Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-06-14

NcSC lOTk VI Tie lTlnlCy rVef, anu Is
on what is known as the main beef trail
leading from southeast Texas into
Kansas, this being the route over which
the vast herds of cattle are driven in
the spring for their summer pasturage
and a market The land in the immedl-
ate vicinity is not good farm land. Our
friend ingalls, took us across the river
north where some farms have been
opened up and the crops and soil looked
well.
There are number Of persons here
from our county, and they seem to think
Texas good State to live in, and Fl.
Worth good town.
We spent one day visiting with Mr..
and Mrs. ingalls, and Kittie and Willie,
and with Mrs. Blondin and Dora, all
OF whom our old citizens will remember.
We also met Charles Edgcomb, but we
had but few moments with him.
On the morning Of the goth we left
for Cleburne by stage. Our ride was
across the country by the wagon road,
and was nearly parallel with the great
cross timbers. We were west of this
body of timber. After getting out
about four miles south of the Fort we
struck very fine quality of land. The
streams over which we passed all had
gravelly beds, and on the sides in some
places lime rock cropped out; the land
was rolling; the grass good, and when
cultivated the crops were good; and
where we saw men breaking prairie, the
soil looked rich. The proprietor of the
stage-line, Mr.. johnson, who also owns
several other routes, drove over. He
has been in Texas some % years, and
has been staging all that time. He
claims to know the State well, and in
formed us that before the war the State
had been subject to great droughts, but
since the war the rains had been more
seasonable and the crops better; that
the portion of Texas lying between the
Trinity and the Brazos was as good as
any we should find in the State; that
there was plenty of prairie, and the
cross timbers afforded plenty Of timber
for the use Of the prairie; that the land
would raise anything that they chose to
plant; that all kinds of fruits did well;
that it was not as subject to drought as
some parts of the State; that the land
seemed better able to stand drought,
and the water was good.
We arrived at Cleburne at 3 p. M.
and went over to w. f. Hills store,
where we found Mr.. Hill, Campbell
Dickson and Eddie Tracy, full of bust
ness. They were glad to see us; we had
been so long on the road they thought
we had got discouraged and gone back.
Cleburne as a town has no special at
traction. 1t is 30 miles from the rail
road; is the county seat OF johnson Co.;
is surrounded by good farming coun-
try and has good trade for the mer-
chants who are now there. 1t presents
something the appearance independence
did in 1855, when | first saw it. We
found Mr.. and Mrs Hill, Miss Addie
Tracy and Eddie Tracy all we'll and
pleased with the country They show
ed us picture of John Plane dressed
in old English style, that he presented
to Mr.. Hill on his departure for Texas.
On the Both Mr.. Hill brought around a
team and carriage, into which Hill,
Dickson, Perry and myself got, and
went west some 10 miles across the No
Ian and out on to the ridge beyond, then
turned south and came to a tract of
country several thousand acres in ex-
tent, and partially occupied by farms,
which so took Perry's eye that he at
once offered to buy large tract, j. e., it
the owner would take his price. 1t was
a very fine country. The crops were
good, corn, wheat, oats and cotton; the
trees were loaded with fruit, peach trees
only four years old bearing plentifully.
We drove up to house to make some
inquiries. and learned that this vacant
tract that we so much admired was for
sale; that the owner was there only the
day before; that he lived in Cherokee
county; that he asked, (Ge-whit-ta-ker!)
only about three times what Perry had
offered but he would sell at that price
on five years time, without interest.
Perry at once said he would take the
tract at the owners price, provided he
would take his pay now and accept such
a sum, as put at interest at 20 per cent.
compounded, would amount to the price
asked in five years. l think they will
trade, don't you?
We kept down the Nolan about three
miles; good land all the way and mostly
under cultivation. We crossed again to
the east side; the bottom is gravelly and
the water very nice and clear. East of
the Nolan we struck a rocky ridge; the
soil is thin and light, and it was not en-
ticing. After driving some two miles
on this ridge, | asked Mr.. Hill to turn
off and 90 east toward the Cross Tim
bers. When we got down within some
3 miles of the Cross Timbers, we came
upon the most beautiful stretch Of
country we had seen yet. 1t descended
to the east, was not too rolling and was
a. fine looking country. We drove down
to some fields that were cultivated, and
found the crops looking the best of any
we had seen. | told Perry he could
have the land west Of the Nolan, l
would take this, and give as much as he
offered for the other. With the excep-
ton of the ridge east of the Nolan, we
had seen some very fine country, and a
large extent of it. The crops were good,
the grass on the prairie was good; it
was all fine. We had drank water from
several wells, and it was good. We
agreed that this was the best farm
country we had seeny yet. The residents,
and especially the land agents, said we
would find no better country than that
south of Cleburne, if we looked the
State all over 1t certainly was very
nice land,
What further we find in Texas we
will tell you in our next.
JED LAKE.