The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-01-08
IN A PRAIRIE GALE.
Scenes in iowa as Pictured by the Famous
Owner of "Them Steers"

Owner of ''Them Steers.''
At Charles City I missed railroad
connection and had to drive across the
country to Cresco, fifty miles, and it
was the first cold day of the season.
The wind came with a sweep across the
prairies, and when it struck, shaved
like razor. The tree-tops of the groves
planted around the farm-houses broke
or bent like 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 not want to make the trip to
Cresco through the air. 1t was lucky
that we struck q 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 and hogs, and
plenty of corn and haystacks. We
stopped at farmhouse to warm. The
proprietor was an Irishman. He said
when he lived in the old country
he did not taste meat once a month.
Now he sold cattle and hogs by
the carload. He came to this
country thirty years ago, steerage
passenger on an emigrant ship. He went
back to Ireland last year on visit. He
went in a sleeping car to New York and
across the sea cabin passenger on an
ocean steamer. He found the old coun
try just he left it. There had not been
fifteen dollars 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 up with the United States
and was SO changed himself that the old
country had no attractions for him. He
had three horse teams blowing fol-
lowing 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 Amer
icanized and the old country had not
changed.
The wind blew gale and sometimes
| spit snow until we reached the ''Wap-
sys." The horses kept dog-trot up hill
| and down, and made about seven miles
an hour, in spite of the wind. The
"Wapsys" are the forks of a river, and
sheltered by timber. The woods are
full of hogs and cattle, that had taken
to the timber to get out of the wind.
The road in the ''Wapsy' country was
crooked and steep, washed out and
wound around among the trees. At ten
o'clock the last fork of the "Wapsyn
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 Nor
wegian with his load of 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 hotel, a store and a
blacksmith shop, and is halfway be-
tween Charles City and Cresco. The
landlady fried side bacon, cooked eggs,
and made the best dish of tea l have
seen since | have left Chase's mills
A railroad had been surveyed from La
Crosse to Charles City, by the way of
| Duob1f Sb1Nl OAAC w DIS dAAIOuS
for the ''keers'' to come.
When the country is all settled the
roads run on the section line that is due
moth and south or east and west, and
there is no direct road between business
centers. When the land is '1aying 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 Bust.
we took the angling road. The setA
tiers were few and far between. Thou
sands of acres of as fertile land as tbs
sun ever shone upon lay as left by thu
hand of nature. Large fiocks of prairie
chickens flew up ahead of the horses
like scared cartridges. AS the sun went
down the wind went down. The driver
began to throw overheard ballast and
we arrived at Cresco at six p. m, in the
midst of dead calm, without rock in
the buggy.-SoloB Chase, IN Lewiston
| (Me / .JoaLr11nZ