The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-07-01
ROME. HANSEN Co, d. r.


Editor Of Telegraph:
DEAR SIR : I have many friends in
KenOsha who are inquiring about my
escape from the reported freezing and
starving to which the Dakota settlers
have been subjected the past winter,
so have thought best to answer with
your permission) through the columns
of your invaluable paper which comes
to us like the good Samaritan every
week.
Now, l wish to say, in the first place,
that very large amount of the suffer
ing, both by cold and starvation. has
been experienced by a party of land
sharks in Iowa, who, seeing the heavy
tide of emigration streaming this way,
have no doubt suffered intensely stand
ing out in the cold trying to persuade
the thousands coming here to stop in
Iowa, and no doubt have nearly starved
to death, so hard have they labored
manufacturing some Of the grossest
lies q call things by their right names)
that could be invented by the human
brain. True, we had a hard winter,
very severe for this country, but no
worse than in Wisconsin, not as bad as
in Central Iowa, and, if we had the
conveniences that they have in Kenosha
county, we would have been much bet
ter off than they.
The floods this spring have been a
great injury, not only to those living
on the bottoms, but have so retarded
the running of railroads that people
who have depended on getting seed
from the East have been obliged to
sow and plant less than otherwise, and
the seeding has been delayed in conse-
quence. But the resources Of Dakota
are past finding out; its soil cannot be
surpassed; the prairie is beautiful =;
this is, indeed, All enchanted land,
never saw crops and grass grow as fast
as they do here. This spring grain is
already lodging, and grass will average
one foot in height on the prairie. We
rode through what we call wild red
top yesterday that was two and one
half feet high. We have green peas
in our garden large enough to eat, and
vegetables will soon be plenty. Thave
a variety of trees growing on my home
stead-catalpa ash, soft maple, iron
wood, linn-and all are making rapid
growth, as everything does here. Cat
tie and sheep are rolling in pastures,
grazing on the luXuriant grasses of
our prairie. Settlers are coming in
very fast. When came here one year
ago could see but three houses, now
the prairie is dotted all over with
houses, and when l say houses | do
not mean mud or sod, but houses made
from just such material as the good
people in Kenosha build them of, and
when our groves are few years old
this country will be a paradise Not
withstanding the severe winter we
have just passed through, I would not
exchange my home for any in Kenosha
County. True, we have not the privi-
leges that older communities have,
but we shall soon have our share of
them. We are having Presbyterian
preaching every two weeks in private
house. which is always filled, also a
Sabbath school of % members, and al
though we don't have books and papers
as the schools in KenoSha do, we get
along very well, and we hope for bet
ter things in the near future. Should
be pleased to have any of my old friends
in Kenosha call and see for themselves.
We will take them over some of the
most beautiful prairie the eye ever
looked upon and a climate unsurpassed
for health. But have already written
too much, so | will forbear for the pres
ent, with the assurance that we have
not suffered more than the rest of our
fellow men who have grit enough to
leave an already too thickly populated
country and seek new home and help
build up new enterprises or old ones in
new places. f. S. Rice.