Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-06-14
NOTES OF TRAVEL.
Another Letter from jed Lake Esq.
MEMPHIS, Tenn, June 7th, rs

MEMPHIS, Tenn, June It'll, '7S.
We left Kansas City, going south, at
6 P. NJ. This gave us about an hour
and half of daylight. In this time
we made about 80 miles, and the coun-
try through which we passed presented
good appearance The crops and
fruit all looked well. The land was
rolling, with prairie and timber inter-
spersed. The farms presented the APP
pearance Of thrift and industry on the
part of their owners.
We arrived at Fl. Scott at II p. NJ,
where we expected to take the Mo-,
Kansas & Texas r. r. The agent, at
the junction, informed us that there
was a washout on the Usage river some
80 miles east, and that passengers and
baggage had to be transferred some three
miles by boat; that the train would not
be at Fl. Scott before 10 A. NJ the next
day. So we went to the Gulf House,
aud to bed On the morning Of May
%, we went over the town, and found
that some years ago it was an import
ant distributing point for Southern Kan
sas and the west, but now its glory was
departed. The extension of the rail-
roads beyond it had cut off large por-
ton of it's sustenance, and it was going
into decline. At 10 A. NJ. we learned
that the train would not be here before
2 p. NJ, so we extended our eXamina-
ton into the country round about They
have good fruit and grain country, and
coal is found in great abundance near
the town. 1t is mined and delivered on
the cars at 81 per ton. The coal is
known as red coal, but is claimed to be
as good as the Illinois coal. The recent
rains had raised the stream here to such
an extent as to damage the railroad and
the public roads very much. AT 2 r:
NJ. we took the train for Parsons and
the Neosho valley.
The country about Parsons appears
all of South eastern Kansas is good
farm land, with considerable timber and
coal easy of access. The lands are held
too high to be bought by persons who
have small capital. At Parsons we had
orders to hold the train from 5:15 p. M.
to 2:15 A. NJ. of the Oath. There was a
heavy rain during the time We had a
comfortable place in the car, with plen-
ty of room, and so disposed ourselves
and slept. We have dim recollection
of hearing some noise and being asked
for tickets, but the first distinct thing
that comes to our mind at this time was
the cry ''Vinita." Knowing that this
was the first station in the Indian Ter
ritory, we aroused, looked out the win
dow, and found that daylight had come.
| At this place a number of passengers
came on, among them an Indian of some
standing, who took a seat in the rear OF
mine. | tried to get into converse
! ton with him about the country, but
could only learn that he did not under
stand Yankee, and he lived in the South
Nation.
This country looks we'll The soil is
deep and rich. Timber appeared plen-
ty and prairie sufficient for the use of
man. Crops, as far as could be seen,
looked finely. The country is not cul-
tivated to any extent. The Indians do
not make good farmers, There are
some white men who have married
squaws, and some white women who
have married Indians, who are said to
have fine farms and fine stocks of cat
tie and horses. These farms are not on
the railroad. At MuskOgee, on return
ing to the cars from breakfast, we
found that our Indian had left His
seat was occupied by lady, who in
formed me that she lived in Arkansas,
just east of the Territory; that there
were heaps of white women who had
gone into the Territory and married In
dams, and had made power of money
by it," that an Indian would work for a
white woman, and would let her do the
managing, and that such women always
got rich; they even made more money,
and had better farms than the men who
had married squaws, and she said that
they were now SO mixed with white
blood that many of them were a heap
winter than she was. During our talk,
which lasted some hours, a couple of
young ladies', dressed very neatly, and
with clear, white compilations, came on
board, and she called my attention to
them and told me that they were In
dams, fact that | should not have
thought Of had it not been for her re-
marks.
After leaving Muskogee, the country
is not as good. The soil is thinner, the
rock crops out more frequently, and
the country is rougher. After passing
Limestone Gap, there is some good
country, but it is not so inviting as the
land north of the Arkansas. We ar
rived at Denison at $3.50 P. NJ. the
same day, having been all through the
Indian Territory by daylight. At Den
ison we inquired for our former friend,
u. p. Stoneman, and was told that we
could learn his whereabouts at Boss
mill We went to the mill, and found
w. B. Boss, whom Perry recognized as
the agent Of the Dubuque & S. C. r. r.
Co., who they kept in advance, He
was agent at Earlville, Manchester and
Independence, when those points were
the termini of the road. | recog-
nized him as the leader of the cornshell-
er concerts that we used to have in In
dependence in 1850 Through his d.
rection we found Mr.. Stoneman, and
projected an excursion into the sur
rounding country the next day. On the
morning of the 25th, we went to Stone
mans residence. and saw his wife and
daughter They are not so well pleased
with the change, but z. P. seems to
think he has made good change. He
went with us through several young or
chards Of peaches, plums, pears, apples
and vineyards, and berry patches, and
in all of them we found evidence of a
plentiful crop of fruit. We went
through fields of corn, cotton, wheat,
oats, barley and peanuts, and we could
not see but that all of these would
yield fairly. We drank water from
wells varying in depth from 10 to 30
feet, and from several springs, and aside
from not being cold, there was no taste
or appearance but that it was good wa
ter. This is the valley of Red River,
and the land is red and the country is
heavily timbered, but it certainly shows
good products. Cherries were ripe and
very nice; strawberries had passed, but
SO far as we could learn, this is good
country for fruit, and fair one for
grain. We ate potatoes raised here, and
they were as good as those raised in
Iowa on about the first of August, We
saw some new wheat and it was good
At4P. NJ, we took the cars for Dal-
las. After passing out of the Red river
timber, we came upon some open prairie
that looked very fine. Around Sher-