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Letter
from Nebraska
Bratton,
Nemaha Co., Neb., Dec. 5
Editor
Citizen:--
In
my former letter, as is customary with me,
I allowed myself to wander from my subject
before finishing it. I did not quite finish
about Brownville. While there I made several
very pleasant acquaintances. Among others
that of Mr. McCreery, formerly of "old
Schuyler", I believe. He with, another
gentleman named Nickel, is engaged in the
drug business. They have a very neat, nicely
fitted-up store, and I presume do the best
business in their line in the place.
I
had fully intended to call upon the editors
of the Nebraska Advertiser, but unluckily
could not find time. I am told they are
regular wide-awake Republicans, and perfect
gentlemen; and, according to my notion (I
worked two whole months at the case), edit
an excellent paper; but why not X with them
and form your own opinion.
The
society of Brownville is first class, being
formed, to a great extent, of the families
of merchants from the East who, failing
in business there, came to the wilds of
Nebraska to retrieve their lost fortunes.
They are both refined and highly educated.
The
schools are excellent, and under the control
of an able and efficient teacher, Prof.
Rich, by name. I was allowed the pleasure
of a short acquaintance with him, and found
him a perfect gentleman.
Brownville
at present is as greatly excited over the
prospect of a railroad as was Rushville
before getting hers. The Brownville &
Ft. Kearny Railroad is under construction
now, I believe, and the rejoicings are great.
We
have had unusually cold weather for the
past four weeks, winter commencing fully
a month sooner than customary. The winds
have been having a grand carnival, howling
and sweeping around us like demons. As I
write it is more pleasant, yet still chilly
and with the signs of stormy weather hanging
about. A great many of the farmers were
caught with nearly all their corn out yet,
and very few were more than half done gathering.
There has been a vast amount raised here
this year, and hundreds of bushels are being
wasted. In some places the cattle are turned
into the fields to eat and to waste at their
pleasure.
On
account of the unpleasant weather I was
unable to visit any of the neighboring towns,
but hope to soon, and then I will try to
be more interesting.
We
often hear the howl of the prairie wolf
disturbing the quietness of night. The cold
weather brings them nearer the habitation
of man; for well, they know that a good
fat turkey makes an excellent meal; and
further more they know that turkeys are
generally fat about Thanksgiving and Christmas
times; as Josh Billings says, "They
haint no phool."
Emigrants
pass here very few days going west, though
for the past few weeks they have been rather
scarce. When will the ambition of the American
public to go west cease? when they reach
the Pacific, or will they fill up and build
even there, making China ho, the next watchward?
I would earnestly advise any Schuylerite
who may contemplate coming to Nebraska to
hold on till spring; for to begin acclimatation
with the winter season, and such winters
as we have here too, is not only very unpleasant,
but to a certain degree dangerous. After
one gets used to the milder tempered winds
he is better able to stand the colder ones.
We get our storms right from the manufactory
(the Rocky Mountains), and they are pure,
unadulterated, and of full strength. Any
person doubting their strength may test
it by trying to walk a mile through one
of them. He then may apply to any circus
for a position as a first-class tumbler
with the assurance of success.
More
soon, Yours, etc. Pete
The
Schuyler Citizen, Rushville, IL, December
21, 1871
Transcribed
and Contributed by: Sara Hemp
Please check out the "Here
and There" pages on Nebraska'a
main page.
Letter
from Nebraska
Monterey,
Nemaha Co., Neb., December, 1871
Editor
Citizen:
Since
writing my last I had the pleasure of visiting
a couple of our neighboring towns, viz.:
New London and Peru. I did not stay long
at the former, and a few hours at the latter.
New London is one of that number of mushroom
towns, of which so many were laid out by
enthusiastic and ambitious persons, with
the expectation that a year or two would
make them populous cities, and is situated,
as the most of them are, in the midst of
a wild prairie country, with no chance for
communication with the rest of the world
except overland--for all the streams here
are too shallow for navigation, even for
the smallest boats, and where deep enough
are too narrow--, and their only chance
for a railroad being in the rapid growth
of the place. New London has fared better
than some of her neighbors, however, this
place--Monterey--for instance, all traces
of which have disappeared--said traces consisted
of an old log hotel and one or two houses
of the same kind. New London on the other
hand now consists of about fifteen or twenty
houses, two churches, a store and blacksmith
shop, I believe.
Peru
is situated on the western bank of the Missouri
river, about nine miles north-west of Brownville,
and, according to a contemporary, "has
a remarkable pleasant location, and bids
fair to become a town of no little importance."
I couldn't see the pleasant part of the
location, however, for it is situated something
in the manner of Brownville, with the exception
of being placed in a valley between bluffs,
as I described. Brownville is built upon
them, and has no grading on the streets
whatever that I could see. But altogether
the situation is rather picturesque, and
the country around it is beautiful. As to
its becoming a town of importance remains
for the future to determine. "Cotemp"
says, "It has a population of 800."--Cotemp
is a Peruite. At this place is located the
State Normal School. The building is quite
plain, built of brick, about three hundred
feet long by eighty wide, employs five professors,
I believe. I had the pleasure of making
the acquaintance of two of them; found them
very agreeable. The building is very pleasantly
situated just back of the town, and away
from those terrible bluffs. But to return
to "Cotemp." "Peru contains
many fine residences, and some good business
houses. There are two good churches--Episcopal
and Methodist--, a good district school
house, one steam flouring mill, two hotels,
one livery stable, five general stores,
two drug stores, one hardware store, on
tin shop, two lumber yards, three blacksmith
shops, one wagon and carriage shop, two
meat markets, two agricultural implement
houses, one barber shop, one real estate
agency, two brick yards; lots of clergymen,
physicians, politicians, etc., but no lawyer's
office, not saloon in the place"--remember
"Cotemp" is a Peruite.
We
passed over a magnificent country going
to and coming from Peru, that portion being
much better settled than here, and the difference
is very quickly observed. It seems strange
to me coming from a timbered country to
ride over these grand prairies, where nothing
obstructs the view. A farmer can, with a
glance, see all over his broad fields by
stepping to the top of any one of the numberless
eminences upon his place. There is some
advantage in that, but it will scarcely
over balance the disadvantage of having
no timber, but this disadvantage is fast
being overcome by the discovery of good
veins of coal in various parts of the state,
which will furnish the fuel. And by the
Legislature which has passed a law, called
the hero law, which obliges all persons
to either keep their cattle up, herd them,
or pay for all damages they may do by running
at large. Nearly all of the farmers are
surrounded by good hedges, but nearly all
of them are too young as yet to turn stock,
I suppose. The law mentioned is for the
purpose of allowing them to grow unmolested,
and I guess will be repeated when the hedges
are large enough to turn out. Wire fencing
has been used here to a great extent, composed
of three wires fastened to a post. It does
not amount to much. The cattle soon learn
to spring the wires apart and get through.
Cattle are dying off here pretty fast this
winter, the cause is ascribed to the dry
food they eat, which consists for the greater
part of corn husks, they running loose in
the fields.
Pete
The
Schuyler Citizen, January 11, 1872
Transcribed
and Contributed by: Sara Hemp
Please check out the "Here
and There" pages on Nebraska'a
main page.
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