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To all who are desirous of bettering their condition by seeking homes in the West, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, offers many and striking advantages. Some of these are briefly enumerated in a circular, now being extensively distributed in the East. We copy, as follows:
1. It is the largest county in the state being on an average 40 miles in length by 24 in breadth, and contains over 600,000 acres of fine farming lands, a large proportion of which are still unoccupied. Its present population is about 18,000, organized in twenty-two civil townships.
2. It is remarkably well watered by numerous streams flowing entirely across it, and by several which pass only through a portion of its territory. Its western shore is bounded by the Missouri River, and the other streams comprised within its area are the Boyer, East and West Nishnabotna Rivers, and Indian, Jordan, Silver, Keg, Mosquito, Pigeon and Honey Creeks, and their numerous branches.
3. The supply of fuel is fully as good as in most Western counties; nearly all streams having groves along their course, and a large amount of young timber is growing rapidly. No paying beds of coal have yet been opened, but there are many indications of their existence, and it is obtained from adjoining counties at low prices.
4. The surface of the county is rolling prairie, bounded near the river by bluffs two or three miles in width, more rugged than the remainder of the county, but containing among them many fine farms. West of the bluff line comes the high Missouri bottom, from three to five miles in width.
5. The soil of the county is of unsurpassed fertility, and produces all kinds of agricultural products. Forty bushels of wheat and eighty to one hundred bushels of corn are frequently grown to the acre. Barley, oats, potatoes, and all kinds of vegetables are raised in the greatest abundance. Manufacturing has thus far been found wholly unnecessary.
6. The debt of the county is small. The courthouse, a fine one, is nearly paid for, and the taxes for county and state purposes are less than one per cent. For township and school purposes the people in each township levy their own taxes. Bonds issued for railroad purposes amount to less than $40,000, and the tax on the railroads contribute largely to the revenues of the county. County warrants are at par.
7. The county is well supplied with schoolhouses and churches, and great attention is paid to the educational interests of the people.
8. The unimproved lands in the county, of which there are many thousands of acres, are largely owned by the railroads, which sell them on long credit to actual settlers only. One-residents, as well as resident owners, also offer their lands at from six to ten dollars per are, terms usually one-third or one-fourth down and the balance in yearly payments. A small tract of timberland can frequently be obtained on fair terms, at no great distance from a prairie farm, sufficient for farming purposes. All kinds of timber are grown without difficulty.
9. Council Bluffs, containing now about 10,000 inhabitants, is the county seat of the county, and is well supplied with schools, churches, and all the conveniences of a western city. Here center five railroads, three of them running across the state to Chicago, and one of them up the Missouri Valley to Sioux City, and one to St. Louis. It is also the initial point of the Union Pacific Railroad. Besides Council Bluffs, the county contains several growing villages, among which are Avoca, Walnut, Parma, Neola, Crescent and Waveland.
10. There is at all times a good market for grain, cattle, swine, and dairy products at Council Bluffs and at the different points along the numerous railroads that traverse or skirt the county. These roads furnish to the farmers and manufacturers unequalled advantages for shipping the produce of their farms and shops to market. Through freights from Council Bluffs both to the east and west are well known to be lower than at almost any other place in the country. Vast quantities of grain and stock of all kinds have been and will continue to be sent to market over our railroads at rates of freight, which secure fair profits all seasons of the year to the owners.