The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-02-02
THE FAR WEST.
Notes on the Way to the Land of
Gold and Heathens.
Council Bluffs, Iowa; Omaha, it's
Schools and Institutions.


writing anything descriptive of the country east
of California. There is no use, thought. The
whole tour has been written to death and every
detail given by more lowcry scrbcs than l. De
scriptions have been printed in nearly every pa
per, pictured in almost every monthly, and at
present Frank Leslie is illustrating the whole
business, In the face of all such facts | started
out with the intention of sparing the readers of
the TRADER great deal of agony and the pub
fishers much money; but, rs Saint Lignora says,
"therc are streets in certain regions (remotc from
Ottawa paved with good intentions" So | here
with commence Il series of letters of my tour to
the Pacific coast.
left Chicago ON December 18th. As the bards
of old would say
Twas calm. still night.
And the moons pale light" etc,
as the train on the Northwestern pulled out from
the Wells street depot, and was soon bounding
over the broad and beautiful prairies of Illinois
| was now entering on Il long, tiresome jour
nev-one that has been the wish of thousands and
the d,eam of poet and painter Thousands of
miles over prairie plains aud mountains; around
snow clad peaks and through many blooming
valley and lovely landscape as well as the perils of
\ life on the wave,
A home on the rolling deep"
for sixty days, unless prolonged by the powers Of
Neptune, assisted by that grizzly coon Old Prob.
Such trip is beautiful and poetic to contemplate,
but terrible to undergo.
What grand delusion this travelling is any
how! Where the pleasure and bliss comes in is
more than can tell 1t may be all nice enough
if you can "get up and git" just when you want
to- and "lay over" rs short or us long as you
l..
and you will tire of it SO quick that you will be
lastonishcd yourself. From an old bachelors
standpoint, ! can view it in no other light than
that of getting married. All is lovely for month
or so, or until the romance Of the honeymoon is
over, and Dearest" settles down to business
there is no nonsense after that So it is with
travelling as profession. For the first few weeks
you are infatuated with the scenery of the coun-
try, the dazzling grandeur of hotel life, Eye godsD
and the new things that present themselves day
after day; but all this grows monotonous, and
the sights and scenes dazzling TO the eye be-
come in short time like faded coat Of blue
But to my text As morning dawncd we tum-
blcd from our little beds. The train was about
entering the beautiful city of
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.
twenty minutes Tor Dreaklasl.' Ntlicu our pOI-
ter in a voice that convinced us that even the
dusky sons of Ham must partakc of the staff Of
! life in order to sustain the inner man. Trinity
chimes, nor even the music of
THE Bells of Shandon
That sound grand.
The pleasant waters Of the River Lee"
produce more pleasing effects on the minds of
mortals than that simple announcement OF
"hashm 1t puts lis in good humor when all
else fails. After doing justice to our end of the
table we were soon after fcastng on the beauties
Of Iowa, in the way of broad stretches of rolling
prairie, frost-covcred hillsides and thnly frozen
streams The mantle of green with which lovely
nature ROBBED the landscape for six sunny months
or more was gone, and winter, young but prom
Using, was already master Of the fields
| Our train bounded on past tiOurshing towns
and handsome villages, picturesque homes and
beautiful farms; and just as night began to
spread its sable wings over the western prairics
we reached that historic camp ground,
COUNCIL BLUFFS
| This is the oldest city in Western Iowa. Away
back in the dark days of 1904 the council fires
cleaned on the peace makers, Lewis and Clark,
who then councled with the noble red man o. 10
take H. G.'s advice and ego west" to the happy
hunting grounds beyond the setting sun, and
leave their rugged bluffs and woodlcss plains to
the advancing pale face. From our Mormon
Icatechism, which one of the obigng widows OF
! the departed Brigham presented to us while in
Salt Lake City, we learn that in the early days OF
1916 Council Bluffs was the camping ground OF
the Latter Day Saints, who remained there until
1853 when they took up their beds and walked to
their homes ION the beautiful shore" O. of Sal:
Lake To-day this city has population of about
! 10 600 souls of various denominations and ma
tionalitics The buildings are poor and not even
of the ordinary styles which we find in cities Of
more modern history There is but one prin
cipal street. and on this all the business is trans
acted. Taking it as whole, Council Bluffs is 10
- great shakes" OF city.
From the moment you leave Council Bluffs You
NAV give up all regard for honesty and rcasona-
BILE charges. Everything is "big money 10
cross the bridge from Council Bluffs to Omaha j.
ouly fifty cents This is an outrage on the travel
Ing community. Nowhere else are more than
ten cents charged. That gigantic Swndlc, the
Union Pacific, owns it, and of course 1t is the
offender 1t is u swindle from one end TO the
other and it charges outragoously for everything
But until the Southern Pacific or Texas ana IA
sifc is in operation we need expect nothing bel
ter When that is complete those that are Obliged
TO make the overland trip will praise God, from
whom all blessings how," from the bottom oi
their hearts. and with feeling never known
before
That old adarc. Distance lends enchantmcnt
Ia the view" is beautifully illustrated in the ap-
lproach to
OMAHA.
\, the bridge /, reached the first glimpse OF
II the frrachcrouS Missouri is had rs II Rows
ON In silent and solemn grandeur towards
the sunny land OF song. Beyond the river,
slopin.. back from the waters edge, We observe
the dwellings and business houses oi the Omaha
.,g l.r,,- hfll- Of which