Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1854-10-26
iowa Sketches.

We make the following extract from
series Of papers in course OF publication i
the st. Louis latclligmcer. written from TIN
city by our correspondent NV oodtord -
/ IowA-Here IRE rest Such is the Aborig
inal Specification. When the Indian tribes
,f Sacs and Foxes, driven from their hunt
| ipg grounds east of the Mississippi river
crossed the river at this point Rock Island
and assembled the magnificent blum sk'rt,nl
the river, and from an elevated position
looked for the first tiaie on PLAN o.
emerald, vast. boundless, iliim'table, witt
pumberless herds ofgame, in their enraptur
ed fancy, they exclaimed "here zoe rest -
| On the plains at the foot oil the rapids
they built their wigwams. On the lofty
! hills were their mausaieums. The wide
spreading prairie furnished them with exer
| else in their favorite sports; also with food
and clothing. Nature never made coun
| try more charming to the fancy OF the say
a9e or civilized man; not even old kentuck
in its primitive beauty.
From the day that Black Hawk and his
warriors set foot on lowasol to The present
time, he who has any sense of the beaut,-
full and useful combined, and who visits this
region of country Involuntary says-"hcre
we rest. "--"Thls is good enougi--we sc
no further"
ToroGRAPnY.--Central Iowa, IS nearly
level plain--ihat is to say, there ire no h'sh
hills, bluff or mountains. The prairie - the
h CHEST Ian we have, it is of v ry uniform
height-with small streams at Intervals
everywhere giving gentle und.lating sur
face to the country. The streams are al
ways lower than the average level, and usu-
aly skirted with timber, which furnishes
shelter for stock and game-and ample fire
wood for the agrculturlst
Ab5 nj 400 feet is the highest summit lev
el above the Mississippi river. There are
three classes or grades Of soil, peculiar 70
the cliff. different attitudes of the State. or
we might say the crust Of the earth, is es-
sential,y different in different localities.
The Des Moines river valley, and the
country to 80 miles north of Burlington en-
braces one locality with its characteristics.
which NAV speak of hereafter.
The Iowa River valley-witll the belt Of
country living between it and the Waubesip-
inicon river constitute the second suodiVis-
ion of country and the Dubuque. or car
bonifcrous formation, the 3D. district This
last is the mineral bearing region.
But.t is of the Central and Second dis
trict, commonly called Central Iowa, that
We propose to speak at present This belt
OF territory embraces the counties OF Gin
ton. Jones, Linn, Benton, Tama, Marshall,
Polk, Powishek, Jasper. Mahaska, keokuk,
Iowa, Johnson, Cedar. Mus
,atiue, and Scott. This district in the
main, is emphatically misunderstanding u
.ieh, black porous soil on The surface, with
! red iron clay substratum.
In fertility of soil and agricultural wealth, |
this country is unexcelled-it may be equa.l- t
ed. Everything that is put into the ground,
for which the latitude is adapted, grows
The staple products and those which grow
most Iuxuriantly are grasses, corn, wheat,
oats, barley, buckwheGt, onions, cabbage
and potatoes, for which the country is cele-
brated
The soil is Of a character that is but lit
tie affected by the drought ompartively, and
hence all the crops this season are good.
though in other States they are burned up.
The average crops of corn per acre is about
30 bushels--of wheat 80 bushels, of barley
10 bushels, oats 35 bashels, OF hay 2 tons.
There is surplus enough to supply three
States or more.
Fiom the best estimate we are able TO
orm, from a careful review Of the country, !
We think fully nine tenths of this vast dis
rict are susceptible Of high cultivation
But not one-twentieth is yet improved
What vast population such country can
! Who can estimate them
WoopFoRp