The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-12-27

we Caulc tO inc SeCenu OF mira QraW, Wher
upon the stced on off side refused to draw,
and O'D. grew furious; horse looked COOL
back at him, aud advised Old to draw dow
his hat that the horse might not see his look
which he did, and on advice Of Coleman h
applied whip to nigh steed, and all went on i
tinc style The country we passed throug
was rolling prairie pretty well settled witt
finc houses, barns, &c, good crops of winte
wheat, and corn stalks that denoted heav,
growth of that cereal. A great many house
were built of very elegant quality of stone
and right here let me say inquired anC
found the county to abound in that valuable
article, being in deposits all over the county
without any injury to the surface soil 1t is
magnesia limestone, ana when first taken on
is quite soft, SO you can chop or saw IN any
shape; but when exposed to the air becomes
hard as flint. This is a great wealth to tn,
place. There are numerous creeks between
Frankfort and Beattle, along all of which
there is nice body of timber arriving al
Beattic, smart town on the st. Joe g. Denver
which runs through the whole length of Mar
shall county, almost in the center We got t.
Beattie at noon, a town of about $50 people
having fine school house two-story high
graded school, butt Of stone, with cupulo look
ing like small court house; and let me say
right here, every school house | saw on the
pralrles of Kansas would put 10 blush any per,
son from this settled portion of Illinois for
structure and style. Well, at Beattie we had
dinner, and right good one, too; our host, on
lnquiring, beng a Grundy county man from
near Morris, which made us feel more at home
while eating dinner Mr.. O'D began to
tell OF the rapid growth Of the place it being
only two months previous when he was here
That fine hotel we were in now was then in
course of erection, and that he had to put up
with quarters upon the floor whcreupon a
loor opened slightly on the north side and a
nodulated, fine female voice put him in mind
hat he was not overcharged for that accom-
notation. After dinner we hltched up and
tarted for the land of the Co., which is about
TX miles northwest of Beattie, and there was
III that any person could desire, for the most
beautiful land, gentle rolling prairie, deep,
ich soil, as the heavy growth of faded grass
md blue joint grass denoted, fine crops off
wheat and grand cattle ranges; in fact any
person desiring farming or stock raising
ountry in the West could not stand the pres
ire Of the country, so selected a farm, as did
III who came out, and then faced to Marys,
lille, the capital of Marshall county, about 12 |
niles distant We got there in time for SUP.
yer. We found hotel, but had to 20 there
'efore getting room and there were fifty to
ixty guest there, six gangs of civil engineers
md their men, surveying and building rail.
Dads, Talk about your Grant boom, but If
ou were to see the business boom at that
'lacc, it would make lots of our business men
lex, both here and in our neighboring cities
iarysvillc is finely located, convenient to the
Zig Blue river; it is the county seat of Mar
hall county, and has finer court house than
Norris; It has about 1000 inhabitants and
,oes through it; the railroad from Beatrice,
Neb., just completed, goes through there, and
hey are now working on a railroad from there
D Wsterville, connecting it with the G. p. a. |
J. p, 80 you can imagine the town ii will be
n very short time They have large stone
rewery there, and other fine buildings. | |
vent into dry goods and general store there
j. L. Tracey Il Co.-and told them | was
of the scissors IN Illinois, whereupon
hey gave me a good deal of information. They
aid that in 80 days they had sold $1,000 worth
f goods, and there were four others besides
iem. How is that for the West. Well, it
lade me sick.
Homeward- bound we left Marysville for
frankfort, distance of II miles, giving US
Ill view of almost all Marshall county, Just
) before described it, and got home all
ght
Now, for my opinion IN conclusion tell me
18th all the advantages have laid before you
'r the speedy growth and chance in land in
larshsll county-good lands to be had yet for
short time from "a to IS per acre good
larkets, railroads, towns schools, and within
DO miles OF Atchison, with steamboat naviga
on, and hesitate, will you' There VAS GER
lin old statesman IN this country, in whose
olitics never took cents worth, but who
id drop a few words from him that are worth
lillions to the youth of this country, when he
nd, go west, young man, go west" and that
also my honest verdict, and will frankly adj
lit for the good of all that stand about 8 to
in the same advice ALKx VAUGHEY
Rural Happenings.