Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-02-05

- 9eSUOSo ~ y II T. n - W AsSI
Col. Smiths Reconnaissance Of Mill
tssy Roads 10 The S.ut River and Penn.
bisa region.
From Mr.. n. N. Fiske ws learn the
psrticolsrs Of the progress Of Col Smiths
ssaio:
The object Of the .xpsditioo, Ne learn,
Wss one Of Reconnaissance, tor tie pur-
pose OF examining the counsry with an
eye to roads and for shs selection Of
s'ses for new milissry posts.
They Left Fort Soelliog under the
command Of Col. y. r. Smith, Z. 5. A.,
guided BY the we'll known Peter Burt
nesu, Who has o ten travelled over. snJ
from childhood now intimate with, the
wild intricscies Of the Northwest. The
command consisted Of one hundred aud
City Deo, all h'ld, embracing two COM
paLies Of United States troops, Differed
by Csps. Gardner, Liea,enants linton,
Bryan, Carney and J II Forney, tie last
mentioned acting ~ Qusrsermsrter Of
the train, besides thirty. four wagons
and about two hundred animals.
The train Crossed the Mississippi bv
the Middle Ferry, 1T St Cloud, an: peu-
cti sted the w,ldeiL,ss Of the We, b,
ascendiog Ssuk river.
The expedition crossed Suuk River,
three niles above iss junction with the
Mississippi, and eighteen miles above
again crossed it, aud passed BY Lake
Henry, forty miles and half frcm St.
Cloud, by the rosdmeter; thence across
The North fork BY Crow Wing River, by
Lake McCloul, which, like Lake Henry,
! reported 10 be small, clear aoi d,,p
Along their iipe Of travel, and arouua
there Lakes, the land Is excellent, vi. err
mating with woodland and rairie, COW
ored With luxarinnt grasses, and the for.
.sts AbOuLdirg with u healthy growth
Of the various hardwood timber peculiar
to this latitude. Al Lake AIct. loud they
saw and passed the last lone ssttler-a
hardy pioneer on the very verge and edge
OF civilization. After leaving this place,
they crossed tho Ch'ppeway K,v,r, the
timber gradually growing scarcer as they
proceeded, sUu tho FrSirIes larger. Pas
cog Pom,ne de Tas, around which Oh. r.
ere come beautiful. rolling prairie., inter-
speIsel With Luucrous Lively litsis emo
raid lake., ell aboundm < 10 delicious
little heb, over which the tell grass
waves 30 the breeze like the ocean to the
trade winds, they came to Lightning
Lake, around "hich there 10 very sup,-
riot farming land, with fringins .k,rts
OF timber; then BY Sioux Wood River,
fourteen miles further Oh. Here they
ipund country truly beautiful, with
lovely scenery, worthy Of the painters
effort and the pilgrimage Ut the tourist.
iney crossed this river With pooton Wa
kves. and next day o.mpsd II Grshsm's
Point. on The Wsstern bank Ut Red R,y-
o. Of the North, and ct the supp osed head
VI cslHboas navigation OF that river,
This 10. protsf ~ dss;is.i to be . very
important point Three dsys' trsvel
'lens: 10 W'si Rice River. Here. 10 The
unbroksn solitud Of the wilderness.
ttey buried oas Of their Comrades, who
had died with the brain iese.-s private
wss Towns.
DO n'xt stream they parsed on their
road N"rihwsrd was the Shysnnn Din:
the they Gro. sei by building "a ,empor..
~ hricge. The, 90 eighteen miles t,
Maple river. where timber became more
Ele"y s"t excellent. T,e.ce :hey
""v'il.d fifty. tour miles 10 Goose river.
where they killed thoir fret buffalo
Ihs'rs9uids' broke do~n bis horse IN
chasing the same, and bad to abandon
hun; ut subsequently, had the good for.
tune to get him. Along here they en-.
couotered more or lsss bufFs'o everv day
On the 9th OF August they sr,s-d At
MIMI Waksn or Desil's Luke, a large
salt water lake, surrounle! with Door
l'"d, destitute Of timber and scant of
vegetation. Along here they travelled
tour davs without ~ooi. NIae,y mite,
brought them to St. Jos ph, on the Penn.
o'n" river, Which is the new town bull,
e'nce the great freshsss 10 Red river. and
u s'taaIed on an enhance on ,hs bank
u the Pemhina, thirty miIes above i,s
confluence With Red River, where, in the
low bottom, subject to overflow, stands
tho CID halt breed town OF Prmb,n.. ST.
Joseph contains sbout two hundred
poorly bulk houses, y Cathode canpel.
ana fifteen hundred Frsooh and Kree
nsR orseds. They next pre- coed 70 PEN.
o'eA, xh'Vh MAS the turthsss rom,
t"' eh~d ov The esped,sion. This town
=. eao,tsd aonut - nile ant Ia South
OF the Dritish snd American boundsrv
lins. .'