Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1854-03-07
what is Nebraskaq

AT time when the Nebraska question is
before the country, il may be interesting to
know something Of the geography Of The ter
rilory, upon which the question of slavery
or freedom, may, after all, turn, and upon
which scarcely anything seems TO have been
published in the newspapers:
The information on Nebraska is meagre
a. the most, Altogether the fullest and
mos, acuraie account thai has met my eye,
is that to be found in the large volume Of
Col Fremont, containing the reports of his
expeditions to California and Oregon in
1923 and 4. The volume contains In ad.
dilion 10 Fremont's narrative, reports Of the
botany Of the country by those having
charge Of these departments; also asironom.
ical observations. etc. Horns Overland
Guide, is a thin book and It's information is
confined TO the routes pursued by emigrants.
Ovens Geological Survey gives inlorma.
lion of,he Geology Of Nebraska, and School.
crafts large work on the Indians gives
quite full statistics on the Indian tribes
Of the territory.
Nebraska is so named from one Of its
largest rivers, the Nebraska or Platte. Ac.
cording 10 The returns Of the last census, il
contains one hundred and .hiry-six thou.
sand seven hundred square miles. Of a terri
tory as large as New England, New York
and South Carolina. 1t should be stated,
however, taking the southern line at 81
deg, as MI. Douglas proposes, the territory,
as thus organized, will be much larger than
The portion iha, has been usually designated
as Nebraska; embracing large portion
Of the Indian territory, and mos. of. lndi-
an tribes, excep. the Chociaws, The Creeks,
the Chickasaws, and portion Of the Chero-
KEGS. yl
Nebraska as proposed 10 be organized,
will be vast region, having The various
climates that are enjoyed in Missouri, Iowa,
and Minnesota, that lie on the eastern Dor.
der; only the climate, like The face of the
country, is more Asiatic. The eastern por.
ton OF il is chiefly prairie and rich aluvial.
The middle is more sandy and barren, con.
tanning the great American desert; and the
western is mountainous, the highest noun
tains being covered with almost perpetual
snow.
The Inhabitants Of Nebraska may be sew.
enty.five thousand, mostly Indians. The
whites are military men. Indian agents, and
missionaries. Within week, paragraphs
have appeared in The papers, announcing
that newspaper is about to be established
a. old Fort Kearney, called the Nebraska
Democrat, and that post office is 10 be es-
.ablished some forty miles from ii, for the
accommodation OF emigrants two important
clemens 10 begin the work OF civilizng the
territory. 49, IL faa
! Nebraska is and must ever be mainly an
agricultural region, ltis far from the ocean
and he's no great lakes The Platte river,
though from one 10 three miles wide, is on.
ly nayigable for steamboats, forty miles.
From what even the Indians have accom-.
plished in agriculture, the country seems 10
hold out grea. hopes 10 the farmer. The
Indians there are mostly supported by agri-
culture, and according 10 returns before me,
Iour tribes of Christian Indians on the nor
thern and southern banks of the Kansas,
cultivate four thousand acres. From these
they-rased in late year, 10000 bushels ol
corn, 1850 bushels of wheat, and $4,000
bushels OF oals, 1000 hogs, 300 900 melons
Of different kinds. They keep 600 working
oxen, and large number Of horses. The an
nual value Of their produc. is pu. down al
$3l 900. The number Of these Indians is
placed at 27O2.
Theterri,ory is no. well wooded Pop
lar, elm, birch, willow, pines, whiie-oak
NAPLES and other trees are found in moder-
ate numbers The cottonwood tree mucf
abounds in the rivers. Wild animals, sucf
as buffaloes, deer, wild horses, mountain
sheep, prairie dogs, wolves, elks, and ante
lopes, abound in this country Statesman