New-York daily tribune., 1843-04-01
Fran the New-Haven Palladium.
Men, Manners and Things in Iowa.
Iowa TERRITORY, March 4. !


country Yves, Of the Mississippi, ard especially OF
this Territory. Ask the first intelligent man you
meet for the geography of Iowa, and, In nine cases
out of ten he can give you no definite idea OF It's
position He knows it is territory lying some
where out West, and this is about The sum OF BIS
knowled 90 On the sutjecr. Tell him that in 632
the white MAJ made his first pc, mancnt settlement
on its SOIL and that now 1t contains poPulatlon OF
over seventy thousand, distributed among nineteen
different counties, each thoroughly organized, 'siip
irs seat of Justice judicial end executive officers,
its schools aud churches; tell him that Iowa cou-
tains several cities already risen TO commercial
irpeorance and exporting annual millions OF dol
lars in value of the productions Of the soil; tell
him that throug hout whole extent are scattered
Aourishing inland towns, where may be found TASTE
refinement and education and your auditor Will
listen with increduiiy, if with positive unbelief
Such is or rather was, two years ago, when l
was among YOU the state of Information IN rege:d
to this portion of the United States.
| suppose you of the East consider the preHen:
residents of Iowa the very pioneers OF the West
Never was a greater mistake; the true Western
pioneers have pushed on beyond US, or, if here and
there ons sill lingers it is only that ne may dispose
of his farm and improvements to push for new
country.
Strange, restless beings are the genuine pioneers
Among them you may find some who have helped
10 lay the Oi every oLatO iioui oio
thirteen hilher, men who have successfully held
seats in every Legislature from Virginia to Iowa,
inclusive, but who are now moving to new
country, again to make ciam, again 10 act q
conspicuous part in the community in whicsi they
live, again to run the political! race, become the
members Of Legislature of some future State, ind
themselves thrown in the shade bytbose of greater
attainments who follow in their wake, and again
to push for the purchase
Fearlessness hospitality and independent frank
ness, united wirhIestess enterprise and unqueRch-
able thirst for novelty and change the peculiar
characteristics of the Western pioneer. With him
there is always a land of promise farther West,
where the climate is milder, the soil more fertile,
better timber and finer prairie Aud on-on--on-
he goes always seeking and Iever attaining the
Pisgah of his hopes. You, of the old States,
cannot readily conceive the everyday SORT of busi-
ness an .oid settler wakes of selling out his I'M
provemen,s,' h,ching the horses TO the big wagon,
and with his wife and children, swine and cattle,
pots and kettles, household goods and household
gods, starting on journey OF hundreds OF miles 10
find aud make new home.
Just now Oregon is the pioneers land of promise.
Hundreds already prepared to start thlther with
the Spring, while huoareds of others anxiously
awaiting the action of Congress in reference to that
country as The signal for their departure. Some
have already been to view the country, and have
returned with a fiatering tale OF the Inducements
it holds out. They have painted it to their neigh
bors in the brightest colors; these have tcd 1t to
others the Oregon fever has broke out, and Is
now raging like any other contsgon. Mr.. Cal
houn was right when he told the Senate that the
American people would occupy that country inde-
penden, Of all Legislation, that in g. few years the
pioneers of the West would overrun it and maia-
tain it against the world. Wilson" said |, a
few days since TO an old settler, .so you are
going to Oregon We'll, is, horse Tice
Pitt was our looking at it last season. and he says
il leete the greatest country on the lace OF the
airth. So I'm Bound to CO." chow do the old
woman and the girls like the idea OF such long
lourneyi" " They feel mighty peert about it, and
Suko says she sha Mt be easy till VIC start
The recent purchase is attracting considerable
attention al this time; we have just heard of the
ratification of Gov. Chambers's Treaty made last
Autumn with the Sac and Fox Indians, by which
they csdcd to the United States large tract OF
country lying on the Desmoines Rver, West OF
rseS present settled portion of this Territory his
is part Of Iowa, and by this cession comes under
the Territorial jurisdiction. 1t is a valuable pur-
chase, having an excellent soil, we'll watered and
aboundipg in timber conveniently interspersed
Throughout the prairie. The Indians are to yield
possession on the frat of May. Now comes {
rush and scramble for town sites, mill privilege,
country seats and spring tracts Such as ne one but
an eyewitness can have aoy idea et. For more
than eighteen months past, settlers have been
c.ewding TO the frontier in anticipation OF the par-
chase; during that time, singy and BY companies,
they have travelled over the whole tract, each &C.
lec,ipg for himselfa claim according to his fancy.
/ was through the country, hunting buffaloes,
last june, and saw with some surprise that even
there, on both sides of the Desmoines from the
line to Reccoon Forks, distance OF niety miles,
settlers had been before and claimed every
eligible srac; ofland. The sigr adopted to sig nifty
to others that any individual had claimed pa,
rcuiar tract, varied according TO the taste of the
claimant Ia some instances, simple blaze on
the trees was the only sign; in Others the settler
had cut his Initials IN the bark, while tho more
warlike had decorated the blaze with the figures
OF bowie knife and pistol crossed, signifying.
suppose, that the gentleman who had put tha, marx
there would, with strong hand and ousstre,ched
arm, maintain his right against the world. The
knowing ones have sign preferable to either OF
the above they stake out their claim, driving the
s.akes, with the date of their visit in them SO
deep in The earth as no, to be visible the oblec,
being, in Gaze Of a dispute, to refer to the stakes
for evidence of the priority of their claim
You must know, Tor perhaps you do,) but your
readers must know, that the Laws forbid any white
man. except licensed traders, ,e settle or hunt on
the Indian lands, to be them for any purpose
except to pass and repass You must know far
Their, that utter the Indian title is extnguisbed and
possession yielded up, the first person who builds
sn, in any other way improves particular tract,
not exceeding three hundred and forty acres, has
presumption right to the same, u, the minimum,