Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-07-18
A Letter From NIissourl-Its Growing
Cities and Towns.


JEFFERSON CITY, Mo-, June %, 1885,
EDITOR TRANsCRIPT:-I am here in this
beautiful city, which is the capital, and il
the center Of that state which constitutes
one OF the important north and south
range of states of which our own Mime
sofa stands head northwardly, financially
and agriculturally. Here is the state
house in beauty, with its important adj
juncts. Large business houses, with fine
residences. A mixed population is here
OF which the enterprising German is III
important factor.
l have spent week in St. Louis. 1t il
q clean city, but just now admirably hot
and the thick smoke which occasionally
Obscurcs the sun, and the frequent clouds
and rain are very refreshing, only thai
they are omens of evil to the farms along
these great valleys, and so to all bushes,
men affected thereby. There are grea,
floods ON the Missouri and Mississippi val.
leys, so that already great damage is done
to crops of all kinds, the river being al
such stage that ordinary steamers
cannot pass the magnificent span of the
great St. Louis bridge
The streets of St. Louis are not thronged
and pressed as in Chicago. There are as
many people on the streets of Chicago at
q or clock at night as in St. Louis at III
q. nj.
W. W. KEYsOR.
Of course, While there, l could not re.
frain from seeking for our friend Keysor.
he had taken his diploma the week before
with graduating class of 10. l was
assured by the Dean of the Faculty that
the diploma does not tell it all, that he
graduated with high honors, in scholar
ship-just as we expected, land besides
took the prize for the best essay of the
class. OF his ability and promise in his
chosen profession, the Dean spoke with
much emphasis. l was not surprised to
hear him say, HE is a fine and promising
young man."
SOME OF THE TOWNS
of this state seem antiquatcd, and lack
ing the freshness of Yankee enterprise.
Some are settled largely by men from the
south-southcrn sympathizers-but even
in them, though enterprise is somewhat
hampcrcd, yet you would be surprised at
the mutual willingness and desire to drop
those issues and exercise the spirit IF char
ity.
Many of the towns are fine. Springfield,
ON the St. Louis & San Francisco r. r.,
and the seat of Drury College, (Congrega-
tionaD is a town Of 1900, and tho
roughly quickened by the best enterprise.
Sedalia, on the Missouri & Pacific r. r ,
is an important r. r. center of some
$4,000, a fresh, thrifty city, with large bus
mess houses of brick and fine residences,
with steam flour mills, one roller mill
put in recently; four banks, and every
thing thrifty, we'll painted, and clean,
throughout the city.
There are some younger and smaller
cities i'll the western part of the state into
which Just now eastern enterprise is cast
ing itself, for it has just discovered that
these small cities of 8 to thousand peo-
pie are in tier of counties along the cas-
tern line OF Kansas, with good climate,
excellent soil, and very large mineral re-
sources, and must eventually become the
most thrifty and prosperous of the lesser
cities of the land
At Richhill, place of coal and zinc
mines, a city of $500 has been builded in
three years. and is most beautiful sltua-
ton, but is now destined to q great
'bO0m," us good coal oil has Just been
found at depth of 800 feet, and in the pre-
sence of hundreds the other day, several
barrels of the best and purest crude oil
was dipped from the we'll in short time.
At night the people gathered en- masse;
the band discoursed joyfullY. and CON
gratulatory speeches were made, includ.
ing the prediction that in less than 10
years, the place would contain from 20, 600
to 30, 600 inhabitants. And as the whole
western part of the state seems underlaid
with coal and various minerals, incline
to think the prediction may be realized.
To pass about in this state, has the good
effect of removing the prejudices to some
degree, which may have existed in the
mind concerning climate and it's social
status and its spirit of enterprise.
Trusting that these few words of travel
may be grateful to your readers, and with
kind remembrances of our friends in Aus
tin and vicinity. am, Yours truly,
j. D. TODD.