The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-06-26
From Kansas.
SHERIDAN COUNTY, June Z, 1890.

About one year ago left the good Old coun-
| " of La Sale to seek q home and a fortune
in Western Kansas. There are a great many
tales told about Kansas. Some men Will come
out here and take up piece OF land ana stay
about six months, and then get homesck, go
back east and say the country is good Tor
nothing That is mistake 1t Is themselves
that are no account. They had better never
start west unless they calculate to stick it out.
They need not think that money grows on
trees, or the prairles are all ready for them to
put in their crops of wheat or corn; they must
take It Just MS the great Ruler left it. There
are some men that come out here who make
success of it. They go at 1t in kind OF an
,old fashioned way. They do not go to work
and build a grand mansion to live IN or fence
the farm the first thing, but go to work and
build a sod house which Will be comfortable
and last five or SIX years, and then go TO WORK
and break land enough to raise wheat and
icorn The settler must put in corn tor
the first crop, AS the sod is SO tough that
Inc can not get the wheat in until 1t lays ABOUT
6 months Such men Will make asuccess.
man need never be out of work IT not al
work on his farm he can be gathering Buffalo
bones and take them to the railroad, where he
can get eight dollars ton for them Ihat
will buy him some flour, meat, coffee, tobacco
and little whisky for rattesnake bites And
there is considerable freight to be hauled from
the railroad for the merchants of our little
Towns The nearest point to the railroad from
: this part of the county is 20 miles. 1t Is the
Kansas Pacific road. Sheridan is about to or
: game. We have taken the census OF the
county. There are twentythree hundred In
habitants. We have two towns that are candl'
J dates for the county seat-One by the name OF
: Kenneth, located near the center of the coun-
ty, but on high divide, one hundred and for
ty feet to water; the location is splendid The
other candidate Is Arizona located on the Sol
ONION river and has plenty of good water ana
timber. 1t is within about four miles OF the
e north line OF the county and near the center
the other way. There will be hard fight
! Sheridan Counlyis divided from the Nebraska
, line by Decatur county, and from Colorado by
Sherman and Thomas counties. Sheridan
county IS well adapted for agricultural pur
/ poses. The soil is dark loan, with very
8 little sand 1t has all indications of making
good wheat country if the homesteaders will
only stick it out and settle on their claims with
the determination to stay
1t has been so dry this spring the farmers
could not do much breaking until about three
weeks ago, when we had two soaking rains,
which gives the country new life again. The
dry weather killed about one.haf of the wheat
in this part OF Kansas, but it is better further
east We do not have much timber here; tie
Solomon river is well timbercd, and that is
about all the timber there is in the county, al
though wood is not very high. we can get
wood delivered ten miles for 81 per cord. a
= number of the settlers burn Buffalo chips.
l They make a very good substitute for wood.
= Fort Scott coal is IS per ton; Colorado, 81.
, IThere is some game here. The buffalo keeps
pushing back as the settlers come in. There
= are but few IN the state now. There are
great many antelopes here They are hunted
a great deal for their flesh. Thousands of
: wild horses roam the prairies of Western
s Kansas They are very hard TO capture. 1t
i is very seldom that they can be lariatted by
the neetest horsemen. The only sure way to
f catch them is to walk them down There are
| also some fur animals, such as otter, beaver
wolf mountain lion, wild cat, lynx, coyote,
I fox, coon, mink muskrat and the innocent
+ little bird called the skunk.
The Texas, Wyoming and Montana cattle
: trail goes through Sheridan county There
| were over two hundred thousand head went
; through here last year. Thcy say there are
" 10000 coming this year. They 90 in herds
! of about five thousand, each herd having
I about twenty-five men and about one hundred
ponies for their use.
e Oh yes must tell you about our magnesa
} rock, which We find along the banks of the
Solomon. When first quarred it Is very soft
/ and can be sawed any shape, and the sun hard
e ems il after il has been out about a week and
: bleaches it perfectly white. 1t makes very
fine lime when pulverized, just as good as
burnt lime
will give you our market: Corn 40, oats
50, wheat 1925, rye 81, milct seed 81, pota-
{ toes 81, bacon 1873, hay $50.
Well, as this is my first letter To the FREE
= TRADER, will quit, as the editor may think