13th. Remained in Iowa City; the wind still high and the weather very
cold. Iowa City is quite a place, with a population, as I am told, of
about 2500. It is the seat of government for the State of Iowa, which
is its only recommendation. It is situated on the Iowa river, which is
navigable at high water for steamboats of a small class. The State
House will be a very handsome building when finished; it is built of
hewed stone, on the bank of the Iowa river, and when the work is
properly finished will do honor to the State. This is a gathering point
for California teams, and the town is now full of them lying bye on
account of bad weather. It is supposed there are 100 wagons here now,
and they keep coming; besides, there are numbers wind bound at the
Cedar river.
We are stopping at Swan's Hotel, the best house in the city, the
register of which shows the names of great numbers of our town and
county people who started before us--and more are coming after. This
afternoon, another team, or the advance guard of it, from our town came
up. We now begin to find every thing higher as we get farther advanced
towards the frontiers. Corn is worth here fifty cents a bushel, and
report says that towards Council Bluffs there is no feed for horses and
cattle of any kind or at any price.
14th. Sunday. We still lie over; the weather has become more moderate,
though it is still cold; the wind has gone down, so that it is more
comfortable travelling, consequently most of the teams have left town
on their route. They stretch off across the prairie this morning as far
as the eye can reach, quite an army of themselves; what we shall find
when we get to the Missouri river, it is impossible to tell; judging
from present appearances there will be one of the largest armies
congregated that were ever got together at one time on this continent.
Most of the teams that go to-day head for St. Joseph, the prospect
being better on the road that way, and after they get there, for feed
for teams than on the Council Bluffs route. We are all in too much of a
hurry, for there is no probability of our being able to leave the
frontiers before the 10th of May, for want of feed, consequently we
shall have to tarry two weeks at some point, and we think it best lie
bye at several different points, than all at once.
_April_ 15th. Monday. Left Iowa City this morning, for Washington,
county seat of Washington co. Country mostly rolling prairie for the
first 15 miles; soil very good, and good road, being the military road
built by Government. Streams all bridged with the best bridges that I
have seen in Iowa. The balance of the road to Washington--having left
the military road--is very bad; no bridges; got sloughed in a creek,
occasioned by our hindmost evener breaking; after unloading we got our
wagon out with one span of horses. This creek was within about a mile
and a half of Washington. I think there is no better evidence of the
want of enterprise in the inhabitants, than to find such places
unbridged on main roads near villages. We went on with one span of
horses, but it being very dark we got sloughed again, and had to leave
our wagon and go on to the village, where we arrived cross and hungry
about eight o'clock, having made 28 miles, and had the hardest day's
work since we left home. However, we found an obliging landlord, which
made up somewhat for our trouble. The country for the last part is flat
prairie and very wet. I should think it worthless.