Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1853-11-17
From the Parkville Luminary.
N Z B r a s KA.

Der, STREAMS, FACILITIES, &c.
ROUTES, SOILS, CLIMATE, APP
PEARANCE OF COUNTRY SET
ELEMENTS, SC.
On the 4th day of October, we left Park
Vile on tour Of exploration; crossed the
Missouri river at Kuykendal's excellent
Ferry at this place, and took the fine road
westward used by the California and Oregon
Emigrants who prefer the Kansas Valley
route, on account OF grass being two weeks
earlier in the spring, than either of the 9TH
Ell routes. We crossed the Fort Scott and
Fort Leavenworth road, about ten miles
from this place, and took nearly westerly
direction, on the same excellent road; cross
ing Stranger Creek, we came in sight Of the
Kansas river, where it makes a bend in q
southerly direction, about forty miles distant
from Parkville. Crossed the Grasshopper
and Soldier Creek-beautifu clear streams
running in south-easterly direction to the
Kansas river, and about eight miles, at Mil
ler's Trading Post, struck the military road
from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Riley
We crossed the Independence, and Oregon,
and California Road, the Little and Big
Vermllion rivers, the Blue riyer,-where
according TO the official maps, the Indian
reservations are bounded on the west. We
here found Mr.. GARLAND in charge of the
Government Ferry, about five miles from
the mouth Of The Blue, and twenty-four
miles below Fort Riley. About five miles
from this Ferry we crossed beautiful,
well-timbered creek, and seven miles fur
Their, another of like description, vending
their way through rich and beautiful up
land rolling prairie 10 the Kansas; about
twelve miles further on we reached the
New Fort which has q commanding site at
the junction of the Republican and Smoky
Hill forks of the Kansas, which is reported
to be navigabe to this point by Lieut.. It'd
BALL, Of the army. This is the centre .or
9 country belonging TO the U. S., on the tfi-
rect central route 10 the great States and
Territories lying west of the Missouri, u
region of unsurpassed fertility, and the
most picturesque and beautiful scenery.
On our way, for the first one hundred
miles through the middle of the Delaware
and Potawatamie reservations, we observed
fine timber, not only on The main streams
running south caserly intothe Kansas, but
on nearly all the tributaries ard creeks
which flow into the main streams from the
,Praifies. The country was abundantly wa
tered, and we observed that wherever the
Indians had cultivated the soil, even in their
ordinary manner, they were rewarded with
good crops.
Finding ourselves on the west shore Of
the Blue river, and on lands belonging 10
the United States, we were mere particu-
lar in our observations. We took our way
TO the banks of the Kansas and reached
that river about four miles below the con-
fluence of the Blue. We here found the
bottom from two TO three miles wide and ex-
tremely rich, and the prairie extending
northward and up the valley Of the Blue
river rich and fertile. The bottoms Of the
Blue will average from three fourths TO a
mile wide Of tmber--walnut, maple, hack
berry and hickory. The soil en- the bot
toms of the large and small streams is al
ways very rich through the whole region
of this prairie country, and excellent tim
Der OIL nearly all these streams. The upper
prairies are an immense deposite of sand
and gravel, intcrspersed with rocky points,
covered with good and very generally a
rich soil.
The head waters Of the Big and Little
Nermilions, are in United States territory,
US well as the whole waters of the Blue.
The following detached extracts which
coincide with our observations, are taken
from the report Of Col. FREMoNT, in 1912,
aud will show the general character Of the
country in this direction:
ave crossed at ten o'clock the Big Yer
million, which has rich bottom about one
cupied by timber. The country on the
high prairie to-day was rather more broken,
rising still, and covered everywhere with
fragments of selicious limestone. parlicu-
larly on the SUBMITS, where they were
small and thiekly strewed as pebbles on the
shores Of the sea. This was about one hun
bred miles from the mouth of the Big Yer
million. There were fine valleys and good
springs interspersed through This upland
prairie, with occasional groves of timber
We reached the Big Blue, and encamped on
the uplands on the western side, near small
creek, where was fine lalge spring of very
cold water. This was clear and hand
some stream, one hundred and twenty feet
wide, running with rapid current through
well timbered valley.
Passing the Blue, the road led along a
high, dry ridge. Dark lines of timber indi-
Gated the heads of streams in the plains be-