Iowa news. [volume] (Dubuque, Upper Mississippi Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1837-1841, 1837-08-19

ST.. PErERs, May II, 1887.

ST. PErERs, MAY II, 1887.
We left Prairie dl Chen on the lith, at
O'Clock, p. NJ, in the steamboat Ariel, whic
left Pittsburgh in March last. The principa
Ipio,is the son of my old friend, B. Coll, Esq
of Harmony, and the engineers were once a
mong my hearers in your city In q few mile
we passed the 'spainted rocked, on whic
the likeness of two Indians is marked on per
pendicular cliff, in such position that no on
can possibly reach it from below, or from q
bove, unless let down to it by ropes hanging 0
yer the cliff.
The river is the most singular stream eve
saw. Its bed is from two to six miles wide
but so filled with islands as to leave but ont
channel suitable for steamboats,, generally d,
bout half mile wide, though in ono of the
widest places in its bed the channel is aat q
yer two hundred yards wide, and very crook
ed. Tho water has been rising at the rate Of
about 2 or 8 inches per day, for three weeks,
and is expected to rise on for as much longer.
And though it is now over most of the islands
and bottoms, and swelling into little lakes,
yet the water is not in the least riled or mud
Idy. The reasons why the river is so long RI
sing, are: l. The length oftho river, and the
moderate rate of its current. 9. The immense
number ofsloughs, slues, } ponds, lakes, &c.,
within its bed, which it takes time to fill: and
%. Because our rains and showers are but gen.
tie, and, of course, swell the streams accord
ingly. The islands and bottoms which over
flow are covered with timber, but when they
rise too high for the flood, they are prairie, ge-
morally.
The first prairie, however, of any size, we
saw within the bluffs, is 90 miles from Prairie
du Chen. 1t is called Prairie dl Cross. The
French gave it this name because on it the In
dams used to take their games Of ball after SUI
gar making in the spring. could not see its
entire extent, but should Judge it contains
from so to 100 square miles. The main chan
mel Of the river washes one point of its base,
! from which number Of ancient mounds are
visible.
Just above this prairie, the lower mouth Of
Black river empties into the Mississippi, from
the east, by its dozen mouths. Thirty miles
further up, the other mouth comes in, which
makes an island of that length, varying in
width from point to miles..---Ncar the up
per mouth stand two great mounds, probably
800 feet high. At the base of one is an ex-
tensve prairie, on which the Rev. ID. Garvir,
the Swiss missionary, has built his house.
The other mound half mile distant, is an ISL
and of the river, call Mont Trompe Pau, by
the French, and by the Indians, ''the Mount
that soaks in the water"
Our boat landed, for few minutes, at the
base of the east, or first named one, to land
MIR. Garvir, and his goods, and myself and Sc
veral other passengers assembled one of its
peaks and took view of the lovely plain east
of it. But one ofmy men, taktnganother point,
fell in with huge rattlcr, which he killed
and returned, bringing the snake as a trophy.
In the mean time, the hands, in taking some
bags of potatoes Off the deck, found ,cattr
snake, about feet long, snugly coiled away
among them. lie was soon dispatched also.
Sixty miles further brought us to Lakc Pc
pin. This is about 80 miles long and from 9
to miles wide. Itappcars, therefore, to be
but the Mississippi without islands, as its bed
is only about the same width ofthe river, where
the islands almost fill il from shore to shore.
It's a beautiful shoot of water, having several
extensive plains Of timber and prairie land on
each shore. The bluffs form part of its shore,
of one of which an Indian girl threw herself
because her father refused her to Frenchmar
whom she loved, and this gave it the name Of
LINERS Leap. The shore of this lake abound
! bluffs present the same romantic scenery they
do below, being of a similar character to those
on tho river as low down as Rock Island rap
ids.
We left the lake about 10 or IL miles from
its head, the river coming into its side twenty
miles from its outlet. A few miles up the ri
yer we came to RED Iping's village, where
the Rev. Mr.. Denton, another Swiss mission
airy, has commenced operations among thu
Sioux.
This place, which we reached in about Gt
hours sail, is 900 or 800 miles, by estimation
from Prairie du Chen. II is on white sane
bluff, in the forks of st. Peters and Mississp
| pi rivers. 1t is beautifully situared for fort
and contains few inhabitants, besides sol
diers, fur traders, Indian agent, blacksmith
&c.
HOSPITAL ON THE WESTERN WATERS Enc
Commissioners, consisting OF Doctors Halhey'
/ Cuyler, and Heiskell, OF the United STATES
Army, for selecting sites for the erection o.
Hospitals on the Western Waters, arrived
from the Upper Mississippi on Friday ey y1n.a
last, and have taken lodgings at the Cily lloa,
st. Lonishas many claims to ,le sue ., ''.,,
an institution, all of which, we nave no uono.'
the commissioners will take pleasure ~ cor :.:
sidering; and VIC would suggest to our e,t!-
zens, and particularly to the Medlcal ! acu,'y ,
the propriety Of Immediately %. opening such
ers to procure early and accurate information
mon iii sucb subjects as they may desire to
become bep acquainted with: There are many facts
nd .;rcnrosranccs which could be laid before
them. by individuals who have devoted some
a,tan,;on to The subject, aside from those gene
raj observations, which every man familiar
with the trade and business Of the city, Is al.
ready appraised Of, that would greatly facilitate
their inquiries. We are not Informed as tt
the wish of the genllcmcncomposing the board
nor do we know the character of tho informa
-, 49,. H.; .o,.. e, h,,t arr, ne