Year: 1877

DALLAS, TEXAS, Sept. is, 1877.


DEAR FRIEND-You write to-


know what l have seen and


know of Texas. Well, | can't


tell it all in one letter, but ]
| will give as near as / can my


opinion about Texas, and 1 give
lit as man that never expects


to make Texas my home. 1
have q home in Tennessee that


] can live and do well on, but I
lcould make more money here.
IL will first give the drawbacks
lin Texas. There is not much


running water, but there is wa
ter in great abundance if you
will dig or bore, and it is cheap


and light job. Next is, timber


search and small as a general


thing, but plenty for fire wood
land fencing, as the fencing is


in this country only against


horses and cattle; hogs are


penned. Next is drouth. That


is all hear-say to me, for there
has been too much rain for con-


venience since I've been here.


Next is the sticky mud in wet


weather. Well, that is bad, but
no worse than the mud holes


used to be in Tennessee when L


was a boy. Mosquitoes about
like Fayetteville except in the


high hog wallow lands; then


when wet like now they are nu-
merous and not larger than hum
ming birds; ticks about the
same as Pea Ridge; chigers a.
bout like they used to be in
chestnut time when we picked
up and carried in breeches pock-
cts. You get them off of cot


ton here. Now you want to
know who are justifiable in
moving here. Well, sir, 1 would
say the homeless and landIess
from any country will do we'll to
come here if they want to farm
the shoemaker; the saddler
and blacksmith can all find
room here and employment.
Doctors, lawyers, merchants
and carpenters need not come
calculating to strike a better
place. Now you may think
strange to say carpenters are
not in great demand here, but /
tell you how that is: the new
comcrs as a general thing build
their own houses; they are on q
cheap plan. But l tell you
what will be a big thing here in
a few years-brick business and
improved roofing for houses
that will be good in all the
towns. 1t will be a long time
before much brick is used in the
country, for the pine forests in
Eastern Texas will supply all
this country with cheap lumber.


You ask me what | think of
the country. Well. sir, my


Judgment is that the time is
not far in the future when this
will be the best farming country
in the known world. The
drouth here will be lessened by
the extension of railroads and
teIegraphs and cultivating the
prairies. As that increases the
rain fall in all paririe countries.


Now / will suggest thing to
you that has been brought TO my
mind from observation of this
country, that makes me say that
it in time will be the finest farm
ing country in the world. 1t
can and will within the next
century be irrigated, and by
that means two and three crops
on the same space of land can
be made annually.


Now as to locality, / like the
lands west of the White Rock
mountain better than here; this
is an elevation divid-
ing the waters of the Trinity
and Brazos rivers. This eIeva-
lion is underlaid by a soft lime
stone rock as white as chalk,
Dut it is fine wheat, oats, rye,
barley and cotton country, but
[ think hardly so rich as tho
country west of it. Land west OF
he White Rock can be bought
rom two to twenty dollars per
lcre, owing to locality and
improvements; still further west
rom one to three, but / don't
hink any one from the old
states would want to go west
IF the Brazos. Society is not
good yet beyond that-I mean
IA north Texas. You can buy
school land for four dollars per
lcre on l to TO or 20 years
ime; Il. r., / TO 10. You can
cnce land here cheaper than in
that is post and wire.