Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1885-01-21
A RIDDEN A PRAIRIE GALE.
Scenes In Iowa as Pictured by the Famous
Owner of "Them Steers"

! AT Charles City missed railroad
connection and had to drive across the
country to Cresco, fifty miles, and 1t
was the first cold day OF the season.
The wind came with sweep across the
prairies, and when it struck, shaved
like a razor. The tree-tops OF the
groves planted around the farm-houses
broke or bent ike whip-sticks, and
sometimes the buggy was lifted from
the ground. The driver got out and
put in rocks to hold the machine down
to the earth. We did mot want to make
the trip to Cresco through the air. 1t
was lucky that we struck stretch OF
country where there were powders.
The road for the first ten miles was on
the section lines, and the settlers were
Irish and Norwegians. They had large
farms and large stocks OF cattle ana
hogs, and plenty of corn and haystacks.
We stopped at farmhouse to warm.
The proprietor was an lrishman. lie
said when he lived in the old country
he did not taste meat once month.
Now he sold cattle and hogs by the car
load. He came to this country thirty
years ago, Storage passenger on an
emigrant ship. He went back to Ire
land last year on visit. He went In
sleeping gear to New York and across
the sea cabin passenger on an ocean
steamer. He found the old country
lust as he left it. There had not been
$15 spent for improvements in the little
town in which he was raised since he
| left it. He had changed so much he
was homesick as a dog. He had grown
ND with the United States and was SO
| changed himself that the old country
had no attractions for him. He had
| three horse teams plowing-one follow
| ING after the other; and hundred
| acres of corn that would. 'make" sixty
| bushels to the acre. His "shanty' was
| a two-story white house with green
blinds. When he returned to the land
| of his birth he found no attractions be-
cause he had changed, become Ameri-
canized, and the old country had not
changed.
The wind blew a gale and sometimes
spit snow until we reached the "Wap-
sys." The horses kept a dog-trot up
hill and down, and made about seven
miles an hour, in spite of the wind.
The "Wapsys" are the forks of river,
and sheltered by timber, The woods
are full of hogs and cattle; they had
taken to the timber to get out of the
wind. The road in the ''Wapsy" coun-
| try was crooked and steep, washed out
and wound around among the trees.
At 10 o'clock the last fork OF the
"Wapsy'' was crossed. Before rising
up to the open prairie the driver took
more rocks from the creek to ballast
the buggy. The road took Decline
for Busti We had not gone far before
we met a Norwegian with his Load o.
boards all blown away. The boards
lay scattered over the prairie to the
windward, distance of forty or fifty
rods. The town of Busti consists of q
hotel, a store, and blacksmith-shop,
and is halfway between Charles City
and Cresco. The landlady fried side
bacon, cooked eggs, and made the best
| dish of tea | have seen since L have
| left Chase's mills. A railroad had been
| surveyed from La Crosse to Charles
City, by the way of Busti.
When the country is all settled the
roads run on the section line that is due
north and south CT east and west, anC
there is no direct road between bushes:
centers. When the land is F1ayins
OUT the roads run ':angling' to the
section lines. The 'angling" roads
run on the divides and are more direct
than the roads on the section lines
From Busti we took the angling
road The settles were few and far be-
tween. Thousands Of acres of as fer
tile land as the sun ever shone upor
lay as left by the hand of hatuEe
Large focks of prairie chickens flew
up ahead of the horses like scared par
tridges. As the sun went down the
wind went down. The driver began tt
throw overheard ballast and We arrived
at Cresco at 6 p. M, in the midst OF
dead calm, without a rock in the buggy
q -Solon Chase in LeaDiston Journal.