The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-01-06

perior with many, and profitable as well
as pleasant in itself-to draw him into
this vast plain. 1t is the pastoral pur-
suit !: for this is the bucolic region of
our America-now the resort of wild
animals-and soon to become the home
of the domestic. A short sweet grass.
equally nutritious in the green or dried
state, for it dries of itself ON the ground,
covers the face of the earth, inviting all
Illuminating animals to take their food
upon it, without measure and without
stint Ia great pastoral region, in which
the OK viii not know his masters crib,
nor the ass the hand that feedeth him,
but, in which the dumb, UNCONSCIOUS
beast, without knowing it, will feel the
bounty of the hand which is the giyer of
all good.
This is the description of the first Kan
sas-the one which will 90 halfway to
the mountains-equal in territorial extent
to the first class States, exceeded in pro-
ductiye capacity by none-and soon to
become one of the great States of the
Union. will call it East Kansas.
The second State would occupy the
remainder of the territory to the base OF
the Rocky Mountains; and like the first
half will have the natural division into
three parts, and with the same character
istics; but with reversal of thin locali-
ties. The Arkansas river side will be
tar the most yaluable-both intrinsically
and in its locality; but the Kansas side
will still have its value and attraction.
Fremont says of it: 8. The soil of this
country upper Kansas and base OF
the mountains is excellent-admirably
adapted to agricultural purposes, and
would support large agricultural and
pastoral population He says it iswa-
tered by many streams, but without wood,
except on their. borders-that grass
abounds, and among its varieties the es-
porcehe, a species of clover so valuable
for the pasturage of swine-eultivated
for that purpose in Germany, but indigo
nous in all this base of the mountains.
But the valley of the Upper Arkansas
would form the pride and strength of the
Upper State-West Kansas, as will call
it, including, as the Territory does, a part
of the superb valley of San Luis, and the
beautiful Sahwateh, which forms con-
tinuation of it, and which leads to the
famous Coochatope Pass, and the Pass
itself. Fremont thus speaks of this up
per part of the Arkansas, as seen by him
in his various expeditions, and especially
In the one of the last winter.
'' The immediate valley of the Upper
Arkansas, for about two hundred miles,
as YOU approach the mountains, is con
tinuOusly well adapted to settlements as
well as to roads. Numerous well-water-
ed and fertile valleys, broad and level,
open up among the mountains, which
present themselves In detached blocks,
(outliers, gradually closing in around
the heads of the streams, but leaving
open approaches to the central ridges.
The whole of the inter mountain region
is abundant in grasses, wood, coal, and
fertile soil. The pueJlos above Bent's
Fort prove it to be well adapted to the
grains and vegetables common to the lat
itude, including Indian corn, which RI
pens well, and to the support of healthy
stock, which increase well, and take care
of themselves summer and winter
Of the climate, and winter season in
this elevated region he thus speaks
"The climate is mild and the winters
short, the autumn usually having its full
length of bright open weather, without
SHOW, which in winter falls rarely and
passes off quickly. In this belt of coun
try lying along the mountains the snow
falls more rarely and much more thinly
than in the open plains to the eastward
the storms congregate about the higf
mountains, and leave the valleys free. Ii
the beginning of December We found We
no snow on the Huerano river, and wer'
informed by an old resident, then engaged
in establishing farm at the mouth o
this stream, that snow seldom fell there
and that cattle were left in the range al
the winter through"
This was the first of December. Eigh
days later, and when advanced an hun
dred miles further, and standing III tht
Sand Hill pass of the Sierra Blanca
which looks both into the head valleys 0
the Del Norte and of the Arkansas, h
still writes:
son the 9th of December we foun,
this whole country free from snow, ant
Daguerre views, taken at this time, shoS
the grass entirely uncovered in the pass
es.'
This is the winter view of this countr
and its climate, and certainly no noun
tain region could present anything NOR
desirable for man or beast. n summe
view of it is given by Messrs. Beal an
Heap, i'll their central route journey t
California, III 1853.
"Upon reaching the summit of tn
5uttes, a magnificent and extensive pano
rama opened TO our view. The horizo
was bounded on the north by Pike
/ Peak-to the west and northwest by th
Sierra Mohada, (svet mountain, Sangr
I dc Christie mountains, and the Spanis
Peaks to the south aud east extende
the prairie-lost in the fazy distance
On the gently undulating plains reachin
! TO the foot of the Rocky Mountains, coul
be traced, by their lines of timbers, ii
course of the Arkansas river, and its trit
utaries-among them the Huerfano, 10
phan river, easily distinguished frol
the remote point (nearly due wes'
where it issued from the Sierra Banci
to its junction with the Arkansas, excel
1 at short intervals where it passed throug
canyons in the plain. Pixies Peak wa
a prominent object in the landscape, j
head capped with eternal snow, soarln
i high above all the neighboring summit
The river (Huerfano bottom was broa
and thickly wooded with willows and co
tonwood, interlaced with wild rose an
grape vines, andcarpeted with softgrass-
sylvan paradise. The scenery as We a
i proached the country between the Spal
il ish Peaks and the Sierra Mohada, v;
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