Mexico weekly ledger., 1890-01-16
| WONDERFUL PROGRESS.
Judge FOrrist Tells of Audrain
COunty's Rapid Strides In
the Past Twenty
Years.

years ago, sue nau popuia'Aoh Va
about nineteen hundred-a thous-
and whites and nine hundred ne
groes. More than two-thirds of the
area of the county was wild and un-
lands, while the whole
people within her borders would
not number ten thousand. There
were no highways except such as
had been located by the deer, the
Indian and the buffalo. There
are no engineers in the world
their equal for the purpose named.
With unerring certainty these
natural engineers will find the
shortest distance, the hardest earth,
the safest fords and easiest grad
tents between any two points.
There is DO north or south nor
east or west to their compass. Our
people will remember what beau
tiful roads used to radiate from
Mexico, like spokes from the hub
of a wheel, to all important points,
paying no heed to any cardinal
point of the compass. Those roads
were the best ever seen in the
county. Every alteation of them
at the dictation of cupidlty or con-
venience was resulted only in
modification.
Let the new roads go where they
may, but no hand should have ever
been permitted to change the cap
plan ways"of our natural engineers.
Such was the surface of the coun-
ty that the traveller, on foot or in
wagon, could 60 from Mexico to
any point in it, as the ''bird flies.
There were no ''bad lands," let
it be remembered, but the vast
"waste places" remained such be-
cause there were no people to enter
in and purchase them and, by cul-
liva,ion, make them to blossom as
the rose. Under all the sun l
know of no county of better lands
than Audrain.
The great want was people-a
thrifty population to come in and
possess them. In the later days,
the star of empire has travelled
westward by rail. None appreci-
ated this fact better than the peo-
pie Of Audrain and, In view of it,
they undertook to have built a
railroad from Louisiana to Mexico,
which was done. To accomplish
this, our county court loaned the
credit of the county to the l.. & NJ
r. R. R. Co., and the fruits Of that
action have gone into more than
local history.
ITS construction commenced al
Louisiana and went westward. The
iron was laid to Vandalia in the
later autumn of 1871, and that lit.
tie city proposed to celebrate, u
and she did grandly, although in
all her borders there were but two
houses-one hotel, now the hap.
py home of Hon.. G. G. Daniel,
and twelve by fourteen feet store.
room occupied by Pearson &
Jacques. In an old adjoining
house to it was wash tut
of lemonade, and behind it hidden
was an old brown jug, out OF which
some enthusiasm came.
Twas orator of the day because ]
was a pronounced railroad man.
Col. A. Ladd, Col. ]. J. Haden
Judge I. Adams and myself made
up the delegation from Mexico
After passing Littleby we drove
from the highway over to the rail.
road bed and followed it to Wanda
liza. In all the distance there was
but one fence and scarcely a hal
dozen houses. Rush Hill was ir
the womb of time; Farber was not
while Laddonia had the first edi
ton of Bybee's Hotel and a black
smith shop. The lands were
called "nigger-head prairie," sale
to be entirely worthless to agricul.
ture and for taxation valued al
81 so per acre.
could not see where the people
could be found for a public meet
ing, but they came. Strong men
fair women; and, when in the
speech, l wondered whence they
came, a tow-headed boy squealeG
out: "Dog gone it, Judge, the
woods is full Nv 'em." As l talked
a spirit of prophecy fell upon me
l told that crowd that with the
railroad, IN twenty years the coun'
ty would have 25.OO0 population;
Vandalia would have 1900 and
from that point to Mexico, new
towns would spring up; roads,
school houses, bridges, churches
would be built and paid for; the
county debt paid without the peo.
pie knowing it, and every acre Of
land would be occupied and be of 8
cash value equal to s25 per acre
They thought me wild.
In this railroad enterprise there
were grand men enlisted. Many
saw and knew at the celebration
others not present I as well knew
There were giants In those days.
who upheld the scheme. In Au.
drain were Judge Lacklard, Judge
John +. Clark, Gov. Hardin and
men of that class, now living.
There were c. c. Ricketts,, Joseph
W. Ricketts,, VIM. Sims, Jas. Cal.