Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-04-16
are wolves, too; they killed some va
liable stock last winter.
One Room House 12x16 Feet.

/
liable stock last winter.
One Room House 12x16 Feet.
moved onto my claim last Novem
ber.-and the long winter days anG
evenings assure you, 1 had plenty
Of time for thought Ny one-room
house, 12x16 feet, faces south, and as
like plenty of light, had a window
put in each Of the three other sides
1t is made OF shiplap, ceiled with three
ply rubberoid and lined with heavy
blue building paper, so if the Their
mometer did go down to twenty or
thirty below, l was always very com
dows and see for miles in every direc.
tion,-the undulating Dakota prairie!
It reminds me OF the ocean waves,
and by little stretch of the magma
ton, the sod houses in the distance,
dotted here and there over it, look like
san boats. I have some very near
neighbors, two girls who have claims,
and we live within calling distance Il
each other. l think l have told you
something Of them. They are very
good to me. One of them, Susie, the
Oldest one, is talking of going over
near Falkner,-that is, the other side
Of the river, about forty miles from
Gettysburg. she has one hundred
and sixty acres of land over there that
she bought two years ago for $1,000.
She has been offered $4,000 for it, but
she won't take it. She will have one
hundred and sixty more if she stays
out her time on this claim. They are
German girls and had employment at
Lemon,-one as bookkeeper, be-
fore taking this land.
Lemon is the nearest railroad sta
away. There are great many young
girls, who have been teachers or
nurses, located on claims. There are
four from independence, Iowa, about
four miles from here. They build
their house, generally sod, get team
or yoke of oxen and break up five
acres, dig we'll and settle down to
serve their time out.
Nineteen Families From EIdora.
There Is settlement of nineteen
families from Eldora, Iowa, not very
far from here. So you see, it is being
rapidly settled up all over. The big
outfits are practically sold out; new.
corners are dubbed "Honykers" by
the old locaters, and there are some
very verdant ones. A young couple
entirely untitled for frontier life,
came out last year from "Old Vir-
ginia." One day last summer he came
past the rancho inquiring the way to
the big olive orchard someone had
told him was down the country
ways. Fancy an olive orchard IN Da-
kota. Some one was playing joke
on him. They built their house down
in a draw and the SHOWS came and
drifted them over time and again. The
"Virginians" we're always having to be
dug out; and then, this spring, the
high waters came, and they stretched
a tent on top of their house and lived
there until the waters subsidized. Ask
ed why they did not pitch their tent
on the ground, higher up, they said
they were afraid of snakes.
Indians Wander About.
You asked about the Indians,-the
boundary of the reservation Is within
two miles of me; they are the Sioux.
They do not come off the reservation
very often. Occasionally we see some
wandering about, but they seem harm
less.
There are some rich mixed blood In
dams scattered over the country. l
will tell you a story that will Illus
trate, somewhat, their rude or crude
There was a half-breed
Sioux, by name of Narcese Nar-Selle,
who fell from his wagon last fall, and
broke his neck, or back, Chat is i'm
his sister wanted to save
him until his mother could see him,
so she cut him open with Ratchet or
butcher knife, took his entrails out,
filled the body with salt and sewed it
up. A man came along while she was
thus engaged and threatened her with
arrest; "she guessed he was her
brother and she would do as she pleas
ed with him, as she wanted his moth
er to see him.; and the fellows all
over the country laughed because of
the joke, that his mother had been
blind for twenty years. could tell
you some more stories, but this will
have to do for this time.
Trains BY August.
l am rather excited some one has
just been in and told me of the new
town, to be called Edison, going to be
located not far from here, and we ex-
pect the railroad to be in by the first
of August, and to me it will seem
good to hear the screech of the engine
again BY that time it will have been
almost year and half since l heard