Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-11-22

ers came here from Wisconsin, nine
years ago. One of them had a cou.
pie of hundred dollars and a team
and wagon. The other had a wagon
and one yoke of oxen and was in debt
five dollars. He was without provi-
sions or money and had nothing to
wear except what he and his wife
had on. Each brother had a wife
and child and were in strange land
among strangers. The poorer one
had to get little flour and meal on
credit where he could, and that was
the living for him and his wife and
child. His only habitation for the
hrst six months was his covered
wagon. He spent his time breaking
prairie and working around till fall
lie then made him a sod house and
took the wagon cover for clothing.
He lived in the sod house four years.
He then built comfortable frame
house in which he has lived till now
and he is now finishing a new and
commodious house. Each started on
an eighty acre homestead. Each has
since bought an adjoining eighty.
They arc now comfortably fixed; both
have good houses and out buildings,
fine groves and orchards. One of
them has about one hundred head of
cattle the other about half as many,
and both we'll stocked with horses,
hogs, etc. They have an abundance
of farm implements and machines all
paid for and one of them has money
in the bank. One of them is worth
at least 100000 and the other $4,000,
with comfortable homes in an intelli.
gent, thrifty community, near a pros
porous railroad and within an hours
drive of the State Capital beauti-
ful and enterprising city eight years
old with a population of eight thou.
sand.
Another neighbor came here only
boy with nothing at all, who is esti-
mated to be worth all the way from
twenty to thirty thousand-all made
at farming He is largely engaged in
cattle and hog raising There are
many such instances of prosperity
that / could mention. There are a
great many Wisconsin men in this
part of Nebraska and they are nearly
all prosperous and conteated.
In conversation with Professor
Welsh, of Chicago, who delivered
the agricultural address at our state
fair, he told me that among the many
remarkable things he saw to admire
here, there was nothing SO wonderful
as the people. He said that he never
attended state or county fair in any
other state where the people were so
universally intelligent, well behaved,
we'll dressed and apparently SO con-
tented and it is wonderful no doubt
There is but little of the roughness
found in most new countries. A
gentleman from Pennsylvania who
has been looking over the West lately
told me that he was not prepared to
see such land and such country, al
though his expectations were great.
He says the half has not been told.
lie looked through Kansas and East
ern Nebraska and says that although
many parts of Kansas are very fine,
Nebraska is finer, and the best of all
country he has seen is from Lincoln
TO Waverly. He went home to sell
out and move here. He farther said
that if people who are trying to farm
among the stumps, stones and clay of
the Eastern hillsIdes knew the truth
about this country, they would aban-
sold for taxes rather than farm them
any longer. So ] am not alone en-
thusiastic in my praises of Nebraska.
1t is by all who look upon her with
out bias or prejudice.
There are more than hundred
thousand East of the Mississippi look
ing and longing for the West, but are
unwilling to believe the good reports,
feel unable to make personal exam
ination and so while hating, the more
energetic strike out and secure the
beautiful homes, turn the unused
prairies into golden grain fields, and
the grains aud grasses into beef and
pork. and thus instead of being public
burdens, as so many thousands in the
cities now are, become public bene
factors and good and useful citizens.
Could the starving millions of the
East be placed upon these broad and
fertile pralries of the West, the great
labor question would at once be
solved. There is no danger Of over
production. We can find a market
for all our supplies IN the countries OF
Europe. What the country needs to
secure a return of prosperity is en-
ployment for the people and the de-
velopment of her vast and varied re
sources, chiefest of which are her
agricultural.
Our mining country, covering near
ly half the continent, has only begun
to develop, and when the mines are
worked as they soon will be in the
vast country lying just West of Ne
braska we shall have home market
for all we can raise without the bur-
den of transporting our products to
the ocean and even across it, for
which we have to pay two pounds
for marketing the third. We can
make money sending our cheap bee.
and pork to Europe, but there is to
be much better market for US near
our doors. Then we shall be as near
market as those who live in Illinois,
Ohio or even New York.
Since the reports of our magni6
cent crops have gone East immigra-
ton has set in quite lively There is
never day but the white prairie
schooners may be seen vending their
way towards the setting Sun.
CHAs. d. SHRADER.
Waverly Neb., Nov. IL, 1877.