The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1854-09-08
NEBRASKA TERRITORY.

from the Nebraska Palladium" paper re
Gently commenced at Belview: .r...
THAT portion of Nebraska in which tn,
Indian titles have been extinguished, and il
now open for settlement, is equal in extent t.
the six New England States, and situated i'm
mediately west of the States of Iowa, Mis-
souri,, and the Territory of Minnesota; having
q front of five hundred miles on the Missouri
river, and divided by the great Nebraska
which has it's source in the South Pass of the
Rocky Mountains, and, flowing east, dis
charges its waters into the Missouri at Al
deg. l3 sec. N. l.. 1t is large and bold stream
from hali-a-mie to mile in width; has s
strong current, smooth sandy bed, substantial
banks, free from snags and rocks, and affords
at all seasons of the year a sufficiency o
water for ight-draught steamers, for distance
of from five hundred to one thousand miles
According to the statement of experienced
navigators on the Upper Missouri, the Nebras-
ka is now much better stream for navigation
than the Missouri was twenty five years ago.
| Within that time, both of these mighty rivers
have undergone remarkable changes, which
are highly favorable to commercial purposes.
Their waters have concentrated into narrower
and deeper channels, and the change is still
progressing, and will continue to increase with
the increase of commerce, until navigation
will be easy, safe, and consequently cheap.
In addition to the commercial facilities afford
ed by these magnificent rivers, there are nu.
merous others of less magnitude suitable for
keel boats, flats, RATS, &c, dividing the coun-
try in various directions, in such way as to
bring their advantages within convenient dis
tInce.
'The face of the country presents rich
variety OF plateaus and gentle undulations,
extending in every direction as far as the eye
can reach, being sufficiently rolling to pro-
mote drainage, with vast number of small
streams Of clear pure water running in all di-
rections, and atfording better supply for the
purposes of life than can be found in any 9TH
er part of the Mississippi valley. These
streams are all made from springs of the pu-
rest and best water, and in many neighbor-
hoods are so numerous that each farm of / so
acres may have one or more of them sutf-
GENTLY large to supply all the wants Of a
densely populated country. The temperature
OF the water is very low, and generally free
from all mineral impregnatiOns, except a small
portion of lime. Occasionally may be seen u
sui phur or chalybeate spring, which is sup
posed to contain medical virtues equal to the
waters at those fashionable resorts in the
Eastern States. In the immediate vicinity Of
Be!view may be seen several Of superior
quality, and so located as to offer as strong
inducements to the lover of beautiful scenery,
the fashionable, the gay, or the invalid, as any
unimproved place to be found ia the vast val
ley of the Great West ...t, ....
H. al ;, .;.h ,,aoof,h1o
strongly impregnated with the carbonate of
lime, and enough OF the carbonate of iron to
give it dark brown color, and is from three
n ten foot dosp, with q rioh subsoil, under.
laid with red granular clay from fifty to one
hundred feet thick This soil is not inferior
for the production of all the grains peculiar
to this lattude-roots, vines, and other vege-
tables-to any upon the face of the earth.
This has been established by experience in all
parts of the Territory; but to the keen eyed
farmer, who understands the capacity of the
different soils, it Is only necessary to see it in
order to appreciate its superiority. ....
"The timber consists chiefly of cotton
wood, oak, hickory, walnut, and ash Each
OF these species of timber has several varie-
ties. The cottonwood grows to large size,
and from eighty to one hundred feet in height.
Timber is found along the margins of all the
large and most of the small streams which
penetrate the whole country. Though there
is not an abundance of timber, there is suffi-
cient to supply large population. Cedar is
found in various parts o. the Territory, and
will yet become an important article in the
future commerce of Nebraska As a whole,
the country might be thought by those COM
inc from thickly tmbered REGIONS to have a
scarcity, bu. when we reflect upon the late
improvements in fencing, warming houses,
and other purposes to which timber is applied,
and the facility with which it can be raised,
we have reason to believe that the settlement
of the country will not BIZ materially retarded
by its scarcity" .... .....