Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 December 1879 — What a Visitor Says about Rensselaer and Jasper County. [ARTICLE]

What a Visitor Says about Rensselaer and Jasper County.

Peter Keegan, Esq., of Banker Hill, Ind., whom the Republican mentioned some three weeks ago as being here prospecting for a location, has written ns a private letter from which we make the following extracts without his knowledge or consent. He is a thoughtful, praeIlOal gentleman, and any opinion he may express in regard to the subject mentioned is worthy of consideration: “In reading the Republican of last week I see you have something to say about advertising the county *0 as to catch some of tbs tide of emigration which is constantly passing to the westward ot you. After it got noised abroad that I was up to Rensselaer, and in Jasper county, I was, and am still plied with questions as to what sort of a country Jasper county is? What is the quality of the lan<l? How does land rate in price? What can wild land be bought for per acre? How much timber is there, and is the timber heavy? etc. I am sorry I could not answer all the questions, either to ray own satisfaction or the satisfaction of others; as what little 1 saw of the county was in passing through on the cars on my way home; and I had no opportunity of going out in the country while I was there. I think if the people were better informed as to the resources of your county on the topics alwve mentioned and on several other things, it would add ranch to the occupancy of those “thousands ot broad acres, composed of as good soil as there is in the State, waiting to be cultivated and developed into elegant farms.” I was asked if the greater part of Jasper county is not composed of swamps and sloughs, and not fit for farming purposes? Here again I was nnablcto answer my inquisitor, but that is the opinion some people have of your county. It such is not the case, it stands your people, especially “the land owners and business men,” to disabuse the public mind on that point. There are hundreds of men in this, and adjoining counties, who are renting land-from year to year, who are good farmers, and are well prepared to carry on farming, but arc unable to buy land at the prices at which land is held here. If they do get able to buy, it is some low, wet land with all the best of the timber cut off, with scarcely enough timber left to fence it once; and by the time they get it cleaned and ditched, so they can raise crops thfey are broke down both in body and purse, whereas they could go on to the rich prairies ot Jasper county and get land cheaper, and have a crop off it the first year. If I knew how to farm I would ask no better fortune than to own a good prairie farm in your county. But here I must stop, I did not intend to write an article on real estate, but these things crowded into my mind when I sat down to write. Aside from personal matters I have nothing to communicate at this time. I am making every effort I can to make sale of my property before spring, so I can move to Rensselaer.