DIARY  OF ALFRED CONSTABLE FROM IOWA TO KANSAS, OCT. 1877 1-After eaten our first mele  we gethered up the children and started   The chaps had a good laff at a cow they see as it had a tail not longer then your finger   We got throad out of our rout on a count of a bridge brake down. I found a pair of specks   Now we are goin into Camp on the road 2 miles north of Walnut.  Got the privieg of cutten some grass for the stock. Maid a fire, maid coffee and turned in for the night cloudy and still 2--This morning thick fog.  The boys out feeden stock.  Mother and Tien getten brakfist   The chaps in good sprirts. I reel sleepy for I was on picket last night.  Tien says the brachfist is redy  nice farming country on both sides of the road and good bildens left camp a little after sun up come to Walnut made a halt bought some cheese and spuds George and Grant bought a knife apiece paid 25 cents a peace.  Started again went four miles halted for diner in a slew.  warme and cloudy.  nice farms on both sides of the road..  Walnut is a nice place no timber with in site vary little open country around it.  Now we start  good farms on all sides.  Now we come in site of a large farm.  The man owens 6000 akers   A large  wight house and a red barn cattel sheds.  Now we come to a small river called the Walnut. Some brush growen along the banks.  We leave the river.  it is time  to go into camp for the night  Warm   We camp on the open priaria.  The chaps are all in good spirits   Roby is runnen around the camp fire.  maken us all laff   We eat super and turn in for the night. Lighten in the north and warm. 3--This morning a heavy rain and thunder with wind misted thrue the cover of our waqon but not so bad as I thought it would.  Noah maid a fire. Teeny made us a good Cup of coffee.  Cold and damp and still looks for rain   We are still in camp   Noah wants to be on the moove.  He is hichen up the team.  still rainen a little. the roads are slipery   We go very slow. the cows are not much bother.  We come thrue a good farmin cuntry.  We are campen fur diner.  This is camp school house.  still rainen a littel.  Now we start on.  The roade is mudy   hard walkin.  The boys is getten tired as they have to walk driven the cows. Nothing of eny importince ecurd till just going into camp when Pit slipped and fell and broke the tung of the wagon.    We now go into camp fur the night 2 miles north of Red Oak on the Botny river.  This is camp bridge as we are camp at the north end of a bridge across the Botany. We get supper and turn in for the night   quite cold this even. Noah says he wish he was back in Shelby county.  He is wet and tired. 4-This morning frosty and clear   Got up and maid a good fire with some chunks  Routed out the boys   We soon got brikfist and all feel in better spirits. Noah Is givin up to leave camp. - We crose the bridge pass a grist mill  Bought a sack of bran.  come to Red Oak maid a halt.  Bought 2 pair of boots one fur Noah and one fur me.  Got John and Moll a pare of shoes and a pare of horse blankets  some other things  We then halted for diner  This is camp grave yard warme and pleasent    Some 10 or 12 teams past wile we eat.  Come thrue a big grove between here and Red Oak.  We again start  cross a small creek  We then went thrue some ruff country. Hilly and scruby  crosed another stream. The road winds over a high hill or a big divide   We then come out in to nice farming country.  We are now looken fur a place to camp   The sun is gist goen down out of sight in the west.  We halt and camp fur the night.  Plenty of good slue grase for the stock   We make coffee and eat super and turn In.  A littel cloudy..  This Is camp Cross Roads. 5--This morning plesent A littel cloudy. We make coffee and frye some good ham. All eat harty brakfist  as we are all well. The boys are gitten the horses redy to start.  We are 3 miles from Essex a small town in the Botany valley Maid a halt bought some bread and meet   Nice farms on all sides   We are travelin south.  We left Shenandoah on our right.  We now camp for diner. This is camp Shenandoah.  A little cloudy but plesent   We now start.  the road on both Sides is hedge with osage orange  The   land is rolin.  We crost over a small river but i have not learned the name yet.  We past a town 10 miles to our left. We could see it ..quite plain.  The grass is much greener hear than in Shelby people are maken hay. We came in to camp at sun down put our cow in Mr. Washburne yeard tonight.  This is camp Washburne   A littel cloudy this even but plesent 6--This morning cloudy and plesent   Got brakfist  The boys are hichen up to start on  again.  We are all well for wich  I am thankful to my heavenly father fur so grate a blessen.  We come south 3 miles to Tender Grove we then went west to Walkersvill  Crosed over the west Turkey creek past Walnut grove to our left.  We past nice orchards   Trees loaded with apples and peaches.  1/2 mile south of Walkersville we past out of Iowa into Missouri   Here is more raw priaris   The farms are all fenced with good fences hog tight.  We now halt for diner.  This Irish camp fur all we see is Irish people   To the  left of  us  1/2 mile there is quite a river with timber all along the banks   I like Missouri better then any part of Iowa  There is a great deal of raw priaria in this part of the state.  We again start on.  It is cloudy  and rainen a little              We now come to a large broken of 11 hundred akers This is fur rent  The man that ones it will build a house on every half section and take the thurd of all one raises We now travel on the top of a divide 10 miles and come to camp 4 miles south of Rockport   The county seat of Atchinson County Missouri. Here we camp for over Sunday  On the open priari good pasture for our stock.  We  et super make coffee and turn in for the night Cloudy and rain a little very dark. 7--This morning, Sunday  cloudy.  get brakfast. We are all well this morning.  The littel chaps are so lively as cricets.  Weather clearn up.  Plesent   I see no one goen to church   Ther is small river off to our rite hand called Rock river with tirnber on its banks.  Comes winden thrue a lovely valley with butiful farms on each side.  Clear this even and plesent. There was 5 wagons past here for Kansas   This even they camp a half mile west of us.  Fur the night.  This is the first Sunday on our trip.  We have been one week on the road.  Wrote 2 letters today one to Jane one to Brother Will NEXT PAGE OF DIARY RETURN TO INDEX