Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-07-08
Over in Winnesheik.

| Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday
Of last week was passed among the
farmer patrons of the PLAIN DEALER
in Orleans, Bluffton and Fremont
townships. Notwithstanding the
frequent and heavy rains the crops
are in promising condition. All kinds
of small grain looks we'll, the hay
crop will be abundant with suitable
weather to save it, the acreage of corn
is very large, the stand is good and
with suitable weather during July
aud August 1T will come to maturity,
the pastures are bountiful.
| We made calls upon G. q. Brown,
Phil 8. Barker, Frank Crawford and
O. g. Watros, who were busy either
cultivating corn or securing their hay
crop.
During the past forty-four summers
we have every year looked upon that
beautiful valley, witnessed its devel-
opemnt from wild unoccupied
stretch Of prairie, with a beautiful
stream meandering its course along
to its present, with every acre In
profitable use and occupation by an
Industrious, intelligent and th irving
! community.
In passing along we observed the
fine brick residence upon the Billy
Goocher farm, its fine condition, and if
kept properly rooted, good for the next
hundred years. With the abundance
of material for making brick, their
chea2ness and durability, we wonder
why 50 few such houses are built.
Their cost is no more than wood
structure, made Of the present inferior
lumber which which becomes old in
thirty years, aid neeas to be rebuilt,
though an annual attempt with paint
and putty is made to preserve it,.
Then the brick ii properly conStruc-
ted is warmer in winter AID cooler in
summer than the wooden buildings.
Mr.. Claude Morton has been fixing
up his residence with some fine veran-
das and otherwise beautyfying and
undermining it.
Almon Rice who has been feature
of that region for the past nearly half
century is still conspicuous figure
there, though alone in the world, so
far as family relatives is concerned.
Though advanced in years he is still
active and conducts his large farm
with hired help. Tuesday he deliver
ed $50 bushels of oats in Cresco at 45
cents a bushell, yery good price.
Bluffton recalls to mind GoldSmith's IS
deserted village. During the past 40
years it has net Improved its condit-
ion, aud probably has no more people
than it had when j. b. Shaw and Geo.
Bolles were Its merchants and Lyman
Morse the owner OF I IS grlst mill, now
the property of Almon Rice and un-
occupied for the past ten years. Its
dam was washed out years ago and
has never been repaired It's mer-
chants are Carolan and Foley and Mr..
q. Farrell. Its public house, aud
very good one, is by Mrs. Alice Jack
son: John Farrell has billiard hall
which during the rainy forenoon of
Wednesday seemed to be popular re-
sort for it's peple. 1t has blacksmith,
a church, and good stone school
house. We were quite interested in
looking over some relies of the Cuban
war brought home by Mr.. L Elzea,
who was private there during that
unpleasantness. In getting to and
from Bluffton the public highway is
over succession of steep hills aud in
to deep valleys ins cad of following
the rarlnes around the hills, the ones
llying out the roads not seeming to
rfaiize that a pot bail is 40 longer
when laying down than when stand
ing up. Going from Blutfton on the
east side of the Iowa, the road is over
bills of surprising steepness, through
deep valleys in primitive forest of
wonderful density, with here and
there along the river a fine farm and
4 iar. ISDprD,lS orcnpant