The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-01-13

by tie beech and maple forests felled by
our forefathers and with its abundance
of rock and stone coal, and fair supply of
wood, may be brought into use forty years
IN advance of a country heavily timbered.
Rails may be drawn ten miles, with which
to inclose farm. by one tenth of the Ia
Dor required to clear up forest land. Stone
and the Usage orange hedge may also be
resorted to for fencing with great adyant-
age. Again, the more emigrants see and
know of the country, the more they viii
be pleased and satisfied with Its superb
ority. Kansas, as a whole, no better
country can be found.
Country South of the Kansas River.
An exploring party, says the Park
vile Luminary, recently started from
this place on tour through the country
on the Wakarusa, and on the Msrais des
Cygnes, pronounced Mara-de4zeen j
and to them are we indebted for the
memorandums from which the following
paragraphs are arranged. We are also
under obligation to them fora fine speci-
men Of pure bituminous coal, to which
reference is made below -
Setting out from Parkville, we have
no specific observations to record, until
We come to the Wakarusa. We passed
up this river on the south side, over some
fine prairies, high and rolling. The bot
toms appeared to be rather low-the
timber averaging from quarter to
mile wide; we saw few springs of good
water. We travelled UP the Wakarusa
for about 80 miles, when we turned off
south, and our course now was for Is
milesover high prairies, till we struck the
timber on the waters of the Marais des
Cygnes. Here we found numerous fine
streams, we'll timbered-the wood averag-
ing mile in width-high rich bottoms
timber consisting, for the most part, of
burr-oak, walnut, mulberry, and coffee
bean-trees tall, and would make fine
lumber.
Below the Ottawa, and down through
the Peoria and Kaskaskia country, there
is an extensive body of splendid timber
we should say, not less than 10 miles
wide, and Is miles long. The prairies
between the streams are well adapted for
farms. There is undoubtedly timber
enough on the head waters of the Marais
des Cygnes to fence in, for agricultural
purposes, at least 60 miles square
'"There is, besides, an almoStinexhausti-
BILE supply of fine lime rock, for building
and fencing purposes. The springs do
not appear to be very numerous, but the
drought may have temporarily exhausted
many of them and the probability is,
that excellent water for household use
viii be found in abundance when the set
tiers come in. The water in the branch
es looked clear and good while there
is no scarcity of stock water, and ample
range. The pea-vine grows here in dense,
almost impenetFable masses. The bottoms
extend from one to three miles in width,
and are covered with winter grass-where
stock may be left throughout the entire
cold season, without extra feeding, and
keep in first-rate order.
"Here it must be noted, that whosoever
comes down in this region of country,
should first find out John King, an intel
ligent Ottawa, who will give all needful
information to newcomers, show them
good claims, &C.; he can be implicitly
relied upon, for he has an accurate knowl-
edge of the whole country.
1--WE saw fine mill site near the
mouth of Pottawatomie Greek near BY,
there were also large cave, and large
spring.
"fhe Ottawa tribe at present own a
tract 10 miles square, and they think of
keeping it while the smaller tribes talk
of taking their reserves on Bull Creek
and North Sugar Creek.
"On the whole, the section of Kansas
Territory over which we have travelled
is capable of being made one of the best
in the new country, although at present
it is greatly overlooked. The coal, of
which We gathered some excellent speci-
mems, crops out ON the Wakarusa, and
doubtless extends across the country,
southeast to the Missouri State line,
where it again comes on the surface, and
is obtained in large quantities in the vi
cinity of Westport. There are excellent
roads to Kansas City, which is the near
est commercial point to this fine region
| of country"