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A
Letter from Racine in 1843
RACINE,
December 19th, 1843.
My DEAR UNCLE:
Having a little leisure time a few evenings' since, I attempted to
mark out on paper something to give you an idea of the location &
general appearance of our village. The production you will find on
the other part of this sheet. It is (or I need not say) that it is
a very imperfect thing, but with a little explanation it may serve
the purpose designed. You will observe that it lies directly on the
shore of the Lake, Michigan Street being on the beach. It then rises
quite abruptly forty feet above the Lake level & then assumes an almost
perfect level. By a reference to the accompaning map you will observe
that Root River comes in & passes through nearly the centre of the
village. At present however the principal part of the village is on
the south side of the River, yet it is now building up on the north
side.
The river is nearly on a level with the Lake & its banks on the south
side are of the same height of the Lake shore, & very bold, while
on the other side they are more sloping. All of the public buildings
are on the south side of the River & all of the business is done on
that side. The principle street is Main St. & nearly all of the mercantile
business is done on it. There are now twenty-six stores large & small
on this street, ten on the east side & sixteen on the west. Besides
a great number of Lawyer offices, Doctors offices, Printing offices,
& mechanics shops of nearly every branch of business. The Court House
& Registers office, together with the best Hotel are situated on the
west side of the public square fronting the Lake. There are three
good Hotels in the place & another splendid, & spacious one soon to
be erected just below our store on the opposite side of the street.
There are fourteen lawyers, five physicians now practicing here.
The Congregational is the only church completed. That is a very plain
& cheap building designed only as a temporary one. The Methodist have
a very good church in process of erection. The episcopalians worship
in the Court House & the Baptists in the Seminary. All have organized
churches & societies with settled pastors. Sabbath schools & Bible
classes are connected with each congregation.
The Harbor is now in process of construction. Root River is a stream
of considerable importance, varing in width from one to two hundred
feet & navigable for any class vessels for two miles up. The mouth
is barred up with sand thrown in by the Seas of the Lake, but opened
by the spring freshets. In constructing a Harbor it is necessary to
build out two piers one each side of the mouth of the river to a certain
distance, first to get into deep water and 2nd to get past the moveing
sand on the shore, then by dredging out the bar the piers will prevent
its again being formed. The north pier is completed & the south one
is commenced & prepared for the operation of the spring freshets.
When this Harbor is completed it will admit Steam Boats & vessels
into the River & not only be very convenient for loading & discharging
but will also be a safe harbor from storms & gales. Heretofore all
goods & passengers have been shipped & landed by means of boats &
scows. Great advantage is calculated upon from the completion of this
harbor. It is being built by the citizens of the village. They have
expended already upwards of Ten thousand dollars on it & have just
unanimously agreed to raise five thousand dollars more to prosecute
the work.
This place enjoys the advantage of one of the finest back countries
in the whole west. There. has already been purchased here this season
upwards of eighty thousand bushels of wheat, besides, Lead, Pork,
Hides, Furs &c &C. The country is becoming settled & improved with
unparalelled rapidity. A fanner told me to day that a ten acre field
of wheat yielded him over three hundred & fifty bushels. Wheat is
now selling for sixty-four & sixty-five cents. Village lots are now
held at pretty high prices varying from $100 to $600. of course property
on Main St. is valued the highest. Buildings rent enormously high,
according to the cost of the same. They rent upon an average at least
for 25 per cent. The village now contains probably not far from twelve
to fourteen hundred inhabitants & from its location, its commercial
advantages & its back country it must grow &become an important place.
Lands for some distance back are valued very highly, yet good farms
with some improvements can be bought at very low prices. There is
no government land within nearly forty miles, that is desirable quality-Many
farms have doubled in value within twelve months, such has been the
rush of emigration, to the Territory. David our former engineer, came
out here a few weeks ago & has purchased him a farm of 80 acres within
about 12 miles of here, with a comfortable frame house, fifteen acres,
broken & fenced & ten acres of wheat in all for four hundred dollars.
He has moved on to it & I am truly glad that David is well fixed.
Thursday December 21st. Yesterday for the first time I took a short
trip into the country. My object chiefly was to look at a piece of
land about nine miles from here. It is a farm of one hundred & twenty
acres. It has been claimed by preemption but the right has expired
& it can now be bought at govemment price 1.25 per acre. We think
of & shall probably enter it. It is a very fine piece of land well
located, mostly prairie but some wood on it. It will make a very fine
farm for wheat or anything else. Lands adjoining cannot be bought
for five dollars per acre. The country back of us is all taken up
& quite thickly settled. After getting back two & a half miles we
come on to a prairie nine miles wide & twelve miles long dotted with
groves occasionally, but in some portions of it for miles not a tree
is to be seen. This extensive prairie is covered with settlements
&a large portion fenced into farms & under cultivation. It is a most
magnificent sight to get on to some prominent bluff (as it lies gently
rolling) & survey the almost boundless prairie, covered with farm
houses & enclosures.
The soil it is needless to say is rich & very productive. Wool growing
& the raising of stock is commanding considerable attention & these
prairies are well adapted to that business. They furnish an abundance
of pasturage & from the swails can be cut natural hay equal & even
superior for cattle to the best English hay. These lands are watered
by springs chiefly, but have occasional living streams. After crossing
the prairie you again come into timber land & then prairie. Walworth
County lies directly west of this & is considered the best agricultural
county in the Territory. The produce raised back sixty & seventy miles
comes to this market. This is undoubtedly to be the principal wheat
market in the Territory. Good flouring mills are already in operation
& we have as good quality flour as any other. Wheat has sold to day
as high as 67 1/2 cents per bushel. This we consider too high to warrant
our purchasing. We have bought some at lower prices, but have sold
it again.
My opinion is that produce & other property will be lower in the spring
& money will not be as plenty. I found this opinion on the fact of
there being such an immense quantity of goods in the country. I am
certain that there are more than can be sold & paid for promptly.
I fear New York people will find that they have done too much credit
business the past season. If it be true that they have sold the amount
of goods reported, it will prove a disastrous business. The country
was not prepared for it & cannot afford it. Many merchants altogether
mistake the character & wants of this westem country, & bring out
immense stocks of merchandise, larger than the country demands. Although
it is a great country & a numerous population, still their wants are
comparatively few & simple. Another evil is, merchants increase too
fast in proportion to the country & balance of the community. The
truth is, merchandizing enjoys no peculiar advantages in a new country,
it is the advance of real estate & land that affords better success
to investment. At this moment I know of no investment that offers
such inducements as property in this village or in good lands back
of it. But I fear I have already detained you too long on this subject
& am also making a long letter without much matter in it.
I will just say that our friend Codding is in town & lectured last
evening upon the subject of Anti slavery. He is to spend several days
here. The cause meets with considerable favor in this place & a society
has been formed. It may also be said that moral and religious sentiments
are in a good degree recognized & cherished in this community. The
Sabbath reverenced & other religious institutions are very generally
observed or at least respected. I will say with regard to our business,
that it has thus far been very good & fully met our calculations.
My health is good & I think my ambition is full equal to my strength.
William is well & very well pleased with our location & business.
I hear from Caroline often. which relieves my intense & abiding anxiety
for her welfare. This being seperated from my dear wife is any thing
but agreeable to me. I am sure that if to acquire a fortune. it became
necessary for me to be seperated from her any considerable portion
of the time. I should give up the chase & content myself with what
happiness I derive from her society. Kindly remember me to my dear
Aunt & other friends. With many thanks dear Uncle for your oft repeated
kindness & paternal regard. believe me very faithfully
Yours H. S. DURAND
Addressed: Maj. Elisha A. Cowles Meriden
Single Connecticut [postmark]
Racine. Dec. 22nd Wis. T.
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