Kansas weekly herald., 1855-03-23

It is to build with human Thoughts shrine, I
Where hope sits ibro0dihg Ike bssHteous uovel-
Where efimsseensS Soeng,A and life thing divine;
Yes, this is loye-athe stsadfsgt and the fruesfG
The best, the bfigRtest Boon tie heart e'er Ensw-
or All Iffe's sweets, the very sweetest yetn ial
-.u eni s.------- j. snaf{
-, d s From the oecidental Messepgsf,;
ssrtl SAINT GEoReB, K.vT.5t -
..it 49, 4..,5.,.t - Feb. 1855.
MEssRs EpIToRs---sying located my
self at this new and beautiful town, allow
me to give publicly through the medium of
the Messenger" sorne facts not gener-
ally known in relation 70 this "optsids"
country. -, e,i,s;-....st iia ,..i.r.,ss,,t..
Having at various times during the past
summer and fall, ridden over great por-
ton of this territory, can speak of what !
have t::'seen,"a not Of what / have heard
To the Emigrants, now preparing for a
move to Kansas this spring, the western
portion of the Territory offers the widest
field, as the entire district is open for !. Set
clement east of the Potiawattomies, at least
the desirable locations, is taken up.
The Pottawattotpie reserve is supposed
to extend west as far. as the mouth of the
Vermillion, this then is the first stream
west of the Delaware reserve, flowing into
the Kansas on the north side, upon which
settlements can. be made, The bottoms
all along its course are with a few excep-
tons entirely above high water mark and
generally dry; the width varies from mile
TO a mile and a half near its mouth, to
something under mile, some fifteen or
twenty miles up it., the timber, of which
there is an abundance for all the
farms that can be crowded into Its valley,
consists of Hickory. Elm, blackberry, aud
Burroak, an occasional tree of other va
rieties occurring, but not enough to be nam
ed; the hills On the west side of the YER
million rise as a general thing more grad
ually from the bottoms than upon the east,
in fact there is many places where it would
be hard to say where the bottoms set in,
the decent from the high ground is SO grad
ual; as tributary to this stream, first in i'm
portance is Rock Greek. heading out west
and north towards the Big Blue, and join
Ing the VermiAion about six miles from its
mouth, of all the many beautiful streams to
be found In this country, suited for settle
ments, this is one of the best; the bottoms
are wide above inundations, not swampy;
the high land adjoining just sufficiently un-
dulating to make a perfect drainage, the
soil generally of that character that will
produce twelve, barrels of corn, or one thou
sand pounds of Hemp to the acre. About
three miles above Rock Greek another very
fine stream enters the Vermillion from the
west side, having the same character of
soil and timber to be found on the others
named, this stream, though not so large as
Rock Creek, has ample. room for two tier
of settlements from its mouth TO head, some
ten or fifteen miles; going some eighteen
or twenty miles West we reach the Big
Blue, here is a streams, fit for settlements
either side, for two hundred miles, to the
North; the bottoms are from one to two
miles wide, entirely above high water.
with a belt of timber stretching away to tine
north, with the meanderings of the stream
occasionally swelling out into a grove of
majestic proportions, sufficient for the wants
Of all within convenient distance. West
of this stream for many miles, the face of
the country is broken, and watered by so
lew streams of magnitude, that but few
places are offered for the Squattef TO locate,
upon the East;howeyer it rises gradually to
the summit of the high lands, dividing its
waters from the Vermillion with, the same
character of soil, and other good feautures,
to attract, and domiciliate the .emieTants;
quite . number of small streams How into
the Blue from the east side. all suited to
settlemeM but none of any magnitude until
you reach the Black VermilIion, how this
name was given, I cannot say, but suppose
i was from finding Of several places along
its course where stone coal, or It's aceompa-
ming black shaie, is found, out cropping; but
it might have been aptiy named from the
color of the soil for no place is then found,
a richer or more productive soil than along
its course, the bottoms especially being un-
surpassed; high and dry, with ample width
to store all Squatters that can be, supplied
from the very fins belt Of timbero thai fol-
lows its course; as upon The Ver.ni.Hon,
BUR Oak, Hickory, and blackberry are
the prevailing kinds Of timber; decead the
Big Blue to the government road Dress it,
and on gong some ave or SIX miles Westi
you reach the only stream of consequence
between the Blue and Fl. Riley, called
Wild Cat, flowing into, the Kansas g few
miles above the mouth offhe blue. ASH
said before, the country West Of the Big
Blue was noEesk kEoen than thai on the East,
Ehisstream 10 more contracted IN the width |
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