The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-12-20
Seattle Post-InteIligencer.l
RETURNED PIONEERS,

The Oregon and Washington pio-
neers who went east in October have
now well 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. and for an
hour gave us description, highly en-
tertaining, of the trip and its attend
ant eXcitements and pleasures. The
party of over 400 persons averaged in
age about 80 years, and were as jolly,
sOciable a company rs one would care
to fall in with. A large proportion of
them had not been east of the Missis-
sippi river since they came to the
West, over 30years ago. They thought
that they had kept pretty well in
formed through the public prints and
otherwise of the progress of the coun-
try, but they were none the less con-
tinually surprised. They found that
there was no longer an Indian and q
buffalo country, but that civilization
in its westward march had completely
taken their places. The road over
which they went was the great agent
in efiectng this change. 1t took them
further in an hour than they travelled
in day when they came west. 1t
also took them with "A comfort and an
elegance entirely unknown 80 years
ago, even to the millionaire of the At
lantic or the crowned heads of Europe
Instead of an uninhabted waste of
1900 miles, a sort of great American
desert, they found settled, populated
country, with beautiful towns and
| fine farms, incomparably superior to
what these same pioneers left in Hi
nois, Kentucky and Ohio nearly forty
years ago. They were particularly
surprised at the splendid buildings
put up in the new towns along the
! line of the railroad in Montana, Da-
kota and Minnesota. The company
had only to locate station, lay out a
| town and begin the sale of lots to have
hundreds of people there make their
homes. They were evidently people
! OF Smouey too, for among fhe first
| houses erected would be beautiful
brick buildings and blocks of the most
approved modern style, constructed
at cost of fiom Sl0,000 to $4,000
each. \ village of thirty or forty
houses, year or less old, would con-
tain a dozen structures that would do
credit to Portland, Seattle or Victoria.
The finest breeds of cattle, the most
costly machinery, and the keenest
looking people were to be seen all
along the line.
Going on further these old pioneers
were still more surprised at the
changes i'm 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 build
ings upon them of the most costly
character, such as would not have
been thought of in earlier times, and
could not possibly have been then OBJ
tanned. 1t was to these honest old
Pacific Coasters "A constant round of
surprise and delight, the only draw
back being the weather. 1t began to
get cold, and as the thermometer
drew nearer and nearer to zero they
began to wish themselves back at
their homes in Oregon and Washing
ton. The 10 degrees below zero that
caught them at st. Paul was all that
was needed to set their faces west on
the full run, and they hardly left the
cars from that city to Spokane Falls,
where a warm wave from the Pacific
struck them. The opinion prevails
among those who have travelled over
the rail routes to the East that the
Northern Pacific has along its line
more fine country and more promis-
ing country than the Union Pacific,
Central Pacific, Southern Pacific and
Atlantic & Pacific have combined,
and that within ten years it will have
as heavy population as is to be
found in all the country through
which these four roads are located.