Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1878-09-05
-FOUR THOUSAND MILES BY WAGON.
Az Old Couples Journey From 1ccGs to
Netc Jersey ia a Prairie Schooner.

Ah OtU COupteS journey IFOUt Ac'CUS 20
Nesc Jersey ina Prairie Schooner.
philadelphia Times, Aug. %.
Robert Elder and his wife who reside near
Brazoris, Texas, a town about sixty miles
west of Galveston, decided that they would
pay visit to friends residing in Norrlstown,
Pa. Years ago, when Elder was young, he
and his wife travelled in wagon from
Shreveport, La, to the place in Texas where
they settled, and since then, having no occa-
sion to move, the uses of railroads and Pull
man cars remained unknown to them, while
the possibilities for ''prairie schooner"
(canvas-covered wagon was bright memo
ry. They recognized in it all that
was necessary to pleasantly journey 1900
miles from home and back, and accordingly
they hitched up sorrel team, and on the
10th of January last they left Brazoria, and
on the I'd of August they arrived in Phila-
delphia. Yesterday they started on their
long journey home, drawn by the same
sorrel team and riding in the identical
'prairie schooner" in which they left the
Lone Star State. Their friends had moved
from Norristown and the main object of
their journey was not accomplished. Never
theless they had good time and drove down
to Absecom and from there rode over to At
lantic City in the cars, their first railroad ex-
perience, to see the ocean. They spent day
there and drove back to Camden and en-
camped at the foot of Spruce street for a
| few days, having the wagon repaired and
laying in supplies. They were just 200 days
on their trip, averaging ten miles a
day on the road. If they make the
same time back the sorrel team will draw up
i D.. l. 0f No =
the travellers will have been gone just four
teen months. It is not many years since
prairie schooners in fleets spotted the plains
west of the Missouri, and in the far West
there is many family that journeyed across
the Rockies and the Sierras to new home.
But the completion of the Central and Union
Pacific railroads throttled the prosperity of
| the prairie schooner and as an institution it
ceased to exist, although it is still used to q
limited extent. Two lines of railroads stretch
from st. Louis to the Gulf and steamships
| ply between ports on the Texan coast and
New Orleans and New York. so that Robert
Elders method of coming north was evil
IDENTIFY chosen not out of necessity.
! ''My friends at home" he relates, ''tried to
dissuade me from goin' In a wagon, but
| knowed what comfort Is, and l reckoned on
| havin' good time, not only when we got here,
| but ON the road, too. Well, weve had it. You
see am paralyZed In the right side, and can't
do much, and the old woman she knows how to
take care of bosses, and she bein' right keen to
come, ! says to her, says ], Wen do it, We
fitted up the wagon with stove and cookin
things, got the bedding, new harness for the
bosses. and the boys gave US a send-of. We
left our two sons and q da'ter to run the place
and on the 10th of January started" The
old man tells his story with many
deviation from the necessary line OF
narrative. So, blowing away the chaf of his
relation, the story of the trip may be put II
this condensed form: The line of route was
| north 200 miles to Dallas, on the line of the
Texas Pacific railroad, and thence east tC
Shreveport, La, where they crossed the Rec
River on the first of March. The first part OF
the journey was made in easy stages. The
first day eleven miles was accomplished anC
during the entire trip the most ground Gov
cred in one day was seventeen miles. The
and the six midday hours were spent in the
shade, where the horses could forage
When the shadows grew lons
they hitched the sorrels and prairie schooner to
gether again and logged along. When it wa
necessary to reach good camping ground, wher'
there was water, pasture and fuel, they fire
quently drove the task of one day withou
stopping, and, with the exception of the 4th o
April, when they rested twenty-four hours ant
had their wagon repaired at Chattanooga, the,
shifted ground daily. Elder is not exactl,
clear as to his dates, and he only remember
the day when some of the 1920 he started witt
was expended. Such occasions he has a viviC
recollection of.
From Shreveport the route was across tn
northern part of Louisiana, over bad roads, t.
Vicksburg at which point the Mississippi rive
was crossed; thence to Jackson and the north
to the State line of Tennessee and Mississippi
near Corinth where they entered the valley o
the Tennessee river and followed its tortuou
windings through Huntsville. Ala; Chatta
nooga, Knoxville Tenn; Bristol, Lynchburg
Va, striking the Potomac at Alexandria. The
stopped at Washington few hours and visite
he Capitol, and thence through Baltimore
Havre de Grace and Wilmington.
ION the way back we think we will go b,
way of Baltimore, and over the old nationa
turnpike to Wheeling and Cincinnati. throug
St. Louis. Little Rock, Ark, to Shreveport
and down to the mouth of the Brazos, where
reckon the people will all turn out to see us
that is. if we ever get thar, and / don't Sc
why we shouldn't. We reckon we'll get int
the Ohio valley before cold weather, and &c
roads will be all right. We will be th
turnpike during the fall, but we can kee
, warm in the wagon. Oh! I've figured it al
out on this map
t Elder displayed a thoroughly wrecke
sheet of paper cut from an old atlas. It wa
: map of all the States, with the principe
towns given, and beyond the answers to pei
sonal inquiries it was the only guide th
sailors and passengers of the "prairi
| L.,