19th. Stopped last night at the Eagle Hotel, and I must say it was the
nastiest hole I ever got into, and everything else was in perfect
keeping, and to make matters even worse, the landlord charged the
highest bill that we had paid on the road.
Started this morning for Iowaville, sixteen miles, where we arrived
about four o'clock, P.M., and put up for the night. (By the way, I
found an old townsman and school mate in Fairfield, that I had not seen
for thirteen years,--Ezra Brown, Esq., District Attorney for that
judicial district, and editor of a paper there. Of course I stopped to
visited him an hour or two, and then passed on on this journey of time.
Shall we ever meet again?)
20th. Crossed the Desmoines river this morning. This, as the Hosiers
say, is a right smart chance of a river, between two and three hundred
yards wide, and would be navigable for steamboats one hundred miles
above here, if it were not for the dams below, of which I understand
there are nine. Iowaville is situated on the bank, and is only a hamlet
of log huts, with a grocery or two, but has a steam mill building, and
one in operation on the other bank. We crossed on a ferry--charge 75
cts. Most of our route to-day lay through the timber, and the best
timber too, I have seen in Iowa, but we have had dreadful roads, the
worst, in fact, on the journey.
We arrived at Drakesville about four o'clock and put up for the night,
although we could get no "roughness" for our team, (as they call hay
here;) in fact we are getting where we find but little hay or grain.
Matters look squally ahead, no hay, and grass not an ell high, and
growing downwards at that. Grain we care nothing about as we have
twenty days feed on bread, which will be more than we can consume
before we reach St. Joseph.
20th. Drakesville is a small village of log houses, with a store,
blacksmith shop, &c. It is situated in Davis county. The inhabitants I
understand are mostly Campbelites, or Disciples. They had a meeting
to-day, and are having one this evening. There is a lodge of the Sons
of Temperance here, too, who are having their meeting over my head. I
did not expect to find anything of the kind in this back country. Good
speed to them. I understand they have twenty members, and have two or
three to initiate to-night.