From Burlington to Afton by rail and stage in 1859

Here's another letter home to Ohio from the south of Iowa, written during September of 1859 and published in The Bucyrus Journal (Crawford County, Ohio) on the 15th of October. The author, identified only as "W," had traveled by train to Burlington; crossing the unbridged Mississippi on a ferry; proceeded by rail as far as the tracks could take him, Ottumwa; then climbed aboard a stage coach for the trek through woods and across the prairie to Afton, in Union County. Creston had not yet been dreamed of, nor had Corning and Red Oak to the west.

Construction of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad had halted at Ottumwa for lack of funding; construction did not resume until after the Civil War.

The illustrations are sections of an 1855 map of Iowa published in New York by J.H. Colton & Company.

Chariton receives only brief mention, since it was a pass-though town on this journey. But it was noted that the federal land office, moved to Lucas County from Fairfield in 1853, had recently moved to Fort Des Moines as the supply of federally owned land available for sale diminished. The description of the stage coach ride west out of Ottumwa is priceless.

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For the Journal    

Afton, Iowa, Sept. 18, 1859

Messrs. Editors: In approaching Burlington by railway, Iowa presents you with a bold front, saying to the Mississippi, "Hitherto thou mayest come, but no farther." the river here is just one mile wide from bank to bank. Burlington is situated principally on two bluffs --- a narrow valley or rather ravine passing through it --- the buildings from the Illinois side of the river, on the left bluff, resemble swallows' nests sticking to the rafters of a barn.

Burlington, by the census taken last spring, lacked but a few of 10,000 inhabitants. It is the county seat of Desmoines County; has 11 churches, building two seminaries, and circulates three papers. Some of the buildings are elegant.

The river crossed by steam ferry boat Joe Gales, in connection with the railroads. Taking the Burlington and Missouri railroad, we pass up a ravine and wind out on the open prairies to Mt. Pleasant, the county seat of Henry county. The grading of the road thus far comparatively easy. Mt. Pleasant has extended its arms over a considerable extent of prairie; is a handsome site for a town, claims to have 7,000 inhabitants, and has a seminary under the control of the Methodist Church. Here the State Lunatic Asylum is located. It is a respectable looking building.

From this place to Fairfield, the county town of Jefferson county, the grading of the railroad has cost money and labor, especially near Skunk river. Cross the Sandusky river by railroad near Upper Sandusky and you can form a  pretty correct idea of it. The other part would be like leveling across the gutters of Bibby's patent washboard, only on a far more magnificent scale. Fairfield is a respectable country town, situated in a beautiful prairie, claiming 3,000 inhabitants.

Ottumwa is situated on the north side of the Desmoines river, and principally in the bottom, and may occasionally suffer inconvenience from the river overflowing its banks, if it had any, which in some places is rather doubtful. Ottumwa has not yet attained to the stature of some of her sister towns, but is a place of some enterprise. Here the iron horse will make a halt for a year or two before he pursues his journey farther west. Thus far timber has been abundant and stone coal plenty. Formerly there was a plank road from Burlington to Mt. Pleasant, a distance of 27 miles, but is now given up.

From Ottumwa a stage coach (if it is not an abuse of language to call it so) runs by way of Albia, Chariton and Osceola to Council Bluffs. Nearly 40 miles of the first part of the way is through rather a rough, hilly country. I am not certain that I can give you a correct idea of an Iowa stage coach; it bears a close resemblance to a sheep pelt peddler's vehicle --- the interior being about three and a half by six feet with three seats. Into this place, passengers are crammed regardless of numbers, carpet-sacks and all; when the word "all aboard" is given, off you go until you arrive at the foot of a hill, then you are asked politely by the driver (provided he has not been offended by the way, which sometimes happens to be the case) to get out and walk up the hill. Generally passengers avail themselves of the privilege without grumbling.

I  have had some experience in staging on this line heretofore, and whether it is purposely so arranged or by accident I cannot tell, but it is always the case that we have some Sophomore from some institution of science to annoy the travelers by impertinent questions and taking up every subject that is introduced, no matter whether they know anything about it or not.

Albia is the county town of Monroe county; has one thousand inhabitants. Chariton is the county seat of Lucas county. Here the Land Office for this district was formerly kept, but is now discontinued since the first of August --- the land all entered but about nine thousand acres. the books are now kept at Fort Desmoines, and patents that were not called for previous to that date were sent back to the General Lane Office at Washington, where they can be had by sending their certificates by mail.

The farther I proceed west, the better the crops; corn in Iowa has not been injured by frost, only slightly near the Desmoine river; selling in Clarke county at 13 cents per bushel in the shock to feeders.

I shall reserve some further remarks on the country I have passed through for another letter.

(signed) W.

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So far as I could tell, "W" never got around to writing another letter. But truth be told, there was very little to see at that time between Afton and the Missouri River.