Solon Robinson, pioneer and agriculturist

the long version

Solon Robinson (1803-1880) was a native of Connecticut who arrived in Indiana in 1830 and settled in Lake County in 1834. He was a prominent early settler there and a founder of the county seat of Crown Point. In his early years there he was a postmaster, ran a general store, and bought a small printing press with which he produced handbills and newssheets that he wrote himself. He also wrote for newspapers, including a serialized short novel, and an emigrant guide entitled The Prairie Farmer. He was a popular orator on a variety of topics, and was a strong advocate for farmers’ organizations, for education, and for scientific farming practices. These two volumes are collections of his agricultural writings, in a broad sense, from 1825 to 1851. Mostly they seem to be letters and articles published by numerous periodicals. Vol 1. covers 1825-1845, and Vol 2 covers 1846-51.