Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-01-31

A TRIP TO LAS VEGAS, N. NJ.


Ed. Register-Enclosed please find
letter / received from our young DIR.
Farrar, which, to noe, was so interest
ing thought your other readers would
like to have the benefit of his state
ments. l well remember, when we
first came to this valley of seeing Santa
Fee traders, with long trains of pack
mules, jacks and jennies, on their way
to St. Louis. Those trains were always
headed by a Mexican riding mule,
leading an old white mare with large
bell on her neck. Wherever that old
white mare went. all the rest of the
herd wonld GO. There were almost al
ways six or eight men in company.
Wherever night found them, there was
home for the night. / thought it was
grand to see those traders sitting and
standing around the campfire, dressed
10 their Mexican costume-their wide
brimmed hats trimmed with gaudy
ribbons and feathers; their coats of
dressed deer-skin trimmed with beads
and silver buttons; their vests of vel
vet and spangles;, their breeches of
buckskin with fringes down the out
side seams. Feet encased in boots, the
tops reaching the knees, and an old
horn pistol in the top Of each bootleg,
and pig Mexican spur on each boot,
a belt around the waist, with silver
ornaments, ana a huge bowie-knite
hitched to it. When sitting on his
mule with saddle trimmed with Dear
or mountain lion skin, with long
hair lariot coiled around the horn of
the saddle-to stand and see such a
cavalcade it was enough to stir the
blood in the veins of any boy, and to
think it took those traders three
months travel to make the trip from
Santa Fee to st. Louis and three
months on the return trip. How yiv-
idly it all brought to mind the days of
Pizarro, De Soto, and other of the old
Spanish cavaliers:
LAS VEGAS, Jan. y, 1889.
MIR. II. P. RUSSELL
Dear Uncte--A bout three months
ago l promised to write you letter,
but have neglected to do SO thus far
While in Kansas / could find nothing
of Importance to write about, though a
great farming country, / couldn't see
much better prospects for a farmer
than are found in Missouri, and not
near as good land as our river bottoms.
They had fine crop of corn, but it is
the first in four years. AS far as [
could find all the farms arc und Ottawa,
Kansas, are mortgaged.
Every day could count from 25 to
7o wagon-loars of corn going to mark
ct. 1t all sold for cash, but the cash
went straight to the banks to pay off
the interest on borrowed money. We
had fine weather then up to Xmas,
with the exception of snow, about
November 10th.
No saloons were to be seen, and only
an occasional drunk person; still, it
was no trouble to get medicine Tor
'gastritis," which was whiskey, pure
and undulterated. l enjoyed the socie-
ty very much. The Y. M. C. A. gen.
orally see that no one goes unacquaint-
ed in Ottawa.
December 22d / received a telegram
to proceed to Fort Madison, Iowa, for
what reason l knew not, but / packed
up and started; left Ottawa Sunday at
8 P. NJ, and arrived in Fort Madison at
: A. NJ. My trip through north Mis-
souri, was By night SO / can tell moth
ing as to the farms or country. On ar
irving at Fort Madison I found l was
to go to Las Vegas, New Mexico, but
not until January sometime. So l
spent the holidays with my brother at
his hospital with the exception of one
day, when I was in Burlington, Iowa.
That is fine city located on the Mis-
sippi, has fire paved streets, large
stone houses. street cars in abundance
and the finest churches / ever saw.
There is one hill in the city and it is
crowded by six or seven large stone
and brick churches. Fort Madison is
also a large place, but will be much
larger by next January. Already sew
eral miles square have been laid out
into town lots. In every direction one
can see new houses going up. The
Santa Fee railroad are building their
big shops here, and WILL give work to
several thousand men in few months.
Churches are rather scarce here.
The penitentiary holds quite prom
inent position on the hill above town.
The streets are unimproved and very
sandy.
Thursday night. January Sd, at 10:45,
I start from Fort Madison on my long
tourney to the Rockies. Have good
nights sleep and wake up near Kansas
City, at which place / got breakfast
and took the ii A. NJ. train west. We
follow the Kaw River up to Topeka
where we get dinner. Our Pullman
is a beauty called the "Etinanda," and
rides as easy as can be. One scarcely
feels any motion at all. Along the
Kaw Valley the wheat looked very
fine. stood about six inches high, but
in few places was turning brown.
There is plenty of fine timber in places,
but very few fences are to be seen. Al
most entirely they use hedges for
fences. AT several stations we could
600 ooro sbpdc-soma over hundred