The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-03-02
IN ARKANSAS LETTER
Mrs. GrOesbeck Writes Entertainly
of Their Home in Sunny Ark
ansas


Mrs. Emily w. Groesbeck, who
formerly lived in lola, later in Louis
lana, and now at Van Buren,, Arkan
sas. The letter was written in re-
Spouse to the request for communica-
tions from old residenters who had
moved elsewhere, but its publication
has been unavodably delayed.
EDITOR REGISTER:
Your kind offer of arranging an
experience meeting" in the columns
of the REGISTER certainly Dug mt to be
appreciated and utilized by that
fraternity. We look with interest
each week for the paper and note with
pleasure the evidences OF prosperity
in the State, and more especially of
the expansion of lola and the pros
poets Of still brighter future.
We have been at this place about a
year and like the climate ever 80 much
better than that of Kansas. Arkan-
sas is slow old State, but steadfast
as the eternal hills that shelter the
fertile valleys and make up piano.
rama of beautiful scenery. There
have been but two windy days here
during the year and we have no
"northers" the cold steals on silent.
ly and mysteriously and of course IL
very moderate compared with your
latitude. Gardeners have been setting
out fields Of cabbage plants all winter.
Turnips, spinach, onions, etc, are
growing finely. Two crops of Irish
potatoes are easily grown in on season,
Sweet potatoes, cantelopes, ETC., grow
to perfection, as indeed do all vegeta.
bles. Gardening and fruit raising
are among the leading industries.
This is one of the greatest fruit Sec
tions in the United States, Apples,
peaches, plume, etc are extensively
grown, but the strawberry Is the
staple. Those who have been accus.
toned to "beds" of straw berries can
form little idea of the growing of them
on as large a scale as corn is grown in
Kansas. The growers have all the
way from few acres up to perhaps
one hundred or more.
We found here Mr.. Frank Smeltzer
ssbrother ofD. BID. .SmeItzer, of lola.
He has a large acreage of peaches,
pears, etc, and sixty arces of straw
berries. He has u switch on his farm
and loads car from his own field.
He is considered the authority on the
question of fruit growing for this
section. We also found here Mr.. J.
II. Clark, who worked at photography
in lola, in the early Eighties. He
has the leading gallery in town aud
lie doing good business. Van Buren,
has a population OF some 1000 AMI Is
quite q business center during the
season of shipping fruit and vegetables
when whole train loads are sent out
each day. 1t has electric lights,
water works, etc. FIT. Smith is five
miles away just across the river. 1t
is a growing city of some 25, 1000 popu-
lation and bears no resemblance to
the time when fort" was necessi-
ty. The last vestige of the old wall
has recently been removed and an
old stone building which stood within
the enclosure, IL all that remains
now, where once was heard the roll of
the drum ana the tramp OF the
"mustering squadron" the electric
cars go whiZzing by and large whole
sale houses, every story packed with
the necessaries and luxuries of life,
furnish merchandise to a vast scope
of territory. Near by is the beautiful
National Cemetery over which
"Uncle Sam" keeps watch The sur
face is gently undulating and dotted
with native forest trees. The neat
head-stSnes which stand thickly over
the closely shaven sward show that
many Kansas soldier has found "a
resting place in this "bivouac of the
dead" while from a tall staff the
"Red, White and Blue" always floats
like benediction, above their sleep
ing dust.
When we left the coast for this
locality it was considered that we
were coming to the "frigld north, -
but since we are here there are sew
eral signs that we are still in the
south. Cotton, not corn, is king here,
Here also grow the fig, the cape
jessamine, the beautiful magnolia and
the graceful China tree. And then
we still see the price of "snuff7i quoted
in the market reports and the darkey
is so much in evidence that he be.
comes superfluous.and then the strong
political pull" is Enthusiastically felt
in the Every air." And one is often
feroibly reminded of the "late" gi.