Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1851-06-09
Correspondence vi the Portage Sentinel
Our West, IN ILLINOIS,
Nav 10, 1851,

EDITOR OF SENTINEL:-You may per-
haps think by this time, that | have forgot.
ten my promise to occasionally drop you
something as | t,avel. l have kept it in
memory, but fear you may be disappointed
if you expect much to interest your readers.
/ have found the soil and face of the coun-
try in this State better in appearance to me
than had expected. This is appropriate
ly termed the Prairie State, As no State Of
the Union has so large proportion Of Prai-
rie as Illinois. A large portion Of it a'so
appears to have been at some former time
submerged in water. Chicago, is but just
elevated some 6 feet above the water OF
Lake Michigan, and near its south west
point. Its harbor is the mouth Of Chicago
River, which there empties in the lake from
the west. The soil on which the city is
built, though low and level, is. l think sufi-
ciently sandy to make it dry for building
and street purposes. South, south west,
and west of the city, the land appears to be
almost a perfect level as far as | could
see, and with scarce any timber; and | was
told the level extended in every direction
from the city, IL miles. South, along the
Illinois and Michigan Canal, the apparent
level extends much farther. About FIVE
miles from the city is one lock, of 10 feet
lift, to the summit level of the canal, which
level extends, believe, % miles to the first
lock-down, so it will be observed that there
is but barrier of about l6 or 20 feet depth
of earth, to prevent lake Michigan from
emptying its contents into the Mississippi
valley, where it is the universal opinion of
those who have observed the geological
signs of this region, it did empty formerly,
by the! Illinois river channel. The route
Of the Illinois aud Michigan canal, and the
Illinois and Mississippi rivers, TO St. Louis,
is set down as 400 miles; being, from CHI
cago to LaSalle, at the south west end of
the canal, SO miles. Thence to Peoria
ear the south west end of Peoria lake, is
80 miles, and 2SO to Alton on the Missis-
sippi, 90 miles below the mouth of the Illi-
nois river, and 20 miles above st. Louis.
OF this route will defer speaking ut
present to give some little description OF
some portions that have seen OF Illinois,
inland. sri ,a#t
have seen inland portions of some five
counties, only, asyet, but am assured they
are fair specimens of many others. A
large part of the land in Madison, Jersey
Greene, Scott and Morgan counties, is Prai-
rie, or what was Prairie when the settle
meuts first commenced in them, some 20
to 80 years ago, But, since the settlement
of the country has prevented the annual
confiagration of the Prairie, young timber
has sprung up and covers the country, with
a fair prospect of making good timber
plenty soon. Much Of the prairie country
appears to be high bottoms, and very rich
and productive. Wheat and corn are here
raised in abundance, and much easier than
in northern Ohio. Jacksonville, Carrolton
and Jerseyyille, the county seats Of Morgan,
Greene and Jersey counties, all stand on
those high bottoms some hundreds OF feet
above the present waters of the ILLINOIS rlv-
err, and distant from any considerable
stream. The ground in those counties, ap-
pears richer than your uplands OF Northern
Ohio, and the surface of the country is
yery handsome. Farming is here the most
profitable business of the country. Wheat
is cut by horse power, and threshed and
cleaned by the same. Here are also ma,
chimes for sowing grain, which will, it is
said, SOW 20 acres in day, and SOW it far
better, more even than can be done by hand.
In a country where such rich land was
bought for Ii dollars per acre, and put un-
der improvement with ne expense of clear
ing, it is easy to imagine how farmers have
prospered and still prosper. see scarcely