The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-07-31
THE TERRIroRy OF NEBRAsKA.


The following interesting article concerning the
Territory Of Nebraska copy from the Phiadelphia
Evening Argus Of the 2sth instant
The Territory OF Nebraska part of the old
province Of Louisiana purchased from the French during
the administration of Mr. Jefferson and oeded 10 the
United States ia 1908 territorial government
g4nzcd in Nebraska in 1854 and Omaha selected the
scat Of government The progress OF the Territory since
then has been gradual and II contains population
Of about fifteen thousand and real estate amounting TO
millions. while Congress has provided for opening
four land offices in the Territory The south line Of Ne
brsska the 4oth parallel its north the 4sth On one
aide Is Kansas, and the other the British possessions,
boundary which viii day require fortresses and
troops On the east is the Missouri river, and the
west the Rocky mountains It's Is 1886, ss2 square
miles, larger extent of country having government
than any other the continent and enough for several
States Physically it is divided into three large por-
tons the first, triangle, having TIE Kansas line
for its base with the Missouri for its eastern, and
the ninety ninth line of longitude or its western side
The second Is between that meridian and the Rocky
mountains, running north from the Kansas line to the
Black hills The third is the northwest half Of the Terri
tory lying between the Black hills and the Rocky
ains In the first division bottom lands Of cxtraor
binary fertility being mixture of sand aid clay carbon
and large quantities of decomposed vegetable matter
forming porous black mould The soil is easy of cuti-
vation and very productive Two hundred and fifty
bushels of potatoes hundred aud fifty of corn
the products Of single There springs
and streams of excellent water every quarter section Of
land being we'll irrigated This yell
with oak and black walnut, ash. cotton wood, willow,
and cedar Its rock formation is principally sand stone
and lime stone II also possesses red ppeclay, soft
when first worked but exposure to the air, becoming
hard flint There quaIries possessing
the feature and probably resembling the famous
stone OF Caen which is being imported in large
quantities into the United States This circumstance
will at distant day, have its due effect upon the
checture Of the Territory and invite to elaborate work
manship In the construction Of public and private hu
ngs In addition to these large quantities of white
chalk black band iron ore and coal and salt in various
sections of the country.
The second section Is productive, large por-
ton of it is represented better than desert One
of the remarkable features Of this section is that of
the eres bad lands depressed portion of
the surface, that have sunk down from the high
paes several hundred feet leaving everywhere standing
prisnatc and colunnar of the same height
semhling the ruins Of Herculaneum Pompei old
European town with marrow streets and lanes To the
Imagination Of the romantic traveller them
sembe old castles in decay with actual turrets and but
esses arches clustered shafts and faperng spires One
might imagine, says Mr. Owen the geoiogist, that he
approaching magnificent city of the dead The
third section lies between the Black hills and the Rocky
mountains having mild cnrte and succession of val
eys with the varieties Of the soil like that in the first
sections that the yellow Stone being the most fertile
with here and there evidences strong volcanic action
not vet entirely ceased.
Its rivers are important The Yellow Stone is nav-
gable for steamboats, three hundred miles from its mouth
The Missouri also flows along its frontier and the Platte
Nebraska and its tributary, the Sweet Water called
from It's delicious taste also important streams the
Platte being navigabe by steamers between Omaha and
its mouth, distance Of fifty miles. The river which
runs rises in the bad lands and eastery
for four hundred miles On its south side the lands
fertile The winter is cold but short the
warm but the air is tempered by the cool air from the
prares The climate is healthy one The government
has authorized expenditure of $3.50 900 various
purposes within the Territory such the military road
from Omaha to Fort Kearney for the South Pass wagon
road, and for the public buildings.