1895 :: The Cozy Corner

Dallas Morning News. 
December 22, 1895.  

The Cozy Corner
. 
LENA MAY WIESE, Jones' Prairie, Milam Co., Tex. -- You see, Mr. Big Hat, I've made a resolve similar to Laurence C. Fountain's, though I don't write quite so often or regularly as he does. I notice that a great many of the cousins who write quite often steadily improve and I thought that by writing oftener than two or three times a year I might also improve. School has begun. I may get to go after christmas for a few months. Mr. Big Hat, if you get tired of printing my letters, just tell me to stop and I will do so. I will endeavor to give the cousins a description of my county. Milam county was created in 1836. It is one of the group of central Texas counties and is situated on the Brazos river, which forms its eastern boundary. The surface of the county is rolling and in many places hilly and broken. The county is about equally divided between woodland and prairie. The soil of the prairie varies. On the river and creek bottoms, it is a rich loam, producing cotton, corn, oats, potatoes, sugar cane, fruits and vegetables abundantly. Stockraising is carried on in connection with the farm. The Gulf, Aransas Pass, International Great Northern, Colorado and Santa Fe railroads cross the county. The principal towns and villages are Rockdale, Cameron, Milano, Gause, Lilac, Leachville, Branchville and Maysfield. Cameron is the county seat and has 2000 or 3000 inhabitants. Rockdale is the largest town. A coal mine is being worked there. Maysfield has 300 or 400 inhabitants and Jones' Prairie has about 300. The county has two private and one national banks. There are five or six weekly newspapers published in the county. The churches and schools are good. Almost all denominations have churches in the county. Our county superintendent is pastor of Maysfield Presbyterian church, which is about five miles from my home. I live about a mile and a half from Brazos river. The bridge which spanned Brazos river about three miles from my home fell about two years ago and killed over a hundred head of cattle. It fell the same day that Richmond bridge fell. The country about my home is rich in coal. Papa's land has coal on it. It looks like beds of charcoal. A coal mine is being worked about two miles from my home on the Brazos river and a railroad has been constructed to it. I'm going to walk to see it some time and I'll describe it to the cousins if they wish. I live nearly eight miles from Calvert, in Robertson county. I would describe it to the cousins, for it is quite a large manufacturing town, has an oil mill and ice factories and splendid schools, if I wasn't afraid Peggy would get my letter, that is. If she doesn't get it anyway. A handsome iron bridge spans the Brazos between Jones' Prairie and Calvert. Mr. Big Hat, what has become of Sallie? Did she ever get scared at any more ghosts?