Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1854-02-27
HOMES I'm WISCONSIN.

HOMES I'm WISCONSIN.
Under this general head. we have already
presented tolerably full view of the lands,
timber, rivers and streams, climate and health,
commercial position, &C., of the .south-wes-
tern counties of Wisconsin, known as the lead
region. We now come to describe the fea-
lures, or what some would call the physiogno-
my of the country, with any other matter OF a
miscellaneous character we may happen to
think of:
The broad ocean reveals nothing but sky
and water, of which the voyager soon GETS so
Familiar as to scarcely notice them at ali. He
longs for lie darkness of night to blot them
from his view, or fade their very existence
from his memory. That euenness Of q calm
sky and a still blue ocean makes him sea-sick
at heart. So of our western prairles and
plains we believe ali concede that any coun-
try having level surface, is cherries bar
zen to the soul.
Human nature loves kills and valleys, noun
tains and pains, silent waters and cataracts, in
however great profusion or confusion. The
more the merrier. Our very words and ac-
tons too, must possess mountains and plains
to make US agreeable companions. The more
mountains and plains we can get into news
paper editorial, the more it will be read and
admired. But this is depressing from our sub
ject. What we intend to illustrate by the pre-
ceding remarks, is, that level country has 10
home-!ike charms, because m6hotony is hu-
man natures antagonisn, and we loathe It as
children losthe the dark chamber.
We set down as a rule having no exceptions,
that a homes however humble, when surround
ed with hills and valleys is heaven-like pal
ace, compared with the opulent villa upon a
widespread, nonotonous prairie. We have
no mountains in the mines, nor dragged hills;
nor ragged precipces, nor death shaded val
leys,--no, not half the extremes OF wild ma
tures' shop-work that the mind desires. We
have heights though, and s'opes-wide valleys
with sweils standing guard round in sublime
confusion, like rolling sea, brought to dead
halt after bate with the giants we have NC
evergreen capped castle-lke rocks protruding
upwards, nor dey! dens entering dizzy heights,
though we have ledge, of rock running paral-
lei with some of our streams that answer FIRST
rate for fences to keep out hogs and other bar
barians! We are sorry the Geological Archi-
tect OF the Mines had more tender conscience
when he constructed our country, than he
had when he made the Allegheny Mountains.
Perhaps however he placed the noble Missis-
sippl along side of us to make up the differ
ence; and we must confess we'd ask fright
full boot to swap our king of waters for any
mountain ever seen.
The mining region Of Wisconsin is totally
different from any other part OF the West, in
every feature. The soil differs as much as the
lay Of the land, and the water differs more than
either, being of the purest unadulterated qua,-
ity. The timber differs, and so does the rock
The ridges have the same quality of sol! that
the slopes and valleys have, the subsoil and
cay beneath, for an unknown depth, are as
fertile, vegetation as well as the
soil some think that were the cay turned up
to the surface from any depth, it would be SUI
perior to any other land for wheat
II must not be understood from what we
have said above that ours is a billy country
If compared with dead level, it may be call
led billy, or with billy country, ieve! so it
is neither. The heights are merely broad
swe,ls, like half developed carbuncles,-slo-
ping off for miles, and then rising again from
valleys. Timber grows in clusters, and there
are many Coax Springs" so called by Hon. C,
A. MURRAY, in his Prairie Bird novel.