The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-08-09
Topeka IN 1868
Old Letter Shows How New
conner Regarded City.
Everything Was High Then rs
It Is Now.
HOUSES WERE JUST As SCARCE
All Horses and People Had To
Get AcclimAted.
That Is, Learn To Stay Out
Doors and Half Starve."
WERE JUST As SCARCE

Carrying a perturbation OF condI-
lions in Topeka in 1858, W. M. Thomp-
son, of 100 West Sixth street, has re-
eeived a letter from Edward g.
! Thompson, OF Thompsontown. Pa,
that was written by A. r. Thompson,
also a former resident and a member
OF the legislature from Sedgwick
| county.
TO persons here now the opening
phrases of the letter carry picture
hard TO Imagine. This to US great
change: the country is very new to our
ideas: we have first rate health, good
appetites and plenty to eat---but there
is such a lack of comfort such as old
err countries have.
The want of comfort is most plain
ly shown by the old settlers as they all
say this winter is unparalleled In Kan.
sas Not one in ten had a half cord
of wood or a pound of coal when the
storm came. New citizens hardly be-
lioved the stories of summer. Wood
went up from SO to $50 per cord. Coal
mined four miles out. from 2b cents
per bushel TO IS cents, even 90 cents
per bushei owing to the impossibility
of hauling 1t. Remember horses here
are not Pennsylvania horses but q seal
awag cross of Indian and Texas
ponies. The houses are generally built
of green lumber and poor work at
that. II all is true. the winter mild
so they do not need much protection.
Wisconsin and Michigan, where lum-
Der can be bought at something like q
reasonable price and where they ex-
pect winter.
Raw, Windy Days.
my own idea is" the letter con-
tinues, two or three months every
year is winter here with many raw,
windy days mixed in the other months
of fall and spring. I do think it
would be wrong for any person to
move here now unless they have a
home TO go in, All IL speculation
backs just now. A vast emigration
moving TO this state all last year,
Hundreds who started for Missouri
only passed thru from the want Of
safety for property and life. In this
town three-fourths Of the houses have
two. three, and some large houses.
four or five families"
New houses are generally rented
when a hole is dug for the cellar"
cts almost as bad in Topeka stili.)
Lumber Is very rough. $40 per
thousand for hard wood, cotton wood
and such $50 per thousand. pine $40
to $40 from Chicago by rail. The soil
is good. Land around the town $40
to 500 per acre. From two years
ago twice to ten times the price. Town
lots double what they asked me in
August but few actual sales only they
ASK ana occasionally newcomer
buys"
Topeka Large Then.
This city (Topeka) Is large say
one and a half to two miles square.
Buildings scattered only on the main
street and more vacant lots than
houses. Farming is the only legiti-
mate business in this section Land
offices-the great business. Living IL
dearer here than in Philadelphia, ex-
eept beef, pork, mutton. buffalo. game
and chickens. other things quite bal.
ance or overbalane the higher prices
of lumber and keep buildings back.
The softening of the ground after the
grass is killed is very hard on stock.
Hogs go down almost out of sight In
such weather as the past month I'M
less a tight floor Is In pen. Have
seen two or three pig pens fioored
but have seen men cooking feed for
economy. when the soft mud (about
is thin as Philadelphia milky came up
the pigs sides and you could not tell
their color. Horses from the east
have to get acclimated before they do
any good, "a good many people, too),
that Is learn to stay out Of doors and
half starve. A few do better with a
little fine stock II they have It, but
10 stable the native hoFses would be
as preposterous as to expect manners
or make the plains people live much
better than the Indians who stable
their ponies in the houses built for
them by the government and camp
outside in their wiEwams.
80 far as our experience goes the
intelligent. clever, good neighbors and
Milan ua nf