The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-12-15
A RAMBLE OVER UNCLE SANS TERRI
TORY.
NUMBER TWELVE.

The country looked prosperous, field
after field was filled with herds of cattle
and horses, while thriving towns, some
of them quite large, were numerous.
The railway followed the Platte river
for long distance, crossing it once or
twice: broad shallow stream, full of
quicksands, it was the terror of the peo-
pie who crossed the plains to California,
before the days of railroads. The Oma-
ha of 1870 had completely disappeared,
could not find trace of anything that
looked familiar. Then we were obliged
TO walk across the Missouri on pile
bridge, there being no other way to
transfer; now the river is spanned by
two great railroad bridges, and another
fine one which carries the highway. The
Union station is disgrace to the city,
it is even worse than was the old depot
at Schenectady. A fine new one was be-
gun three or four years ago and one
story completed; so it has stood since,
and nobody knows when it will be COM
pleted. A whole square had Just been
cleared for the Government building, and
many of the business blocks are very
large and imposing; but the residences
are the plainest by far of any large city
we have visited. The streets are wide,
straight, quite we'll shaded, and there are
many miles Of pavement; fire brick pre-
dominating, although there was some
stone and good deal asphalt. Fire brick
is much used in the West and South, but
| doubt its durability: one residence
street IN Chicago paved with it, was full
of large holes; 1t goes to pieces In spots,
just as wood pavements do; asphalt of
the right kind, and we'll laid, is incom.
parably the best pavement to be found.
ALI about Omaha are great numbers of
trees: the whole country has been trans
formed AS far as South Omaha is con-
ceTned, the transformation of "a pretty
country into mass of cattle pens and
meat packing establishments is not par
ticularly desirable on the score of beauty.
The land lies in long, steep ridges, so
that the grade of many of the streets is
very steep. The most prominent part of
the city is hill just back of the main
business portion, and the whole top of
this, many acres in extent, is occupied
by the building and grounds of the high
school. In the city hall they possess a
magnificent structure of stone, and at
the cutter edge of the city is large and
very pretty park. Electric and cable
railways run in all directions: the cutting
down of streets to grade has left some
parts of the city in queer shape; to level
many lots it would be necessary to take
off as much earth as a fve-story house
would occupy on the same site, and
many buildings are left perched high in
air. An electric railway runs over the
Missouri to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and
long ride is necessary to get across the
very broad plain between river and bluff;
land which is overhOwed during high
water. Council Bluffs is rather pretty
town, lying just under the river bluff,
but overshadowed by its larger neighbor
Omaha. From Omaha our route was by
the Missouri Pacific railway through
Kansas City to st. Louis, first passing
around Omaha, and then south along
the Missouri into Kansas; entering the
State of Missouri at the crossing of the
river at Kansas City. Bridges are now
numerous over the Missouri river be-
tween Omaha and Kansas City, but in
1870 that at Kansas City was the only one
in the whole district. Eastern Kansas