Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1854-07-06

marvellous variety of singular forms. From
one point of view it assumes the aspect OF an
extensive and frowning fortifcation from ano-
ther, the appearance of an oriental city crown
ed with domes and minnarets; and from
third the appearance of a sterile broken and
unattractive congregation of incongruous ele
ments These delusive appearances are pro-
duced by distance and the position of the sun.
The wrecks of the aeluyian period of geol-
ogy, are spread all over tbs region, and most
profusely on that portion north Of the Missouri
river Detached masses of rock, some of
them hundreds of tons in weight, wholly un-
connected with the adjacent geological for
nations, and evidently allied to those of the
northern Rocky Mountain region. dot the
whole country.
The district which will call the fourth, ly-
ing north of the Missouri river and west of
Minnesota is the succession of undulatlng
plains, the soil of which is quite fertile but
rather dry. These plains are covered with
thick grassy sward, which sustains innumer-
able herds Of elk and deer.
The fifth district is at the base of the Black
Hills, between that range and the Rocky
Mountains, and includes the valley the Iel-
low Stone, of the Maria's River, and a variety
of other small valleys, circumvallated by the
amphitheatre of mountains and gorgeous
mountain scenery. The valley of the Yellow
Stone is spacious, fertile and salubrious. The
streams are fringcd with trees, from whence
the valley expands many miles to the noun
tains. The traveller can almost imagine him.
self upon the Danube, for the valley is sprink
led over at long intervals with cyclopean
structures of granite closely assimilated in
appearance from distant view, to the stern
and solitary castles with which Europe was
covered and guarded during the middle ages.
But these structures exceed those of Europe
in magnitude and grandeur, and the woods
and waters are disposed with taste and beau
ty which the highest art must ever toll after
in vain 1t is encircled by rich girdle of
heights and mountains, the basis and dark
sides of which are obscured in shrubs, and the
SUBMITS tufted with rich forest trees. And
here is to be the seat of a populous and pow
erful community in the far future
The Missouri River was ascended by Lew
is and Clark, IN canoes, distance of 1000
miles. 1t has been navigated by steamboats,
to the foot of the great Falls, 2, 500 miles
From the point where the Nodoway, Ca Mis-
souri, stream) enters it upward, the northern
! bluffs recede, leaving, broad, open, rolling
plain On the south bank the highlands
skirt the stream closely. Above Council Bluffs,
opposite KanesviIle. Iowa, the bluffs both
sides recede, and there is little or timber
save only branches of cotton wood From the
mouth of Jaques River the river valley con-
tinues to become narrower to the base of the
mountains. The river valley is the only rich
alluvion, the highlands being intermixed with
sand largely, and unfit for agriculture except
in the third district already described Down
as low as the Madam village the water is as
clear as the Ohio. From thence onward to
its mouth it is inpregnated by its tributaries
4, Il .,I IoIy lopl-s ,,,ul
dy as if in a frcshet.
The spring freshet usually occurs about the
Ist of June Except during this freshet,
the ascent above Council Bluffs, of 30 tons,
is arduous and difficult, and the descent by
such boats nearly impossible, on account of
the number and shifting character Of the bars
There is difference of degrees in the spe-
cifc gravity of the waters of the Missouri at
the Kansas River and the waters of the latter
stream. The former has many more tribu-
tares running through mari and quicksand
The average rapidity of the waters of the
Missouri is nearly twice that of the Upper
Mississippi The Orinoco only exceeds it in
velocity. The Missouri on the 4lst parallel
is more than 500 feet above tho Mississippi,
on the same line
After leaving the Great Falls the tributa-
ries of the Missouri are not numerous, and
none of them above Council Bluffs are navi-
gable for anything but canoes. The large
space intervening between it and the Great
Platte Cor Nabraska) is destitute of streams
and nearly so of springs. Hence the grass on
the larger portion of this immense tract be-
comes withered and stunted very early in the
season. Its chief tributaries are the Platte,
the Sioux the Jacques, the l. eau qul Court,
the White, the Hart and the Yellow Stone.
The Platte rises near the 10th degree OF
latitude. and longitude 106 deg. in the Rocky
Mountains, and flows thence northward and
eastward to its outlet receiving the South
Fork in latitude IL deg and longitude 100
deg. At the junction of the two forks the
river is over FIVE thousand feet in width. 1t is
so shallow and so capricious, in consequence
of its quicksands, that it may be considered
as almost useless for purposes of commerce
Were its waters confined to channel of
thousand feet in width it would be one of the
noblest streams in the world but this may be
considered impossible The valley is from
eight to fifteen and twenty miles III width
1t is generally dead fat, elevated only from
eighteen to twenty-six inches above the sur
face of the stream, and the greater portion lia-
bic to inundation 1t is entirely destitute of
timber, but produces a luxuriant growth OF
the richest grapes.
The Yellow Stone has its sources in the
Rocky Mountains, but their exact location has
never been discovered 1t flows northeast
wardly to its mouth. 1t has been nayigated
for eighty miles by steamboats,, and may be
rendered usefuliy available for other craft
two hundred and fifty miles / look upon its
valley as the garden spot of Nebraska 1t is
finely timbered and watered. In the future.
he riaI 6o