Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-11-28

The Oregon and Washington pioneers
who vent east in October have now we'll
nigh all returned, and much they have
to tell Of what they saw and experienced
while away. One Of the number called
at our Office yesterday. and for an hour
gave us description, highly entertain
ing, of the trip and its attendant excite
nents and pleasures. The party Of over
four hundred persons averaged IL age
about ~ years, and were as jolly, so
cable company as one would care to
fall in with. large proportion OF them
had not been east of the Mississippi river
since they came TO the West over thirty
wears ago. They thought that they had
kept pretty we'll informed through the
public prints and otherwise Of the pro
gress Of the country, but they were none
the less continually surprised. They
found that there was no longer An In
dian and buffalo country, but thet civ
iliZatiou in its westward march had
completely taken their places. The
road over which they went was the great
agent in efecting this change. II took
them further III An hour than they trav-
eled in day when they first came west.
II also took them With A comfort and an
elegance entirely unknown thirty years
ago. even to the millionaire Of the At
lantic or the crowned heads Of Europe.
Instead Of An uninhabited waste of fiji
teen hundred miles, sort of great
American desert. they found settled,
populated country, with beautiful towns
and fine farms, incomparably superior
| 10 what these same pioneers left IN llli
nois. Kentucky and Ohio nearly forty
wears ago. They were particularly sur
| prised At the splendid buildings put up
| IN the new towns along the line of the
| railroad in Montana, Dakota and Min
| nesota. The company had only to 10
| cate station, lay out town and begin
| the sale Of lots to have hundreds Of peo
| pie there make their homes. They were
| evidently people OF money, too, for
| among the first houses erected would be
| beautiful brick buildings and blocks of
| the most approved modern style, con
| structed at cost of from $4,000 to
| $500 each. A village of thirty or
| forty houses. year or less old. would
contain dozen structures that would
| do credit to Portland, Seattle or Veto
ria. The finest breeds of cattle, the
most costly machinery and the keenest
| looking people were to b3 seen all along
the line.
| Going on further these old pioneers
we're still more surprised at the changes
| in the Mississippi Valley and on the
Atlantic seaboard. The little villages
of their day had become great towns
and large cities. The railroad system
had increased thousand fold. Every
hamlet was reached by at least one
road. and almost every farm. The
farms themselves had changed, and had
stock, improvements and buildings up
On them of the most costly character
such AZ would not have been thought of
in earlier times, and could not possibly
have been then obtained. 1t was to
these honest old Pacific Coasters "A con
slant round of surprise and delight, the
only drawback being the weather. 1t
began to got cold, ane. asthe thermometer
drew nearer and nearer to zero they be
gan to wish themselves back at their
homes in Oregon and Washington
The fifteen degrees below zero that
caught them at st. Paul WAS all that
was needed to set their faces west or
the full run, and they hardly left the
cars from that city to Spokane Falls
whore a warm wave from the Pacific
struck them. The opinion prevails
among those who have travelled ovel
the rail routes to the East that the
Northern Pacific has along it's lin,
more fine country and more promising
country than the Union Pacific, Cen
trail Pacific, Southern Pacific and At
Iantio d Pacific have combined. anc
that within ten years it will have a.
heavy population as is to be found il
all the country through which thes.
four roads are located.