Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-02-13
Correspondence


this part Of Kansas, [ promised to
send you letter | left Centralia en-
the Valley R. r. on the FIVE o'clock
train April Is, and arrived at Garfield
on Thursday. at two O'Clock A. NJ,
distance from Kansas City 319 miles.
| remained here two weeks viewing
| the country on both sides of the Ar
kansas river, and was so favorably i'm
pressed with the country and climate
and people. that | returned home
again and disposed of my property and
with my family returned to this place
in june last, arriving at Garfield on
the 10th inst | also promised you a
letter after my return the second time.
[ will now try and fulfill my promises
to you. 1t is nearly 10 months since
| first arrived here and [ will try and
give you and your readers a true and
accurate description of this beautiful
country, to the best of my knowledge
and experience. Garfield is situated
on the Atchison. Topeka & Santa Fee
+. r. on the west side of the Arkan-
sas river On my arrival here in Apr.
1t consisted only of depot, post Office
one store, lumber yard. small hotel,
| picture gallery, blacksmith shop. boot
and shoe store, three or four dwelling
houses, a church and school house.
At the present writing there is with
the above an addition Of one four
story elevator, two livery stables, a
large addition TO the hotel, also feed
store, and mill, harness shop. railroad
land Office, lumber gard, justice Office
and number Of dwelling houses, also
a number of buildings now in the
course of erection.
Pawnee county is 2035 feet above
level of the sea. [ suppose this part
of the country is known in the east as
the great plains, and in one sense Of
the word it is correct, for there are
only three trees to be seen on the Ar
kansas river banks, and none on the
upland or second bottom, except such
as have been planted By the farmers,
for a distance Of IA miles west and
then the traveller comes to what is now
called Dry Creek. Here he will see
some timber. Let him continue his
journey west about five miles and he
will come to a beautiful stream of run
ming water known as Pawnee river.
Here on the banks of this stream and
in the bottoms he will find some beau
tiful timber, consisting of elm, ash,
cottonwood, blackberry, plums and
grapes, and box elder, the latter is a
very beautiful tree The country be.
tween these streams is rolling prairie
and laid cut about as perfect as man
could wish it. The soil is from three
feet to six feet deep and the very rich
est of black loam The prairie is coy
cred with heavy and short grass call
ed buffalo grass It is the most nutri-
tlous grass known in the far west. On
this grass stock will live the year
round. In the draws and in the Ar
kansas bottom grows a very tall and
heavy grass, which is cut for hay
Stsne quarries are to be found in the
edge of the draws on almost every
section, and some very beautiful stone
The climate is beautiful. During the
summer there is always breeze which
comes from the mountains. 1t is cool
aud refreshing. A person does not
feel the heat here in July and August
near so much as he does in Wisconsin,
at least that is the writer's experience.
AS to its being healthy country, [ do
not think it can be excelled in the U.
S., as there are people here from al
NEST every State in the Union, and
they all pronounce it the healthiest
country they ever saw, and as for my
self never enjoyed as good health in
my life as l have since I came here.
The land is high and rolling, no stag
rant water whatever, and the cool
breeze from the mountains, how can it
be otherwise than healthy! 1t is a
great stock and sheep country young
cattle will live the year around without
foddering, At the present writing |
picket my COW out, and she gets her
own living, with the exception of
little slop night and morning to help
keep up the flow Of milk. The past
winter has been a very severe winter
to this part of Kansas. There were
four weeks Of very cold and stormy
weather, the thermometer going as low
as seven degrees below zero. The last
two weeks have been very fine and
warm. Burning over the Sod is the
orde, of the day now, and you can sac
teams in all directions from morn till
night, drawing the breaking pillow pre-
pairing the ground for the seeding.