Strohschiink and Thiel

may be compared to that of Sicily. According to him, there are "alligators," two
shoes in length, in the Rock River near Watertown that one must be careful to
avoid. (He may have meant snapping turtles.)
Confronted with this type of enthusiasm and sensationalism, the modern, if
not contemporary, reader must ponder the question whether Ranis was simply
naive about his new home or wanted to gloss over any shortcomings in order to
impress. And this is but one example of many letters that were far too short and
scattered in their approach to the subject matter to have been of significant value
to the emigrant other than the fact that a fellow German citizen had been there
before him and found Wisconsin an attractive place to settle in. The frequency
and apparent sincerity of this type of communication, however, likely did not
fail to have their effect on readers who did not know where to go in the new land
but looked with eagerness to reports from people like themselves. Although
some stories might more aptly be called tall tales, it can well be imagined that
some desperate Germans, for want of better, more objective information, may
have clung to such letters, if only to nurse their dream of a new life that would
lift them out of their misery back home. There can be no doubt that any reader
who relied solely on such form of communication would be easy prey to the
dangers and deprivations that lurked in the path.
Reise von New York nach Calumet (Wisconsin)
In this rather lengthy article,249 published anonymously, a thorough
description is given of the trip from New York to Wisconsin. Before embarking
on the actual account, the author promotes the state as the main focus of
German immigration to the United States and provides a list of more specific
sources of information on Wisconsin.
The travel description contains such information as the cost for off-loading
luggage in various places and the amount of time needed for respective portions
of the trip (e.g., a half day from New York to Albany, two days by train, or
twelve days by canal boat, from Albany to Buffalo, and four to six days on the
Great Lakes to Wisconsin). The cost of traveling these distances is discussed,
as well as the need for steerage passengers to buy supplies for the journey
across the Lakes.

of prices for land. German and American women. Putting land into production. Climate and
nature. Germans in the Watertown area. Servants.] Watertown, Wisconsin, July 23, 1847
(published March 18, 1848 in Der deutsche Auswanderer).
249. Trip from New York to Calumet (July 1, 1848).

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