Council Bluffs bugle. [volume] (City of Council Bluffs, Iowa) 1853-1857, 1855-01-12
Sketches OF Iowa, No. III.
By Z. P. Z.
THE STATE AT LARGE.


Before speaking of ind vldusl c1unties 1t
would perhaps be well 10 make some gener-
al remarks,.rel tive to the State at large.
The present articl-, then, shalt be devoted
to these gene-alities. Iowa contains an area
of $4,000 square miles, AMI is bounded on
the Moth BY the line of AZ deg. 80 min,
being over 200 miles from its northern to its
southern limits. Its Eastern shore, for
distance of six hur dred miles, is washed by
| the great Father of Waters. on whose bosom
| is borne on its way to distant lands, the rich
! p. oduCtIOns of our fertile soil Along our
| Western border rushes the wild Missouri, fl
emblem OF the impetuons AMI determined
character Of the population Who have made
| their homes on its banks. The big Sioux Or
{ Calumet river forms our North Western
boundary, for the distance Of about eighty
miles. The State is divided into one hund-
red counties, eighty five Of which, have
been surveyed, and seventy regurlarly or
ganiEed.
! All OF these counties are irhabited' A
portion of them It is true, contain bu. few
| hardy pioneers, whose cabins are often sep
Grated bv many miles, and who have exiied
| themselves 4frcin society in order 10 join The
eXci,enients OF hunting, with the labors Of
the field. But generally they contain flour
iehin; settlements closely connects d. and the
great majority of them are podplcd by thou'
sands Of busy thriving citizens, al struggl-
in. and eager t. secure a eolhi etence, and
have home when old age Is come upon
them. Already our population numbers
near half million, AMI toryears past, the
stream of humanity which isrouring into
our forests and upon our plains has been
swollen, and will continue TO swell from year
to year.
Virtue intelligence, ,rehneTusnt and wealth
eharxctecizes the late emigrations. They
have already had their effect upon our socie-
ty. The wees inc dent to Lew couutry
have left uS--a hi -her standerd Of morals
has..been adopted and rigidly respected, anil
today, Iowa can boast q morsli V which VIII
no. snffer in co parison vi hit Of older
States. and her citizens have an energy and
indie, ,eudence If character which is OILY the
offSpri Oh western culture and western
scenery.
The interior Of our State is traversed in
every dire ion by robe streams, whose
banks are stud ie with every variety of trees
and shaubbery. The DeSmoineS, the Chec-
uqpe, {vulgarly clllei Skunk) the Iowa,
the Wapsipiri'on, the Mikoqleta, the ur-
kew ami Yellow rivers, after tnwing through
the State. dispensing health and fertility,
AMI adding beauty To every scene wherein
they form part, flow away, some to the
Mississippi AMI o'hers 10 swell the current
of the mad Miss nuri. Some Of these sire
ans are navigahle for great dstancr, AMI
the time is coming soon. wh-n the shrill
whistle nf the steamer will be a common and
fan.iliar sound upon lh.ir wat rs-when
they will be Il ed as throughfRrcs tor trans-
t'portation of cur rich production The un-
told power OF some Of these waters will soon
be utilized for macha,ical purposes, and
but a short time will elapse ere the the thun-
der and clatter Of the ten-thousand wheels
of machinery Will break upon The solitude
which echoes now, only to the ''harvest senc,'
or to the notes of the sweet va blers of the
forest. The great works are already COM
men-ed upon more than one of these rivers
which will stamp our greatness aud convince
the world that ''progress" is our watch
word.