Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-02-24
New States Between Missouri and Cali.
fornia.

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| fornia.
The incentives to settlement of the great
area between Missouri and California, nearly
half the breadth of the continent, are every
day being multiplied. Religious fanaticism first
led men to seek home in this vast, unsubdued
wilderness, next came the spirit of freedom and
resistance to the aggressions of slavery, and now
the potent influence of gold attracts the pioneers
of civilization into the heretofore undisturbed
haunts of the red man. Religion, liberty and
love of money oil conspire to complete the line
of States which will one day span the continent.
In fact the prediction of Col. Benton, that "the
line of great States which now stretch half way
across our continent in the same attitudes
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Mis-
souri-may be matched by On equal number OF
States, equally great, between Missouri and
California" is in rapid course of ful6llment, as
was shown in very interesting manner by Hon.
Francis P. Blair, Jr., in his recent lecture on
the /" Destiny of the Races on this Continent "
Kansas, said Mr.. Blair. has thrown off her
slave ietters, and is now ready to take her place
as free State in the Union. Benton's second
State, West Kansas, or Colona, and more re-
Gently Jefferson, as it is now proposed to name
it, is filling up with people around Pixies Peak
and in the rich valley of San Luis. Fremont,
Beal, and other explorers familiar with this re-
gion, speak with enthusiasm Of the fertility Of
its soil and the salubrity of its climate. The
San Luis valley, drained by the Rio dol Norte,
lies between the thirty-eight and thirty
parallel of latitude, and is Mt once the largest
and most beautiful of the mountain peaks.
The third State marked ont by Benton is the
Mountain State, comprising section of the
Rock Mountains from the 37th to the 4lst par
allol of latitude, nearly three hundred miles
north and south, and going down to the base on
either side, making two hundred miles or more
square miles. No other section of the Rocky
Mountains is capable of an extent of cultivation
sufficient to sustain community large enough
to make State. 1t embraces three immense
parks-thc South, the Middle, and the North
Park, two of them thirty miles, the third sixty
miles in diameter, With an area Of arabic land
greater than all Switzerland, while lnnumerable
valleys, divided by rich, sloping hills, covered
to the summit with pasturage, open the way
from tie parks through multitude Of streams
--northward by the Platte to the Missouri
eastward by the Arkansas to the Missouri, south
ward by the Rio del Norte to the Gulf of Mex.
leo, and south-westardly by the Colorado tc
I the Gulf of California This concentration Of
the head waters of the great rivers is one of the
| most remarkable features of the continent
This beautiful country, like Kentucky in for
mer times, is sort of preserve for the buffalo
and game that feed the surrounding Indian ma
ton-a hunting and fighting ground tor the
tribes, but the home of none. When they
come to hunt, they come, too, with all thei1
strength, to fight. This was witnessed by Ere
mont during his explorations. The pioneers,
therefore, who eovet this goodly land, must car
ry with them the rifle as well as the spade, in
order to protect themselves against the IN
dians.
A fourth State will embrace the whole valley
of the Colorado, down to its head Of navigation
by stream, in latitude Sc - Its width, from
the base of the Rocky Mountains to the eastern
base of the Wasatch range, is $50 miles: its
length upwards Of 300. The Colorado opens
to this Valley State the whole Northwestern
section Of Mexico, and the Gulf of California
There is already settlement OF several thou
sand white men at Los Vegas de Santa Clara
The valley is bordered by the Sierra de la Plata
or Silver Mountains. the Cerro de Sal (Sal
Mountain) is situated among the western spurs
of the Sierra, and here are also found mountains
of iron which rival those of Missouri.
The Territory of Utah in the Great Basin, in
cluding Carson's Valley, forms the last in thi
belt of States, and already has white popula
ton of sixty thousand souls. Agriculture
fourshes, coal mines are opened, iron work
are established, and industry in its various form
is extending on every hand.
Mr.. Blair expresses the opinion that befor
five years shall have elapsed, Benton's predic
tion will be accomplished. Kansas and Utal
have already sufficient population to becom
States Jefferson, through the golden treasure
around Pixies Peak, will secure during the mex
season larger population than is now possesses
by Kansas and Utah together: and Mountain
State and the upper valley of the great Colora
do will soon be filled with tceming and bus
people--their attractions surpass all the Others
and in their gorges will be sought and foun
the golden quartz whose washings have imercg
mated the sands of the plains blow.