THE IOWA JOURNAL OF HISTORY AND POLITICS JANUARY NINETEEN HUNDRED TWENTY-TWO VOL. XX-1 LETTERS FROM THE WEST IN 1845 [In the summer of 1845, Stephen H. Hayes, a young minister from Frankfort (now Winterport), Maine, made a trip as far west as the Territory of Iowa, going by way of Boston, New York, Washington, Pittsburgh, and the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, and returning by way of Chicago and the Great Lakes. During his journeying he noted his experiences and observations in a series of letters addressed to Mr. Archibald Jones, the postmaster of Frankfort, with whom he had boarded. The earlier letters of the series describe the cities east of the Alleghanies, but the limitations of space have made it seem desirable to omit these letters and begin with those which deal with his trip west of the mountains. The letters were often written in haste and contain numerous abbreviations. The writer usually reduced the names of towns to their initials and even compressed some words as short as "which" to "wh.". In editing the manuscript, abbreviations of words and names, where there is no doubt of the writer's intentions, have been expanded. In other respects, however, an effort has been made to reproduce the original spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. The originals of the letters were contributed to The State Historical Society of Iowa by Professor Stephen Hayes Bush of the State University of Iowa, a grandson of Mr. Stephen H. Hayes.— THE EDITOR] Dear Friends Cincinnati May 27th 1845 In due time I will explain why I am at Cincinnati again. In my last letter I left you at Uniontown Pennsylvania. From there to Brownsville 11 miles we had a delightful ride, through the beautiful country we saw from the mountains. We reached Brownsville on the Monongahela about 10 h. A. M. This is an inconsiderable village. Here we embarked for Pittsburg. We had taken a ticket from Baltimore to Pittsburg, because it was $1.00 cheaper than by Wheeling, and we saved about 50 miles staging. The passage down the Monongahela is by slackwater navigation, having to pass several locks. The country is very pleasant, the air pure, and vegetation seemed rapidly advancing. There is great 3 abundance of coal on this stream. We reached Pittsburg about 4 P. M. and immediately engaged our passage down to Cincinnati for $4.00 a distance of 500 miles, all found. We then went up to see the desolated city. Between 20 and 30 steam boats lay at the wharves, but unlike those on the eastern waters, these draw seldom more than 42 feet of water. They have the slope to the bank to the river perhaps 100 rods long and 6 or 8 wide all paved neatly which they call the wharf-perhaps inclined to an angle of 23 or 25 degrees. This is sometimes entirely inundated, but at such times little is done in transportation. You remember that the Ohio is here formed by the junction of the Monongahela and the Alleghany, the latter, a clear cold stream flowing down from the mountains and raised by steam I think to water the city. The fire made dreadful havoc. 56 acres of the business portion of the city was made a heap of ruins. The dust and rubbish was almost insupportable. The loss is estimated at $15,000,000. Many were made houseless and homeless. We saw some of the sufferers who were permitted to live in the court house, and had their cooking utensils, parlor, dormitory in the court room itself. This is a stately building far superior to any I have seen in New England. It cost with the jail $63,000. From the top we could see the whole country around. The desolation in the city is terrible-yet they have good courage. A very intelligent citizen, who was with us I. McDowell Esq. remarked, "we are workers here"- and so they seemed. All were busy and those who lost all are trying to do something. We pass a gentlemen to whom Mr. McDowell said. "you once had an office there". "Yes" he replied “and I mean to have another." He was at work overseeing, and was one of the first lawyers in the city. Rich Biddle a eminent lawyer brother of N. Biddle, lost his house, office, &c with a library worth $25,000. Some one asked if he was left poor. "No" was the reply, "not as long as he has his tounge left." They seemed in pretty good spirits. Some one hinted to another that his beard was long. "Ah", said he, "My rasor was burned." Alleghany is a pretty town just opposite Pittsburg containing a population of 11,000. It has a Theological Seminary, and some beautiful dwellings. In the Northwest part of the city of Pittsburg is a neighbourhood of Negroes, which appeared highly flourishing. Opposite Pittsburg is a small manufacturing village called Fligo[?]. Lower down another called (Manchester?) both on the Monongahela. These towns and villages are generally built of brick and from the iron manufactories and great abundance of coal they are black with soot. Going from our clean white New England towns and villages, here one feels constantly the imperious necessity of frequent ablutions, yet the people are uncommonly healthy. The population of Pittsburg is [space left blank] The tract of country W. bounded by the Alleghany and Monongahela rivers and the mountains is very fertile and in a high state of cultivation. Pittsburg will long feel its misfortune but will eventually arise. It has great natural resources in the soil of the surrounding country, and its coal and iron which are inexhaustible. If I can get time I will write more particularly of these productions. I do not now remember the population - from 30 to 40,000. Pittsburg has been called the Birmingham of the Ohio Valley. When we went on board our boat we expected to start that night but did not. We were heavily laden and the Captain had engaged his passengers, and they were obliged to pay, so that he felt little anxiety, but we were much troubled for fear we should not get through before the Sabbath. One thing however, is pleasant. You have your state room containing two berths and having two doors one opening into the cabin and one on deck the latter having blinds with which you can pro |