SOLON ROBINSON, 1845 409 



last summer, will find it a bad speculation before spring. 

 It was the worst of seasons to drive, and drove sheep 

 never get through the first winter without great care and 

 some loss at best; while there are tens of thousands 

 brought here without any kind of forethought of prepara- 

 tion for shelter or comfort, except what they may gather 

 from a poor supply of prairie hay and such shelter as 

 they can find under a rail fence, or upon the open wild 

 waste. Such conduct is reprehensible, as not only cruel, 

 but as a wicked waste of the lives of such valuable ani- 

 mals. This is a good sheep country I shall insist, until 

 convinced by proof to the contrary ; but they cannot live 

 upon prairie wind, and sleep in knee deep prairie mud. 



On Monday, I passed on my way down Fox river, cross- 

 ing at a very poor county town of a very good county, on 

 a very good bridge, but one that is only good in very cold 

 weather, as I witnessed higher up the same stream last 

 week, as it failed on a warm day, and let a pair of horses 

 and wagon through ; but by which I had an opportunity 

 of witnessing the operation of getting a horse out of a 

 hole in the ice, by drawing a rope tight round his neck 

 until he chokes and floats to the top of the water. I 

 stopped this night with an old farmer from Lycoming 

 county, Pennsylvania, who had sold a comfortable "old 

 homestead," and in his old age sought a "new home in 

 the west;" and what do you think he has found? a fac 

 simile of his mountain streams and clear springs, and 

 tall trees and useful rocks? Oh no: he has got none of 

 them. But he has bought 400 acres of land — rich land — 

 200 of prairie, and 200 that is neither timber or prairie, 

 plow land or meadow, but covered with a growth of small 

 oaks, fit only for fire wood, while his rails must be hauled 

 from 3 to 6 miles, and cost $2,50 or $3 a hundred. 



The whole tract cost $3 an acre, 50 acres under im- 

 provement with poor buildings, destitute of water, and 

 several attempts to get good well water, have failed at 

 70 feet deep. And for such a home as this, the "old home- 

 stead" was parted with. I mention this circumstance, to 



