The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1885-08-19
ALTOONA JOTTINGS
An Old Highlander Writes an
Interesting Letter
About the Wonderful West.
Descriptions Of Western Scenery and
Notes ON the Crops.

] Ahl NllN AaMns
ALTOONA, Kous., April 25lh, 1885.
DEAR News Having promised to write
to my friends through your columns, I
take advantage Of this opportunity TO tell
about my trip and my impressions Of our
now home.
On tho first day Of April 1 babe farewell
to Hillsboro, the home Of my childhood
aud for many years that Of maturer life,
and with my family boarded the train for
the Far West" Left Cincinnati at Z p.
m. on the o. q NJ. r.. r., and after travel
ing all night found ourselves by daylight
within fifty miles Of St. Louis, in a fertile
part Of southern Illinois BY eight o'clock
we had reached the Father of Waters,
over which tho train carried us on a bridge,
which for magnifcence and the excellence
of its architectural design could scarcely be
excelled. The lower chords support the
railroad track, which upon leaving the
bridge passes through long tunnel into
the heart of the city of ST. Louis; the upper
chords and arches support the deck bridge
for vehicles and foot passengers. Although
obliged to stay in st. Louis all day it raiued
50 that it was impossible to get out of doors
to see the sights of the great western me-
tropols. We were all glad again to board
the "Frisco Line" for the "suu setting"
which we soon overlook, and before we
were fairly in the country we were in turn
overtaken by the shades of night so that
our trip through Missouri until daylight
was a blank. The morning of April 3D.
found us near Marshfeld, Mo-, which part
of the State conveys very unfavorablo
impression to the traveller The surface is
mostly covered by small scrubby timber
growing from red clay soil thicl,y beset
Is with small boulders as shown by the rail-
road cuts. BY breakfast time we were at
Springfield, hourishing city in a rich dis
trict, and from this time on we passed
through a very fertile farming region, es
pecially after we entered southeastern Kan
- Ras and on to our place Of destination Neo
desha, Kansas. Here we took carriages
for Altoona, nine miles up the Verdigri.
Valley. Neodeshn is Mt the confluence OF
~ the Verdigris and Fall rivers both of which
traverse Wilson county from northwest tc
southeast The bottoms of both these
rivers are very rich and are from one tc
five miles wide West of the Verdigris
ranging from one half to four miles, is d
ridge Of hills about 300 feet high, which
break off to the west in an undulahng sur
face, which again gradually slopes to Fal
river These high tabeands are called
'' ''high prairies" to distinguish from tn,
prairies east of the Verdigris which rise t.
gu the east so gradually that one can scarcely
distinguish between bottoms and prairie
It was on this side of the river that W.
n travelled toward our destination In TIN
river valley the principle crop is wheat
while back on the prairies corn is tn
standby in cereals, while pasture and ha.
fields occupy large tracts. All is fenced il
and in use for one thing or the other.
very noticeable feature is the hedge fencing
which lines the road the most of the wa,
on the improved farms. We were tol
though, that the barb wire fence is almos
altogether used now, and we saw large pas
nd lures and corn fields enclosed by two t.
an three wires, which makes a cattle proc
tic fence. On our arrival we found a numbe
nix Of friends waiting us with the table loade
SG esi with good things and household goods SC
al in order. Our place is one and half mile
", east of the river on a good sized stream
Pc Cedar Greek, which runs through tn
me place. It's banks are well wooded and il
bottoms, though not so very wide are ricl
Der The house is at the edge of tho prairi
ing where it breaks to let the stream and il
on, valley through, (thon continues over to tL
in riyer) and is about forty feet higher tina
te, the creek On the bluffs the jack an
MS, post oak grow densely, while down in I'll
lie, bottom, walnut, hickory elm, red oal
od, burr oak, and numerous other trees such
EN- grow in Ohio; at the bed of the creek Il
r." swamp maple, sycamore, cottonwood an
lily ash. Several places the creek bank ris
PHI up in a rocky bluff. The rock here
H." sandstone, including some of the fine
Of building material I ever saw.
the Standing on the highest part Of Il
Vas place, the view is very remarkable for
8 to prairie country. On the west is the Veri
will girls with its timber, while beyond is Il
PM ridge of hills. South and east of MS Il
ms, valley and prairie are broken by a numb
f Of highmounds, the slopes Of which a
IS it very fertile, but all else bare, scarcely su
RS porting pasture except in a favorable Sc
.uc- son. They rise abruptly from the sr
.ap- rounding prairie, in two places sing
3, if another in a group Of five, while still a
ub- other in O group Of three, then drop
3O6 again as suddenly, From these noun
east, the prairie runs of almost a Lev
plc'u for thirty miles to the Neosho rive
sSr. IJo North Of us the prairie extends to anoth
sore ridge about six miles, which breaks OFF in
itbv high prairie.
Land sells from S8 to $50 per acre {