Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-10-15
Correspondence Of the Kansas Herald.

Correspondence of the Kansas Herald.
A Horse5ack Rasa5L lsrongh rho DsiapGre Coun-
Hy.-Scsnsyy--Soil--M 2its.-Crseks ia Ges-
sral, and Stranger CrseI ~ Partieuk1y.--An In
dam Hotel Timber on tbs KANSAS, a.
VALLEY OF THE Kansas RIv8R,
~ Septessbsr ~, 1854;
EDIToRs OF THE KANSAS HERAIp ~ wish 10
place myself right with your readers on one
point An impression is quite prevalent, and
too well founded / imagine, that many of the
letters from foreign cities, and especially from
London and Paris, are written in the imme-
date vicinity of the papers in which they are
published. Now don't wish it to be thought
that ] am practicing similar humbug, when,
in fact I am nearly forty miles from your
| sanctum, and amid the scenes i endeavor to
set forth. Shortly after leaving the city Of
Leavenworth, on the morning of my departure,
and about two miles from Pilot Knob" fell
| in with party Of nine gentlemen on their way
| to the New England settlement. Like myself,
| they were on tour Of observation, and arriy-
| ing just as they were leaving campr-fur they
had slept out in delightful groye--I attached
myself to the cayalcade. The. place of their
encampment H. worthy of special notice, be-
cause, for some distance around, the view is
most tranquil and enchanting. A more agree
able place for a residence can hardly be found.
II combines fertility of soil with, romantic
scenery. Whoever gets homestead there will
surely have prize. AS approached it Ifelt
anxious to learn if any one had made claim
upon it. / was not long IN suspense, for
found three men already building cabin, as
the ueaas Of securing title. This mind You,
was on the Delaware land !; and was told that
all the "claims" adjoining were taken.
Our course being in southwest direction
necessarily led US through the central portion
Of the Delaware county. This section ap-
peared to be much more fertile than the east
ern part, or that bordering on the Missouri.
In many places the grass is over fyefeet high.
Weeds and flowers Of every hue shoot up with
! q luxuriance that can hardly, be described.
Not only is vegetation thus rank in the low
| land, but on the more elevated prairie the same
fairness Of soil ID frequently observed. Here
and there the curious phenomena Of quick
sands appear. These are spots thickly matted
with fine short grass, and which, in wet seasons,
are miry. A little way off they remind one Of
the cranberry beds which dot our northern
meadows. No where in the route do we lose
sight of the @tall ancestral trees.r The tim
ber-I would fain call it--of Kansas grows in
such various forms, or clusters, as almost to
enable a careful eye to identify any section of
the country. in one place you will see the
edge Of the forest entirely even for miles; then
q cluster growing in as much order as if planted
! for grove by human hands; or o collection
| Of sturdy elms, standing in solemn majesty
alone, as if sheltering the temple of an ancient
oracle. Such, indeed, is the magnificent APP
pearance of the woodland that view will more
than counterbalance the menotony of tramp
across the prairie. ~
+ OF all the native fruits Of Kansas, the pa,e-
pap is certainly the richest. Its favor is SINH
lar to the banana which it also resembles in
color. II has large seeds of the size of q coffee
bean, and grows on large bowed trees about
fifteen feet in height. The fruit begins to ripen
in the middle Of September To some they
are at first taste unpalatable on account Of
their condensed sweetness, for they are "sweeter
than honey or the honey comb" We also
noticed different species of plums. The red
are most abundant, there is another kind
larger, Of light purple color, which ripen
later than the red. There are also various
species of grapes and small apples. Some of
the grapes are respectable in size, and asreea-
bic in taste; but the apples, oh, how souri,
fortunately they are few and far between after
biting one Of them it is difficult to draw the
countenance into its natural shape. ] have
a
eat a whole one, but as can't think Your
readers would believe ii, won stop to relate it
1.-The creeks we crossed, especially the Big
Stranger, are all well skirted with timber and
shrubbery. They all bear witness to the Sc
we're drought The Stranger manages TO keep
up run, just enough TO preserve right Of
way. At the place where our trail intersected
it, is an excellent mill privilege. These are
rare,features in the streams of Kansas, as is
well known. The country along its banks pre-
sents unsurpassed attractions for settlements.
Many spots might be selected for residences
well suited to the admirer Of romantic scenery.
An abundance Of limestone is found in the vi.
cinity, and it would appear from the mineral
substances which protruded from the surface Of
the soil near the water, that coal could be dis.
covered with but little trouble. saAt
In travelling over so fertile and lovely sec
ton, it is a matter of establishment that the In
dian population is so sparse. Daring the whole
day, in which we went thirty,fve miles and up
wards, only four Indian houses we're TO be seen.
At one Of these, the halfway house, not far be.
yond the Stranger, We stopped to dine and bait
corn6eld, well fenced in, would have showed a
stranger that the proprietor was person Of
more than ordinary enterprise and industry for
red man. But as some Of the party had be-
fore been entertained AZ the hotel we did not
need TO rely on such extrinsic evidence. Mad
anne Ton-genoxey in the absence Of her
spouse, readily made arrangements TO accom-.
modate MS, although we could not speak her
language, or she ours.H Our horses RECALLED
themselves on unthreshed oats One Of the
little Ton.ge.noxey's and dog fnade chase
after two toerable sized chickens which were
soon overcome and slaughtered for our benefit.
These, little pork, some plain -four bread,
with tea and coffee, made our repast II was
very well cooked, and though we had no milk
nor butter for they had no cows, notwithstand.
ing the facilities for keeping stock the dipner
was as agreeable as the circumstances under
which it was taken were novel; We paid "four
bits each-which made no very trifing sum
total and babe our intelligent and fair hostess
n kind adieu.
| With your permission I wiz now jump from
the Little Stranger to within Eve miles Of the
Kansas. Here is remarkable picture. Just
as we enter the noble forest stretching along
the northern bed Of the river, there Is an exca.
walton about as wide as the Kansas, and as
deep as its usual banks, which is said 10 have
once been the channel Of the river can