The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-07-14
Great American Desert.


IicaH continent now known as Kansas,
and considered by those who are best ac'
quainted with is soil and climate as the
most fertile portion of the Republic. was
formerly recognized by the geographer
as the "Great American Desert?''
Woodbridge's map, published in 1895,
represented the country as only inhabit-
ed by numerous herds of wild bufaloes,
ranging at will over those boundless
wilds. A modern poet speaks of
! "Those deserts os simmeasurabls sand,
| Whose age-eollectcd fervofs scarce allowed
A bird 70 iiye. blade of grass 70 spring.
Where the shrillehirp Of the green lizards tone
Broke on the sullen siientlcsS aionc."
But which he saw soon after, in imagina-
ton
lt'Teeming with countless nils Tnd SHADY woods.
Cornfe.ds. and pastures, and white cottages;
the smooth and daisy -spangled lawn,
| Offering sweet incense To the sunrise. smiles
| To see a babe before his mothers door,
Sharing lis mornings meal
With tlfe brown and stately buffalo
That comes to lick his feet"
Another writer, looking utupon those
vast soiitudes and seeing itall lenely and
desolate, but who had learned to- yiew "
our lovely, undulating prairies, as some
thing besides a boundless waste, says:
Il hear
| The sound of that advancing multitude
Which soon shall fiji these deserts. From the
ground -zssa-
Comes up the laugh of children. the soft voice
/ OF niaidens. and the sweet and solemn hymn
/ OF Sabbath worshippers. The low of herds
| Blends with the rushing Of the heavy grain
Over the dark brown furrows."
Our recent tour up the Kansas, and a
personal inspection of the soil, pro-
ductions, and face of the country, with
its surprisingly beautiful scenery every
where to be seen, in connection with our
past knowledge of its climate, has made
as, if possible, a more ardent admirer of
Kansas than on any other occasion, and
has impressed, with more force than for
merly,. the eorrectnessof the poets proph-
cy upon our understanding.
The time is not distant when this re-
gion will be recognized as the richest
State in the Union, in all that constitutes
real wealth. 1t is true we have to pass
through thechrysalis state. What coun-
try has not done this? And what new
country has found so few difficulties to
contend with as ours?. Meadows from
which millions of acres Of grass yielding
two and three tons per acre now await
the scythe of the husbandman. For graz
ing purposes herds and fiocks of the larg-
est number can be supplied with every
want without care. By turning over the
surface crop of corn or wheat can be
produced the first year which, without
any effort in cultivation save actual plant
ing, will exceed crops grown by many
farmers on old cultivated and well cared
for farms in New England. We are fully
satisfied from observation that many
fields of corn which were planted this year
on green sward, but at an early season,
will produce full fifty bushels OF shelled
corn to the acre. za
1t is to be regretted that those misera-
bly, homesick, and revolver-fri ghtened
persons who came out in the spring and
returned, because they did not find a ter
restial paradise formed by the hand of
nature, could not now look out upon our
lovely prairies, and behold tie grass
waving in the gentle wind, and zee the
picturesque scenery at the present mo-
ment. Itdoes seem asi if they would regret
for a lifetime their folly in departing be-
cause the winds of March, for single
season. had proerastinated their visit to
Kansas until April, or because their
mothers, from whom they were never
absent so long before, did not accompany
them, or because Missourians were desir-
Gus ofseeing whether the descendant is of
revolutionary ancestors maintained the
heroism and lofty patriotism which char
acterizei tbs noble few who secured our
national freedom. s5., -
There is not a spot on Gods green
earth we SO fondly cherish as the valley
of the Kansas river. neither do We believe
that there IS a place SO worthy of our
regard.
When passing over the prairies of In
diana and Illinois last season, and looking
out for the firsttime on those rudy bound
less solitudes, level as the waters OF a pla>
cid lake, with no object whatever on
which to rest the eye, save the horizon
which joined the prairie, and bounded
the vision, We einyoluntarily exclaimed,
"If this is faithful portraiture of Kan
sas, with all our love of freedom, and
with all our anxiety to banner that teountryas
a free State to our national constellation,
we can never remain there 20 struggle
for the caus,, for which We have sacrificed
so much. We shall return TO PennsyI-
vania, and amid the scenery of old Craw-
ford spend the balance of cur days. .,'-
This feeling was SO strong, and the ap-
prehension so great that we had faith
full Kansas picture before US. We felta
sort of homesickness crawling on, and
during an entire day felt numerous
regrets that we had left lovely home in
| the East, and sought a hew one in a
boundless solitude Those feelings of
gloom continued with slight abatement
until We arrived at Kansas city There
we left the river, and commenced our
journey over the rolling plains of our fu-
ture home All the feelings of sadness
which had rested upon as so long depart
ed. aud We felt Joyous at our change.
From that time forth, save during a
single dav i'm April, when the winds en-