Misc. Records
Where to Emigrate and Why - Frederick B. Goddard, Peoples Publ. Co., 1869
NEBRASKA.
NEBRASKA, the youngest of the "Union family," was admitted as a State in February, 1867.
The growth and prosperity of Nebraska, as a Territory, were reasonably substantial and rapid, although the eastern counties, and more especially those lying along the Missouri River, were the only portions where settlements to any extent had been made. But within the last two years the great Pacific Railroad has been built entirely across Nebraska, from the eastern to the western boundary, along the fertile valley of the Platte River, and opening up to the settler some of the most productive bottom lands west of the Mississippi.
The great Plains system is more extensively and more beautifully illustrated in Nebraska than in any other State or Territory of the Union. From the margin of the magnificent timber belt along the banks of the Missouri, to the extreme western limits of the State, the country gradually rises in successive waves of vast grassy plains, which roll in primeval splendor to the very base of the Rocky Mountains. The natural vegetation of this region is strong and thrifty, excepting the timber growth, which is confined to the margins of the streams. These in the summer are fringed with a dense foliage of green, but furnish only a limited supply of material for lumber and fuel. Vast stretches of upland intervene, upon which sometimes, for fifty miles in extent, not a tree is to be seen.
Back from the broad bottom lands of the Upper Platte are occasional sandy bluffs, pierced by deep ravines and watercourses, upon which the stunted red cedar has in some places flourished extensively; but the supply is not adequate to the requirements of even a thinly populated district.
The scarcity of timber parks and groves throughout central and western Nebraska is the only defect which mars the otherwise enchanting beauties of her landscapes. But this deficiency can in time be supplied by a judicious system of forest planting, which, to a limited extent, has already received attention in some parts of the State. For the present, the lumber indispensable for building and fencing must necessarily come from beyond the limits of the State; but the facilities furnished by the Missouri River and the Pacific Railroad, and its constructing and projected branches, will soon relieve settlers from any embarrassment in this respect.
The reader will have already inferred that the soil of Nebraska is remarkably rich and arable. Such fertility and luxuriance as we have described could only prevail where great strength and depth of soil existed. With the exception of a few patches of drift-sand in the western part of the State, upon the borders of what has been erroneously styled the "Great American Desert," the same thrifty features extend to the base of the Black Hills.
The streams of Nebraska are generally shallow, and subject to sudden and extensive overflow. The Platte River, although in many places more than a mile wide, can be forded easily at ordinary stages of water, and when not swollen by freshets, the passage of small row-boats is frequently rendered difficult from numerous and constantly shifting sand-bars. The waters of the Platte, like those of the Missouri, are very turbid, holding in suspension a very large percentage of the alluvial washings from the mountains and foot-hills far up toward the river's source. These are annually deposited in vast quantities upon the extensive meadow bottoms on either bank, adding to the already deep soil, and quickening with new life the wonderful vegetation of the valley.
The features of Nebraska, thus briefly mentioned, are familiar to hundreds of thousands of emigrants who have traveled the great overland route to California and the intervening mineral regions of the West; and but for the irresistible fascinations of gold-hunting, large numbers, charmed with the natural beauties and productiveness of the Platte Valley, would have stopped by the way and settled permanently. How many whose lives have been embittered by the perils, the privations, and disappointments which are incident to mining life, could have found prosperity and contentment along the banks of the Platte, we will not attempt to estimate, but doubtless their name is legion.
The qualities of the grasses which flourish on the plains of Nebraska are almost unexampled for nutritiousness and delicate tenderness. For ages countless millions of buffaloes have fed and fattened upon them, and, even now, annually return in vast numbers to enjoy the sweet forage for which they seek elsewhere in vain. The immense freight and emigrant trains annually traversing the plains find abundant food for cattle and other animals, which often arrive, at the end of long and toilsome journeys, improved in weight and condition.
The Commissioner of the General Land Office, says:―
Nebraska extends from the Missouri westward to the Rocky Mountains, with an extreme length of 412 miles, decreasing to 310 miles on the southern border, its extreme width being 208 miles, diminishing to 138 miles on the west.
Its area is 75,995 square miles, or 48,636,800 acres.
The country through its entire length dips toward the Missouri River, being upon the western slope of the great central basin of the North American continent. The larger portion is elevated and undulating prairie; there are no mountains or high hills; the bottom lands of the river valleys are generally level. Above these, from forty to one hundred feet, are second bottoms or table lands, sloping backward to the bluffs, which range with the general level of the country. These bluffs sometimes rise hundreds of feet above the river level; back of these is the undulating prairie, well watered with springs and running streams, being covered with excellent grasses. This prairie resembles the waves of ocean suddenly arrested in their swell and changed into soil and rock.
In remarkable contrast with the general appearance of the State is the tract known as Mauvaises Terres, in the western part of the State, ninety miles long and thirty wide, produced by some powerful agencies of denudation and degradation of the land. Viewed from a distance it seems like some deserted abode of civilization; the prismatic and columnar masses appear as residences of modern architecture or public buildings, with towers, columns, and walls. A near approach dispels the illusion, the imposing forms of architectural beauty resolve themselves into masses of rocks with labyrinthine defiles. These first appearances, however, are not correct exponents of geological character, as they are found upon examination to contain some excellent lands.
The population of Nebraska in 1860 was 28,841; the inviting features of the country have stimulated immigration to such an extent that in 1867 the State was admitted into the Union, having attained the requisite number of inhabitants. Its location is such as to command especial attention of immigrants.
SOIL.—The soil of the eastern portion is exceedingly fertile; the prairies are covered with a heavy sod, the matted growth of ages of vegetation, several teams of oxen being required to break it; the subsequent tillage is comparatively easy, the ground being rendered light and mellow. Along the rivers are groves of oak, walnut, cottonwood, hickory, and willow; very dense forests of cottonwood grow along the Missouri River above the mouth of the Platte.
CLIMATE.—The climate is milder than the Eastern States within the same parallels of latitude; the summer is of high temperature, but the sultriness is alleviated by cool, refreshing winds blowing over the prairies. The quantity of rain is less than falls on the Atlantic side. This dryness does not become appreciable east of the 98th meridian. West of that meridian the soil, so far as known, is arid and not so well suited to agriculture; that part of the State to the eastward, however, is not deficient in moisture. The peculiar character of soil and climate indicates that stock-raising will become a very important and remunerative branch of its agricultural enterprise. The dryness of the climate and the copious vegetation, especially of nutritious grasses, will attract capital, with a view to the establishment of wool-raising interests.
The trade of Nebraska is in its infancy. Its facilities, natural and artificial, must soon develop an immense volume of domestic commerce, in addition to the aggregate of the carrying trade that will pass through the State upon the completion of the Union Pacific Railroad. Five hundred miles of that route are completed, and a wonderful progress is announced in the prosecution of the remaining portions. Within a score of miles farther lies the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The massive grades and excavations of that portion of the route will, of course, not admit of the rapid daily progress that has been shown in the extraordinary operations of the past year.
TOWNS.—Nebraska City, on the Missouri, is a well built town in the center of an extensive domestic commerce, requiring transportation amounting to 13,337,734 pounds in 1864, and employing 1,792 men, 1,410 mules, 13,808 oxen, and 1,587 wagons, the total expense of which was $2,134,037. The population of the town is estimated at 8,000. Omaha City, the capital, is located upon high, undulating ground between the same river and the posterior bluffs, commanding a very fine view. Limestone for building is found in great quantities in the neighborhood of the city. This city is the eastern terminus of the northern branch of the Pacific Railroad, which gives it an immense importance as a commercial point, and is enlarging its wealth and population at a very remarkable rate. Its population in 1865 was 4,500, and is now estimated at 12,000.
In the State the public lands remaining undisposed of are equal to about forty-two and a third millions of acres.
United States Geologist, F. V. HAYDEN, made last year a very careful examination of the eastern portions of Nebraska, and from his interesting report thereon we extract:―
The best building stone yet observed in the State occurs in the southern portion of Lancaster County. The quarries have been opened, and several fine houses built of the stone. The rocks are usually called magnesian limestones; are very durable, easily wrought, and make most beautiful building material. There is also plenty of potters' clay, sand, and all the materials for the manufacture of brick without limit.
THE CULTIVATION OF FRUIT AND FOREST TREES.-I think a sufficient number of experiments have already been made in this western country to show clearly that the forests may be restored to these almost treeless prairies in a comparatively short period of time. There are certain trees which are indigenous to the country, and grow with great rapidity under the influence of cultivation.
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I do not believe that the prairies proper will ever become covered with timber except by artificial means. Since the surface of the country received its present geological configuration no trees have grown there, but, during the tertiary period, when the lignite or "brown coal" beds were deposited, all these treeless plains were covered with a luxuriant growth of forest trees like those of the Gulf States or South America. We are daily obtaining more and more evidence that these forests may be restored again to a certain extent, at least, and thus a belt or zone of country about five hundred miles in width east of the base of the mountains be redeemed. It is believed, also, that the planting of ten or fifteen acres of forest trees on each quarter section will have a most important effect on the climate, equalizing and increasing the moisture and adding greatly to the fertility of the soil. The settlement of the country and the increase of the timber has already changed for the better the climate of that portion of Nebraska lying along the Missouri, so that within the last twelve or fourteen years the rain has gradually increased in quantity, and is more equally distributed through the year. I am confident this change will continue to extend across the dry belt to the foot of the Rocky Mountains as the settlements extend and the forest trees are planted in proper quantities.
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Much might also be said in regard to the influence of woods in protecting the soil and promoting the increase in number and the now of springs, but all I wish is to show the possibility of the power of man to restore to these now treeless and almost rainless prairies the primitive forests and the humidity which accompanies them.
The counties of Otoe, Nemaha, and Richardson, contain more timber land than any other portion of the State, and the aggressive character of the patches of woodland can be seen everywhere. Hundreds of acres have been covered over with a fine healthy growth of hickory, walnut, oak, soft maple, coffee, bean, basswood, &c., within the past ten or twelve years, since the fires have been kept away, and protection afforded the young trees by the settlements.
In the more southern counties the success in planting trees and in raising fruits, especially the smaller kinds, is even more marked than north of the Platte. All kinds of garden vegetables grow better in Nebraska than in any region with which I am acquainted.
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I have said enough to show already that most of the hardy northern trees may be cultivated on these western plains with entire success. The cultivated forests will prove much more desirable than those of natural growth, and their arrangement may be made as beautiful as the taste of the proprietor may dictate. The greater portion of the more intelligent and thrifty farmers are planting forests to greater or less extent.
RICHARDSON COUNTY.—Richardson County is in some respects the finest county in the State. It lies in the southeastern corner of the State and borders on the Missouri River, and forms the type of fertility of soil and climate. Being located near the 40th parallel, the climate seems to favor the cultivation of all the hardy fruits and cereals.
The surface is more rugged than many of the interior counties, partly on account of the extreme thickness of the superficial deposit of soft yellow marl and the numerous layers of limestone which crop out along the river banks. The county is fully watered with ever-flowing streams and innumerable springs of the purest water.
There is more woodland in this county than in any other I have examined, and on this account the farmers have neglected the planting of trees too much. I did not find the farms quite as well improved as in Nemaha County, but the county is now becoming thickly settled by actual settlers, who are devoting themselves to the improvement of their farms and the raising of large crops.
It is not an uncommon thing for a farmer to have growing 40 or 50 acres of corn, and about the same number of acres of wheat and oats, and not unfrequently as high as 100 or 200 of each.
There is a ready market for all kinds of produce at the highest price. Although nearly all the settlers came into the county poor—many without any money at all—nearly all are becoming moderately rich, and every man, with industry and prudence, may become independent in a few years. This country may certainly be called the poor man's paradise. There is scarcely a foot of land in the whole county that is not susceptible of cultivation. I have never known a region where there is so little waste land.
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The great pest of this country appears to be the grasshopper. This year it seems to be restricted in its distribution. I did not observe any north of the Platte, and very few north of Nebraska City. But at the latter place, and for four or five miles around it, the grasshopper is very abundant and destructive.
Mr. Gilmore, one of the wealthiest farmers in the State, has lost seventy acres of wheat and sixty-five acres of clover and timothy grass. Many other crops have been injured—others have suffered in this vicinity.
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The great fertility of the soil in the river counties of Nebraska is mainly due to the beds of silicious marl which cover those counties to a greater or less depth. This is usually called loess, from a similar formation which occurs along the Rhine, in Germany. An outcrop of coal at Nebraska City has been wrought by drifting in a distance of three hundred yards, and several thousand bushels of pretty good coal have been taken therefrom. The seam was about eight inches in thickness. On account of the scarcity of fuel in this region this thin seam has been somewhat profitable. At Otoe City, eight miles below Nebraska City, the lithological character of the beds seems to change, so that we have red shales and clays passing up into soft yellow sandstones, with comparatively little rock useful for building purposes. There is here also a bed of slate and coal about eight inches in thickness.
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It is evident that the greater portion of the western half of the State of Nebraska must remain unsettled, or be inhabited sparsely by a people devoted to pastoral pursuits. It is a well known fact that the same hills of other portions of the west, that appear the most sterile and most deficient in wood and water, are the favorite resorts of the wild game and that they become exceedingly fat. The short grasses which grow upon these supposed arid, sterile plains, seem to suit the palates of the wild animals, and they find sufficient water at all seasons of the year. I would infer from this fact, that it may yet become a fine stock-growing country, and, aided by the facilities to market which will be furnished by the Union Pacific Railroad, I can not but believe that some of the finest wool in America will one day reach the market from western Nebraska.
I should judge that peat beds will be found in great numbers along the Missouri, north of the Platte, and in the valley of the Elkhorn and along the Platte. No effort has yet been made to search for them, and yet the indications are excellent.
On the south side of the Niobrara the Sand Hills commence at Rapid River and extend westward about 100 miles. Along Loup Fork they commence near the forks or the junction of Calamus Branch with Loup Fork.
The whole surface is dotted over with conical hills of moving sand. These hills often look like craters or small basins, the wind whirling and, as it were, scooping out the sand, leaving innumerable depressions with a well-defined circular rim. There is a great deal of vegetation scattered through this portion, grass and plants peculiar to sandy districts.
Many of the hills are so covered with a species of yucca, that their sides are well protected from the winds by their roots. It is the favorite range for buffalo and antelope, and these animals become very fat, and from this fact we may infer that this district may be adapted for grazing purposes. It can never be used for purely agricultural purposes.
Traveling is also very difficult among these hills; the wheels sink deep into the loose sand, rendering it impossible to transport loaded teams through them. The water, though not abundant, is usually quite good, mostly in small lakes.
There are also many alkaline lakes, which may be readily distinguished from the fresh water by the absence or presence of vegetation around their borders. We may therefore conclude that an area of 20,000 square miles, forming the northwestern portion of the State, is totally unfit for cultivation, and is even doubtfully suitable for grazing. There is scarcely any timber on the whole area. Along the Platte, and south of that river, the surface is less sandy and the soil more fixed, so that there is at least a moderate degree of fertility, but the absence of timber and timely rains will render the whole quite undesirable for the farmer.
As I have before remarked, the cultivation of crops and the planting of forest-trees by the settlers farther to the eastward may so modify the climate as to produce a more equable distribution of moisture throughout the year. But at present I do not see how it can be settled except by a pastoral people.
Statements of the Department of Agriculture, respecting the price and quality of lands, crops, grasses fruits. &c.,—April, 1868:―
1. Our returns from Nebraska are chiefly from counties bordering upon or adjacent to the Missouri River, or upon the Kansas border, with a few of the interior counties, and basing an estimate upon the figures from these localities, the settled portions of the State show an increase in the value of farm lands of from 150 to 175 per cent since 1860. Dodge County reports an advance of 400 per cent; Burt and Gage, 200 per cent; Dixon, Dakota, Otoe, 100 per cent; Cass, Richardson, Pawnee, 50 per cent; Merrick, 33 per cent. In a number of counties the settlements have been made since 1860, when the farms were bought at $1.25 per acre, or entered under the homestead law. Such is the case with Jefferson, where there are now farms held as high as $15 per acre. In Hall County, in the interior, farms of 160 acres which could have been purchased in 1860 for from $300 to $400, now command from $1,500 to $4,000 according to improvements and distance from railroad stations.
2. The value of wild or unimproved lands ranges from the Government minimum price of $1.25 up to $10 per acre. In Dixon, choice locations on prairie, $3 per acre, very fertile, well watered, capabilities good; Dakota, $3 to $7 per acre; Burt, $5 to $6 per acre, excellent farming land; Dodge, $4 per acre; Cass, $3 to $10 per acre, for lands lying five to fifteen miles from the Missouri River, gently rolling, well watered, and unsurpassed in fertility, but little Government land in the county; Otoe, $5 per acre, on the average, mostly prairie, except along the streams, gently undulating, with no abrupt bluffs or hills, except when it takes its first rise from the Missouri River, and with this exception is all capable of cultivation; Richardson, $4 per acre, deep, rich, sandy loam; Pawnee, $2 to $10 per acre soil black muck or loam, with clay subsoil, very rich, producing wheat, corn, and oats; Gage, $2 per acre, chiefly prairie, timber lands generally being taken up by settlers; Jones, $2 to $5, mostly prairie, good timber as high as $5 per acre; Merrick, $3 per acre, level prairie, quality good, will produce all kinds of grain and roots; Buffalo, $1.50 per acre; Hall, $2.50 per acre, nearly all level prairie, rather sandy, but rich, and produces well all the crops suited to the latitude. There are millions of acres of the best prairie lands in the State to be purchased at Government prices, or subject to entry under the provisions of the homestead acts, but a small proportion of the State having been taken up by settlers or speculators. In 1860 there were over forty-eight million acres of wild, or waste areas in Nebraska, against less than seven hundred thousand acres included in farms.
3. MINERALS.—The great resources of Nebraska are to be found in her deep rich soil and agricultural capabilities; timber being comparatively scarce, and minerals not generally abundant, so far as yet developed. The timber is mostly confined to the banks of the streams, and commands high prices, and farmers are wisely engaging in the culture of forest-trees for the wants of the future. Our correspondent reports a vast deposit of iron ore in Gage County, of good quality, the vein commencing near the surface of the ground and running very deep. Iron ore is also reported in Dixon and other counties. Coal is found in various sections, but has been but slightly developed. It is found in Richardson at a depth of 20 feet, while in Pawnee it crops out of the bluffs along the ravines. Deposits exist also in Jones, Dixon, Cass, and other counties along the Missouri, worthy of attention. Rock and sandstone, for building purposes, abound in various localities, supplying, to some extent, the want of timber. Limestone is also found in several counties.
4. CROPS.—Wheat, corn, oats and potatoes are the principal crops grown in Nebraska, though various others are successfully cultivated to more limited extent. Our Hall reporter writes that wheat, oats, barley, corn, potatoes and peas, are produced in that county, with an average yield as follows: wheat 25 bushels to the acre, worth $2 per bushel; oats, 50 bushels, at 80 cents; bar ley, 40 bushels, at $1.25; corn, 40 bushels, at $1; potatoes, 100 bushels, at $2; peas, 30 bushels, at $3 per bushel. As an extraordinary crop, he names 45 bushels of wheat, 70 bushels of oats, 45 bushels of barley, 80 bushels of corn, and 250 bushels of potatoes. In Pawnee, Richardson, Otoe, and several other counties, Indian corn is made a specialty; in the first named, yielding 50 bushels to the acre; and in Richardson, from 50 to 75 bushels, never failing, and largely fed to hogs. Wheat is the chief crop in Dakota and Dixon, in the latter, yielding about 25 bushels per acre, worth $2 per bushel; profit, 100 per cent. In Dodge County, last season, the crops averaged as follows: corn, 35 bushels, worth 90 cents; oats, 50 to 60 bushels, 55 cents; wheat, 18 bushels, $1.25 to $1.40. In Jefferson, they raise as high as 35 bushels of wheat to the acre; corn, from 25 to 60—the former worth $1.25, the latter 60 cents per bushel. Our Cass reporter writes:—
Corn, wheat and oats, are the staple crops of this county. A man and team, with the improved farm machinery, can easily cultivate seventy acres of corn, wheat and oats, and do it well, with the addition of a little help in harvest time. Sorghum has been successfully grown in some sections.
Winter wheat is sown in September, and the spring seeding is done from the middle of March to the middle of April; the harvest commences the early part of July and continues up to the first of August. Drilling has been scarcely introduced as yet, but the system is meeting favor, and will soon be more generally adopted. The mode of culture is very simple, and promises to exhaust the land as rapidly as settlers of other new States have been able to accomplish the work, even though the rich soil of Nebraska may now appear almost inexhaustible. The general practice is to plow the ground in the fall, and harrow in the seed in the spring, though better culture is given in many instances. Our Hall reporter writes:―
All lands intended for wheat, are plowed in the autumn, as early as possible, and well manured, if it can be done. In the spring, as early as the frost is out of the ground, we sow, harrow twice or three times, according to the condition of the land, and if not too wet, roll it once. If the spring is favorable, we sow one and one-quarter bushels to the acre; if a very dry season, one and one-half bushels.
5. Common wild prairie grass, blue-joint, buffalo grass, red-top and wild timothy, with some white clover, supply the pastures of Nebraska. Kentucky blue grass and clover do well wherever cultivated, but the prairies are chiefly relied upon for the subsistence of stock during the pasturing season, which is reported to range from five to nine months in length. Otoe reports five months as the season upon which stock can feed exclusively in pastures; Dixon, Dodge, Hall, and Burt, six months; Cass, Gage, and Jefferson, seven months; Richardson, Pawnee, and Jones, eight to nine months; and Merrick runs up to ten months, our correspondent claiming that stock will live the whole year on pastures in case not much snow falls in winter. The expense of pasturing stock during this season is generally the cost of salt and herding—the highest estimate being $2.50 per head for the season, and the lowest "nothing."
6. There is an abundance of wild small fruits, such as plums, grapes, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, &c., but little has yet been done to test the capabilities for large fruits. Our Dixon reporter writes:—
This county is not suited to the growth of apples, peaches, or pears, as they get badly winter-killed, and do not grow natural or wild; but plums, gooseberries, currants, cherries, mulberries, raspberries, walnuts, grapes, &c., grow wild and profusely. A family will frequently make one hundred gallons of pure wine in a season. I have made twenty gallons for my own use, gathering the grapes in two days. The wine sells at from fifty cents to $2 per gallon. There is no grafted fruit cultivated here; those who have tried the experiment have failed.
Hardy apples may generally be cultivated with proper selections of varieties and care of trees. In Otoe County, according to our correspondent, fruits that succeed in the north do well. The hardier apples grow and bear well, while pears are a complete success. Peaches will yield an occasional crop, when the trees are grown in the sod, so as to check the growth of the tree and render it hardy. The small fruits all do well, except the Lawton blackberry and the raspberries which propagate from suckers, as they badly winter-kill unless thoroughly protected.
Our Dodge reporter says the hardiest fruits must be selected to prove successful, and advises the raising of seedlings, which he finds perfectly hardy.
HALL COUNTY.—Capabilities for raising fruit not very good. Apples and pears will not do well; I have tried it for the last ten years without success, although I claim to understand it. Of twelve varieties of cherries, only one kind (the Early Richmond) did well. Plums do well; also grapes, that is, the Concord and Delaware, but no tender varieties.
CORRESPONDENCE.
FORT KEARNEY, NEBRASKA, August 15, 1868.
FREDERICK B. GODDARD, Esq.:―
DEAR SIR : I take much pleasure in replying to all of your inquiries.
Nebraska is as fine a garden spot as can be found on earth. But a very small portion of it is poor soil, and there the grass is of such a nature that horses, cattle, and sheep thrive on it finely. There is such nutriment in it that stock will live well on it all winter, providing snows do not bury it too long. But I will reply to your inquiries in regular order as you have put them to me.
1st. The land in the section of country around Fort Kearney is a rich sandy loam, capable of producing wheat, oats, barley, corn, potatoes, and all kinds of vegetables (that grow in the same latitude elsewhere), in fine perfection. Wheat, oats, and barley are always a sure general crop. Sometimes drought, bugs, and grasshoppers have injured the potato, corn, and vegetable crops; but early vegetables are always sure, and early crops of any kind. We are not troubled with such drawbacks any more than in States east of us. When the grasshoppers do not come, our corn crops are excellent, the finest of vegetables are raised, and fruits flourish well. I have lived here twelve years and a half, and can fully judge of the average seasons and crops. The Platte Valley, for a hundred miles and more, east and west of Fort Kearney; the valley of the Big and Little Blue rivers, and the Republican River valley, not more than fifty miles south of Fort Kearney; the Wood River valley, eight miles north of Fort Kearney; the Loup River valley north of Fort Kearney, and other smaller valleys, together with all the intervening lands, are all open to preemption and homestead locations. The cost of settlement is but small in comparison with some States, and advantages just as good. Good locations can be taken now within three miles of Fort Kearney, and within one mile of Kearney City. Those who come and settle soon will have the first and best opportunities, as they can select the best soil and the best situations in accordance with their desires and tastes. Railroad interests will very soon advance the value of lands in the vicinity of Fort Kearney. The following railroads are in course of construction and in contemplation to join the Union Pacific Railroad at Fort Kearney: The Midland Pacific Railroad, from Nebraska City to Fort Kearney; the Brownsville and Fort Kearney Railroad; the Atchison and Fort Kearney Railroad, or Central Branch of the Union Pacific road, and prospective road from Fort Riley to Fort Kearney. The Atchison and Fort Kearney Railroad is already finished to within one hundred and fifty miles of Fort Kearney. The grading of the Midland Pacific Railroad is already going on with west of Nebraska City. These facts I mention as encouragement to those who contemplate locating in the vicinity of Fort Kearney, and as bearing on the present and. prospective price of lands.
2d. Laborers receive here from $30 to $40 per month. Supply is scarce, and demand is not great at present. On the Union Pacific Railroad laborers generally find work to do; those are retained who are most valuable. Tradesmen of all kinds get good wages in Nebraska, but there is no demand for them in this vicinity at present. As settlers come in and locate, so their services will be needed.
3d. Our climate is unsurpassed. Some seasons it is rather dry, being a drawback to late crops, but is favorable otherwise. It is a very healthy climate. No chills and fever, no summer complaints trouble us. Those who have been sickly in the Eastern States come out here and soon recruit in health and strength. The water is pure, the air is pure, and people who do not abuse their stomachs will never complain of sickness.
4th. No minerals have yet been developed in this section, although signs of coal are found on the Republican River, about fifty miles from Fort Kearney. Timber can be got by settlers for firewood. There is plenty of timber on the Republican and Blue rivers, south of Platte, and on Loup and Wood rivers, north of the Platte. East of Fort Kearney there is plenty of timber on the islands of the Platte, which islands are mostly accessible by wagons, as the Platte River is generally very shallow, sometimes being almost dry for months in the year. All wise people, how ever, plant timber as they do corn, and then they have no further trouble. Most all kinds of trees suitable to latitude will grow here from cuttings and seeds.
5th. The crops are mostly wheat, oats, barley, corn, and potatoes. At first hand the farmer gets for wheat about $1 per bushel; oats, 75 cents per bushel, $1 delivered at the railroad; potatoes, $2.50 per bushel; corn, $1.25 per bushel; onions, $3 per bushel. Butter, 50 cents per pound; eggs, 50 cents per dozen.
6th. At present there is a market for all kinds of produce at almost any railroad station. The railroad runs on the north side of the Platte River, and at Fort Kearney is three miles from the river and six miles from the fort. The facilities for transportation are good. Teams have to be used to transport to and from the railroad. Other facilities are: Daily mail, telegraph, and express offices.
7th. As in all new countries, school and religious advantages have to grow up with settlements. We hope to have the best of such advantages before very long. The friends of education in the State are moving energetically in the matter of public schools, and from all appearances, Nebraska will be ahead of all other States in her school advantages. Churches grow up with the people according as they are religiously inclined. I trust that the temples of the Lord Jehovah may be many, and ornament the beautiful plains of Nebraska as she goes forward in her progressive career.
8th. The population is of a mixed character. Some are American born, some are English, some Irish, some from Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. To the land of Nebraska all people, of whatever clime or nationality, are invited, and all try to get along as harmoniously as possible. With good Republican institutions and form of government, wherein all people have equal rights, the State of Nebraska can truly welcome all people, of whatever land, and bid them here make their home in peace, and find rest, happiness, and joy.
The whole of your questions being now answered, I will bring my letter to a close, hoping your work may prove productive of much good, as well as a source of profit to those who have been enterprising enough to take the matter in hand.
With my best wishes,
I remain, dear sir,
Yours very truly,
MOSES H. SYDENHAM.
PERU, NEBRASKA, July 24, 1868.
Mr. FREDERICK B. GODDARD, New York:―
SIR: Your favor of the 17th inst. has been received. Our lands are mostly rolling prairie, all of which is of the very best quality for farming. Unlike almost all other prairie countries, we have no wet or marshy lands. Good improved farms sell for from $15 to $25 per acre; raw lands, from $3 to $10.
Farm hands get from $1 to $1.50 per day; mechanics, $2.50 to $4; either of which can usually find ready employment.
Our climate is as good, to say the least, as any in the West; winters very dry, springs seldom muddy, and summers cool and pleasant, and can not be surpassed in the West for health. Our crops are principally corn, wheat, and oats, with an abundance of potatoes and other vegetables generally. Wheat, new, $1 per bushel; corn, old, 50 cents; oats, 40 cents. Horses are from $100 to $150; cows, $25 to $40. We have but little coal as yet, but timber sufficient for our purposes.
We are immediately on the great Missouri River, with railroad on the east bank. We have a good common school system, with good schools generally.
In our village we have the State normal school, which is proving a great success.
We have a number of flourishing church organizations in the country, with houses of worship, such as Episcopalian, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, &c.
Our country is the best watered country I ever saw, especially for stock; also good mill streams. We have in our county nine grist mills, four steam, and five water-power.
Yours truly,
D. C. SANDERS.
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler.