To Bellevue and Back

To the Editor of the Recorder:  Thursday morning, may the 10th, being a nice clear morning with a temperature of 42°, I started in the direction of Bellevue in search of Mr. Wm. Wake, our obliging contractor on the Burlington and Bellevue turnpike.  I took the grade at Greensburg, the town the Recorder gave its history of two weeks ago.  After I had traveled about one-half mile I came upon a company of negroes who were throwing dirt lively, and from there on to within half a mile of Bellevue, where I came across Mr. Brady erecting a boarding house, turnpiking was going ahead briskly.  I think from what I could see and learn, the grade, and stone work on the bridges, will be completed from Bellevue to Mr. Brady’s in about 10 days, besides there will be considerable stone broken and spread.  The sub-contractor on the fourth mile don’t seem to be pushing things very lively, but I think if the weather continues cool so he can keep our friend Jeff Porter for fireman he will get the oak stump burnt out by the first of June.

After dispatching a little business I had with Mr. Wake, I concluded to go to Bellevue, as I had not been there for five years and maybe longer.  The only place I called at was the co-operative store, where I found Mr. Jas. P. Kelly, one of the stockholders of the store, Mr. Kite, the obliging and polite clerk, who took great pains to show me their goods.  I will say this much to our merchants and grocerymen in Burlington, you will have to do better or your trade on and near the Burlington and Bellevue pike will be gone when the road is completed.

After spending about one hour with Mr. Kelley and Mr. Kite, which was spent in the examining their goods and the prices thereof, I started homeward, leaving the grade at Miss Julie Dinsmore’s, and coming by the way of Middle Creek, and by the time I got back to Greensburg, I concluded somebody else had better go to building turnpikes, or stay at home.

from the Boone County Recorder, May 17, 1877. The Recorder spells it Bellevue, not Belleview. They also spell Mr. Kelly’s name later as Kelley.