The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-08-30
4 TRIP TO I! TIE sIl WEST.

Moreover, the man with large family Of
children, without home that he can call
his own, may trilthfully say the prospect 10
not promising. To such I would say Ego
West.n And why dol say thatP because
there is plenty of good land in Arkansas
and Texas still open to homestead. It Is
generally off from the railroads, but
railroads follow settlements. And further,
labor .,is worth more In the West than
here. It produces more and that accounts
for Why it Is worth more. The most Of
the poor mans capital is represented In
his own and his children's ability to work.
7 know of thousands Of acres Of good land
that can be bought for from $l00 to $500
per acre. 1t is not on a railroad and the
man who TIyes on it cannot spend half Of
slime loaflng on the streets. but he can
make good living and own the shelter
that. covers his wife and children. Can
he do that here3 Many q man in An.
derson County will feel forced to answer
no. Some people succeed here, but how
mcny people in this County are worth
more nov than they were five years ago.
I may be pardoned for what I have said,
when it is considered that the poor man is
the one who needs help. The man with
means can help, himself. The references
above made are mostly to Sewer and Polk
Counties, Arkansas.
: sof course, the person who can get there
with money has better advantages than
the man without it, and the more money
the better. ~
In reference to Texas, that portion
which saw is pretty we'll settled, and the
chances for securing homes is not so good,
but when once secured tits everlasting ]
saw many, farms along the Texas & Pa
ci6c Railroad that are rich beyond descrip.
stion. The man who gets 8 home there is
ixed for. all time. The soil is from one to
ten: feet deep, and as fertile as can be.
This land is worth,from $40 to 500 per
acre. Twas surprised to find most OF the
merchandise cheaper In Texas than In An.
derson, but the difference Is very slight.
Around Sherman crops are good, but
west of Grayson County the corn and oot'
ton crop is almost an entire failure: The
old neighbors of James Martin. who lived
IN the upper portion of this County,
would be 80 surprised to see his present
crop. never saw finer crop than his.
He is good worker, and is succeeding.
He is pleased with the West.
Z I visited several ranches in Grsyson
County, and saw some very fine stock. ]
was out of sight Of trees, being on the
prairie. and the mirage was most charm
ing sight. We could see the, most beauti-.
;fnl lake, that seemed to be mile of, but
we could not get closer to it. 1t seemed
that we could see the cattle and horses
drinking out Of it and tie reflection of the
trees, but like the end of the rainbow that
almost every boy has chased, it could not
be found.
We went q jack rabbit hunting one day,
and had lots Of fun. I killed one and shot
at several more.
We left Sh erman and went to Fort
Worth, a thriving and busy city. 1t ia
backed up by fine farming country.
From Fort Worth we ent to Dallas, the
most thriving city We visited west OF At
lants, Ga. It is located on the Trinity
River, up which boats run to Dallas, CIV
Ing them advantages in freight rates.
From Dallas we came to Te1arkana, pass
Ing through Marshall, Longview, Jeffer-
son and other places. Most of the coun-
try from Dallas to Te1arkana along our
return trip is poor, and not very desirable
as seen from the railroad.
In Sherman, Fort Worth and Dallas
there are very fine public school buildings
and fine education advantages. The same
is true Of Paris and Bonham. In fact,
most every County seat Is crowded with
good schools, churches, jails and court
houses.
From what I could see in the limited
time had, I would say that Lamar, Fan
min and Grayson are among the best
Counties in Texas.
We hear so much about the intense
heat, the blizzards or northers, and the
sand storms of the West, we naturally
dread the country, but these reports are
greatly exaggerated. The climate there is
as pleasant as here, if not more 80. 1t is
not hotter than here, and as to northers,
they are very little more than our cold
spells here. The sand storms only occur
on .he plains in the sandy sections, and
they are very few and far between. The
next thing Is the water. Msj. Cox has
several springs on his farm that are as
good as one could wish. I do wish / had
suoh well or spring in my yard. But
good water is not 30 plentiful as in this
County, but good water can generally be
secured by digging for it. In Arkansas
there is plenty of water that is generally
90. ], and 1t is the bss. timbered country
! ever saw. In Texas, and especially in
the best farming sections, there is only,
and barely enough, timber for fuel.
Building material is shipped in from cas-
tern Texas and western Arkansas.
In conclusion let me say that my former
opinion of the West has been sustained by
this trip. But LIQUID not advise men
comfortably fixed In good homes to break
up and 20 West, but would never work
the poor farms In this County and pay
rent, when there is 30 much good land so
cheap open for settlement in the West.
But 1 have not yet found place OF perfee-
ton. There are some disadvantages In
every section, and that which suits ono
might not suit others. I shall be glad to
talk to any of my friends, and will tell
chem inst what they will find in the West.