Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-06-30
NEBRASKA.
It's Grocraphy AMI Natural rGpnbii!"s.
Correspondence of the New York Tribune.
'jTI.,,, l,,, J,,. 4

~. i,otl>, j Hi!suiN, JUNO II' 1914.
propose 10 give YOU. for the information of your
renders mn accurate pca description ot these
Territories derived chiefly Gol personal obscrva-
tiuu u li!icnt inquiries 0! traders and rappcr- du
ring n,lg period of familiar intercourse with them.
The boundaries Of Nebraska, ms given in the late
net of Congress- nrc rs follows viz North bv the lih
par;rl of latitude. separating nlr territories
ward from those Of Great BRITAIN south by the lOIir
parallel few miles bcIow hc northwest corner Of the
S:a;e nf Missouri, east hy the Missouri River, the
wcs;c,: liIrrof Minnesota, and 'asj jy;hc Inun ridge
of the Rocky Mountains.
I'll, face ri :hc country from the Missouri river
westward l." the spurs ol the mountains Is rnliiu,
prairie bu little diversified in ts aspect by the
intersection oi is streams. I'll: soil, for spncc VA
ryi.i. from 10 to I00 miles west nj the Missouri river
aud the State line, i nearly identical with that nl
Inwa and Missouri. The Highlands are open prairic-,
covered with grasses; the river b";:om :, deep rich
lulIn, shaded by dense forests. From this first dis
trct to nbuu. the mouth Lem Y~i Can't Running
Water Rivcr,) il is one bundles cxpansc Df rolling
prairie, largely iIicrmiXcd with sand H. In he III.
most unfit for ordinary agricultural purposes. The
prair!rs are. however rarpCtcI Will; succl'c grass
e., aurS al lncyIa>ii5lc supply for herds ot eat
Ne aud sheep.
Tie rlirl district is formation Of n.arl and cnrthy
limestone, and extends in belt "f innny miles east
and nj the Muudan Villages, the most north
bend ri the Missouri river, n! -uuiLward across
the southern boundary "i the territory This soil
not br otherwise than very productive. should
oats. uvc seen, also. very fine Indian corn along
the upper valleys of The Missouri river. Ii is in this
district TINT what called hHht'S by the Canadian
French and ,yyps by the Spaiiiartls are pruflrsclv
scattered Here aud there the ,ruvcicrtnl- surface:
VARYING III diameter from Il hundred feet ir mile
elevated from fifteen IL ity feet above the s;rGcr.--
They not hills "r knobs, the sides al vrl, nr'
nlnr.: less steep and covered with grass. ilciI
sides are nearly perpendicular. their slIr!ucGs fiat. and
often covered with mountain cherries aud other shrubs
They huvc In" appearance nj having been suddenly
elevated above the surrounding surface bv some slIc
ciic
The lnarl and limestone formation is in many local
itics, worked intu iun:irsr picturesque forms by
the action of the elements. In one place especially
called hy the traders i.a .NJ"r0iSr Icrrt, tthc ba
grGundJ and about thirty miles in diameter, il has
assumed n marvellous variety Of singular forms From
point of view il assumes the aspcc; ol IN
extensive aud frownng nricnrion; from another,
the appearance Of an oriental city crowned with
,loinrS and minGrcs and from II third, the appcnr.
ni sterile, broken and unattructivc c",grcga-
tiun Of ;,Icongrlous clements These dciu-ivc ap-
pcara!ircs arc produced by distance and the position
al the SIN.
The wrecks Of the r!iluvian period Of geology are
spread all this REGION ana most proiscIv that
portion north Of the Missouri river Detached mnsscs
Of rock, some of them hundreds of tons in weight,
wholly uncoIncrtcd with the nd inrcnt geological for
nations and evidently allied Ia those OF the northern
Rocky Mountain region, dot the whole country.
The district which will cn tn" fourth. lying north
of the Missouri river and wcs, ri Minnesota 4
rcssion Of untHtng pans the soil OF which IL quit"
fertile but rather dry These plains are covered with
thick grassy SwarL, which s,iH:aiiiS nlnuinrIabic
herds Of bison, elk and deer
Tho fifth district i. N the bnsc q! the Black li!ll,
between that range mud the Rocky Mountains, AMI
includes the valley of the Yellow Stone, OF the
Maria's River and variety o other small valleys.
circuvallatcd ly the amplGtlca;rc OF mountains ami
gorgeous mountain scenery. The valley u tic Vel
luw Stone is spacious, fertile nlrl Snlubrim's. The
streams are rinu,d with trees, from whence thr val
ley cXpands many miles 10 the mountains Inc trhv-
clcr can almost imagine himself upon the Dannhc,
inr the valley is srnkcd over at long intervals with
cyclnprnn structures n granite closely assnIla:cd in
appearance, from distant view, 10 the stern una soil.
turv castles with which Europe WIS covered and
guarded during the middle ages But these structures
exceed those OF Europe in magnitude ana grandeur,
and the woods and waters nre diSpoScit WIFI tastc
and beauty which the highest art must ever toll after
in vain. 1t is cnrrclcd by rich glrdlc of heights
and mountains, the ha-cs and dark sides OF which nre
obscurcd in shrubs and the SUBMITS tiltfed with rich
forest trees And here is 10 be- the seat "t p"puius
aud powerful community in the lar iuturc'
The Missouri River was nsccndcd hy Lewis ana
Clark in canoes II distance of 5000 miles. II has
hccn mavgaicd by steamboats, To the i9at o the 'rent
Fulls $500 miles. From the point where the No,o-
way, In Missouri strc'm enters 1t upward, the nor
thcrn bluffs rccetc, enring hr"nd' open; rnilins
plain. On the south bank the highlands skirt the
stream closely. Above Council Bluifs Opposite
kuucsvlc Iowa. the bluffs on both sides rccedc and
there is little or timber save nnly paachg. "i cot
ton wood. From the mouth OF jacques ltlvcr the
river wiley continues to become turnover III me paSs
of the mountains. The river valley Is the only rich
aluviun the highlands being ntcrinlXcd with sand
largely, and unfit for agriculture, except III the thrd
district already described. Down as 10" as TIC MAN
dan village the water is ~ clear as the ONO. FROM
thence onward to It's mouth IL Is li'l'tcgn'Gn u! ,'s
tributaries with mari ad snn, ana ni"hys LOOKS as
muddy Us If in frcslIct.
The sprii. trcshct usually occurs about tho ist at
June. Except during this iItslct' the usceht above
Council Blufs, by boats o ~ t"-' Is aruuons hA.s
difficult; und its descent by such boats nearly n"ssi-
hlc ON account of the number aud shifting character
of the bars There is difference "i degrees III
the specific GRAVITY uf the waters OF the Missouri at
the mouth of the Kansas river ana tue waters "i IN"
latter stream. The former la1 many more tributaries
running through nr @n4 ,bs MfHs is neriy r Tsts Twice
that of the Upper Mississippi. The Oinocn "niy en-
cceds il in velocity The Missouri on the ilst rara-
lei is more than 500 feet above the Mississippi Oh 'he
same line :,
Missnur; nrn nor numerous and OF them above
Council Bluffs are navignbc for anything but railot-'
The large SPACE intervening between !; ana ;hc great
Platte Tor Nrbraska is destitute "t streams anu heHr
SO Of springs. Hence the Srnsr "i, 'nG ,aseI rod
tion of This immcnsc truct becomes wlthercd and
stuutcd very cnrlv III the season. Us chie iriou'a
rics nre the platte. the Sioux, the jacques the Leau
qui Court, tho White, the Hart, aud the Yellow
Stone.
The Platte rises near the iOth degree OF nii;udo;
and onri,mde O6 degree in the R"cky mountains and
fou.s ,Innc.. Erhward and Eastward 10 lis outlet,
receiving the South Fork in latitude fl deg and lon
sud 100 deg Al the Junction ." f. 's s;yS M1 forks IS 'ss
shallow rnd NJ cnprcuus, in consequence ui its
mick sands that il may be considered almost use
ess for nnrnoses OF commerce. Wore lis waters con
finei 70 channel of thousand feet in width would
be one of tue noblcst streams III the world but this
~ f,aon aud twenty miles in width. Ii is ge-
perallv dead aut, elevated only from eighteen TO
.wnnty-s;x ;nchcs ubov. the surface Of the stream,
and tbe areater portion liable to pundOtion 1t
tirely destitute Of timber, but produces laxarlan;
growth of the richest grapes.
Mountains, but their exact location has never been