn cribbed up to-day, in Cum.
ing county, after having just passed
through long winter. Better crops |
were raised here last year than in UNI
fortunate Wapello county. Whenev-
or you hear such wild story 40 that
going, concerning this country, please
be kind enough to put it down as q
farce and the author of it IS sore
head. One thing Is missed pretty |
badly here, that is timber, but for all
that, farmers get along nicely, as they
do not have to build fences and for
f1rewood they can get along someway
Necessity" you know "is the moth
er of invention" Many burn sun
flowers, - they grow very rank and
plentiful here, and are said to make
excellent fuel /; small twigs,t that would
be allowed to rot in Wapello county,
are saved and used with the strictest
economy, here, for wood.
There are here on the river, few
lodges of Omaha and Winnebago In
dams, who have come here for the
purpose Of tanning their buffalo robes
and Of trading with the whites
They usually ask ten figures for q robe
and take anything they can get for it.
The little Indian boys and some of
the ssnoble red men," employ them
selves ON the street, shooting at PEN
MES, they doing the shooting and the
"pale faces" furnishing the capital
and taking the risks of loss. They
use bows and arrows and are expert
marksmen. In the meantime Squaws
are busying themselves tanning the
robes and doing all other work.
They have two or three wagon loads
of robes that they have gathered du-
ring the fall and winter.
West Point is ffourishing little
town Of 1000 inhabitants and is tho
county seat of Cunning county. 1t is
ON the main line of the Sioux City e
Pacific railroad and about l6 miles
from the terminus, Wisner. The fl
nest and largest court house in Ne
braska, is here, also the only paper
mill in the state is at this place the |
mill is owned and controlled by q
stock company and IL Q fine large
brick building two stories high
There are two banks here, two hotels,
q dozen or two stores, three or four
churches, one good public hall, one
large grain elevator aud the usual
quota Of physic,ans aud attorneys,
l believe. But West Point needs a
good barber badly, some good enter
prisipg barber can make money here.
by coming soon and staying. This
town is growing rapidly in popula-
ton and wealth. There are two pa
pers here printed in English, the Re-
publican and Progress, and ono or
two printed in German. West Point
is sending her portion to the Black
Hills. Every day, almost, teams can
be seen bound for the Black hills.
Farming lands vary very much in
price in this vicinity. As pretty prai.
rie land as ever was plowed can be
bought at from - to $l2 per acre
without any improvements, and farms
pretty we'll improved are worth $40
to $50 per acre.
Respectfully, EUGENE MooRE.