Times-promoter. (Hernando, DeSoto County, Miss.) 1898-1970, 1908-05-01
LETTER FROM ARKANSAS
maj. Doeksry Tells oi Trip Thro' Neigh.
. boring State.


. boring State.
Editor Times-Promoter;
Now you must remember it Is pro-
nounced Arkansaw. Some polite per-
sons say Arkansas, but the legisla-
ture after a spirited debate few
years ago, iecreed that it should be
Arkansaw, and not Arkansas. That
point settled, we buy ticket to Hot
Springs, costing 1896 and here we go
across the splendid iron bridge, span
ming the "great inland sea-" as l
lheard Jno. O. Calhoun call it in 1s4S
when the Memphis and Charleston
railroad was completed, and barrel
of briney sea water from the harbor
of Charleston was thrown into the
Mississippi river, symbolizing the
marriage of the Atlantic with the
Sthen great artery Of commerce, the
Mississippi river. We didn't have
railroads then, and the millions OF
tons of freight was carried by barges,
by fat boats and steam boats, and
the commerce of the interior from
the Ohio, the Mississippi and the Mis-
>souri rivers was foated to New Or
Leans on the bosom Of "the Father OF
Waters as the Indians called the
great river. have seen the nat
boats extending from the wharf boat
at the end of Howards Row to the
mouth of Wolf river, loaded with
everything our markets wanted, in
the way of meat, bread, feed-stuffs,
potatoes, cabbage, apples, whiskey,
iron, and woodward, pottery, wagons,
plows, and in fact everything that
goes to make up commerce.
remember when the comfortable
log cabins Of the settlers of the sec
ytion supplied by the town Of Mem
phis were without andirons and an
enterprising merchant got ahead of
the balance of us by brining several
thousands of pairs of what was then
called dogirons on fiat boat. ] sup
pose they were called dogirons, be-
cause there was dogs head on the
top Of each. All the people wanted
dogirons, and the other merchants
had to buy of the one who had got
ahead and he made a big profit upon
his investment. (But | have switched
off from Arkansas, and am telling
what / knew of Memphis in 1S46).
We have crossed the splendid iron
bridge and plunged into the swamps,
a fit pasturage for turtles, copper
heads, and alligators if it were not
too cold. We go tearing through the
swamps on a fine train, carrying a
typical crowd of our home people.
Some old and bald-headed, some
Young and vigorous, some with black
hair, some auburn, and here and
there lively red-headed girl, some
were good looking, some fairly SO,
and sprinkle of ugly ones, but al
Jolly and good natured. One impu
dent fellow asked me If that town II
Arkansas was named for me. wall
into trap every time, and askec
him what town. He put his finger OF
a spot Of my head where the WOO
ought to grow and said Bald Knob.
The country is level all the way tt
Little Rock except a short distance
about Forrest City called, | think
Crawley's Ridge. We crossed the st
Francis, the Cache, and the White
rivers all overfowing the low land'
about them, and making wild waste
of waters. Here and there are fint
farms and the best order of plows
discs and harrows, preparing for ant
planting corn and cotton. The coun
try is level and the rows are straigh
and long and the improved imple
ments can be used to advantage. Th'
prairie is not much cultivated alonl
the road, but hundreds and thousand
of cattle are grazing on the luxuriou
grass and are being fitted for market
At DeValls Bluff and several othe
places saw acres and acres of lum
ber stacked good many millions o
feet suppose, waiting to be carries
to the markets of the world. Severa
large peach orchards near Lonok
viii soon come into bearing. On botl
sides of Little Rock q considerable
gardening, trucking and fruit grow
ing is being started. Forrest City,
Judge, is the largest town on the roa'
hetuaen Memnhis and Little Rock