Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-02-28
A Trip to Nebraska.
Omaha Neb. Feb. IL, 1878

~ w ANdOLdShd.
Omaha Neb. Feb. H. 1878
To the Editor:
| presume nearly every American
born citizen of the United States has
at some period of his life been siezed
with desire to 60 west. And thou
sands have gone, fondly hoping that
somewhere in that boundless land that
lies away out towards the setting sun
Fortune would yield up portion of
her store into their eager hands. It
might be found in the soil of the ives.
tern prairies that lie beyond the rush
ing dingy waters of the Missouri in
the seams and gorges of the noun
tain ranges; or tar away on the sun
ny slopes that look down on the blue
Pacific that stretches westward TO
the far off shores of old Cathay. Ever
since the tribes of Asia swarmed over
the Urals and began their march to.
wards the setting sun, he who has be-
come discontinued with his father.
land, has ever turned his footsteps
westward In search of adventure. of
gold, or of what should be dearer to
every mans heart than all else. a
home which he might call his own.
Prompted with a desire to see some.
thing more of the West, your CORE,
spondent turned his face toward the
land of milk and honey, as described
in the pamphlets of the B. & nj. Land
Co., situated in the southern portion
of the State of Nebraska. Years ago.
when life seemed wonderful dream.
with head filled with aimless and
romantic notions, the desire to 90
west and grow up with the country
seized him and he went. After near.
ly three years of wandering over
the plains of Wyoming, Colorado and
Utah, with their never ending waste
OF prickly pears, sand and sage brush,
like the prodigal son he longed to re-
turn home, and in his heart he said
there is no place like Grant County,
Wis. And he is still of the same
opinion. Once since the desire sliced
him to gain by hook or by crook, a
quarter section more or less of the
soil of bloody Kansas, but it speedily
passed away and he returned to his
old allegiance.
There is an old saying and a
homely one which says a cat NAV
look at a queen. In much the same
way we may look at Grant county,
and while fully assured that there is
no fairer place on earth, we know that
farther west there is country where
home can be built up with less mort
cages to the square inch than here,
But we are off for Nebraska, fully in
tent on extracting both pleasure and
knowledge out of a short business
trip to that region. At hotel in
Dubuque short, thick, happy look
ing fellow announced himself as Just
having arrived from Wales--that he
was in search of position as professor
of mathematics in some college, &c.
He further informed us that Wales
had a population of 2O,O0O,O0o or
thereabouts; and other like informa.
ton as to area, DC. Since hearing
all this we confess to a great deal
more respect for the land of Level.
Ign than ever before. Undoubtedly
Wales occupies very small place on
the map for so large country. No
wonder so many have finished their
education by a trip to Europe, when
one can add SO to his stock of know.
ledge by merely meeting with for
| eigner abroad
From Dubuque to Clinton. From
Clinton to Omaha over the G. 81 N.
w. r. Il. A stop of a few hours and
walk through some of the principal
streets convinced US of the growth of
this Western city. Thirteen years
ago the writer passed through little
wooden town on the bank of the Mis-
| souri,, which existed almost wholly
on its traffic with the emigrants and
freightors of the plains. Now huge
hotels and business blocks announce
its development into great city. But
| one thing is wanting to establish the
future prosperity of Omaha on solid
basis. If they could get sufficient
| appropriation from Congress to deep>
en- the channel of the Missouri river
from there to st. Louis nothing would
be wanting. With the same energy
which has characterized the Fox
and Wisconsin river improvements in
Wisconsin the job could be completed
in less than 5000 years. 1t would
probably bankrupt the United States
but George Francis Trains invest
ments would pay dividend and
George would be happy
| The scene around the great depot
| of the Union Pacific is one of inter-
est A long train of emigrant cars
filed with its human freight, stands
waiting to start on its long journey to
the Pacific slope. A freight train
comes creeping, creeping over the
tremendous iron bridge that spans the
sandy plat where the waters of the
Missouri ought to be- The train goes
slower and slower, and the bell of
the locomotive with its continual
clang sounds like a warning voice !;
| and no wonder when the memory of
| Ashtabais and SO many other like
horrors are so fresh in the mind.
Groups OF individuals await the in.
coming or the outgoing OF other
trains. A blind fiddler is playing aud
| sinuino a sonoy which ha CLAIMS the