The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-06-23

were desirous of reaching before night,
as the Convention was to be held next
day.
Our route led southwest over rolling
woodland through the Wyandot Reserve,
descending into the bottom of the Kan
sas or Kaw River--said bottom being
from one to two miles wide. and very
heavily timbered with Elm, Yellow Oak.
Black Walnut, Hickory, Cottonwood,
Sycamore, Eastwood, &c. Nearly all of
the rivers and larger creeks of Kansas
run through similar bottoms or intervales,
from half mile to three miles wide. and
timbered much like this. These inter-
wales are composed of dark, rich mold +,
oftner over than under three feet in depth,
but they are SO level that they could hard
ly be cultivated without drainage even
were it advisable to strip them by whole
sale of timber, as it decidedly is not
The houses and barns that shall yet thick
ly dot the adjacent prairies are now main
ly growing in these bottoms, and should
stand there as trees till they are wanted.
When cleared and drained-and in some
places the rotting out of the stumps aud
thorough plowiug thereafter will go far
toward effectiug the drainage required
they will yield bounteous crops of almost
anything that does not dread FROST
Though it seems hardly possible that their
soil should be richer than that of the prai-
ries, it is deeper, and probably contains a
more varied and choice adnixture of the
elements of vegetation. But the Kansas
or kaw bottom was not only soaked but
covered with water-for 1t had rained
here smartly only the preceding morning
after it had ceased at Atchison, and the
bottom was for the time an all but impa
able morass. trust the citizens of Wy
andot will not long leave it thus.
We crossed the Kaw on fair wooden
toll bridge, 1900 feet long, just erected
or, rather, not quite completed. In
default of a dollhouse or gate-keeper. a
man at work on the bridge took the toll
in bis shirt-sleeves. | believe no other
bridge across the Kaw is now standing,
though there has been one at Topeka so
miles up, and perhaps at other points
Bridges are sorely needed throug bout
Kansas, not only because the streams are
addicted to rapid and vast lamentations
from thaws or rains, but because their
banks are almost perpendicular, and oft
en- miry toward the bottom, while the
streams are nearly as deep at either shore
as in the middle, making the attempt TO
ford difficult, even when it is not dan
gerous.
The Kaw was, Of course, nearly full
(all the rivers of Kansas have low bank. },
and was running very swiftly; still, it
seems of moderate size for over 800 miles
long; but all the rivers of this region, the
Missouri included, seem small, consider.
ing the area drained by them. The facts
that they run rapidly, are apt to be deep,
aud that their depth is nearly uniform
from side to side, account for this ap-
pearance.
Half an hour after crossing the river,
We emerged from the road and the Re.
serve upon the high prairie, the clouds Of
the morning broke away, and the day
was hepceforth perfect. The young grass
of the prairie, refreshed by the heavy
rains, appeared in its freshet tenderest
green; the delicate early flowers we're a
tundant. yet not SO numerous as to sati-
ate the pleasure of looking at them, and
the panorama presented was magnificent
Passing Shawnee, a prairie village OF
twenty or thirty houses with large bo-
tel, our road bore more directly south,
and soon brought us in sight of the great
Santa Fe trail, with it, white-topped em
igrant wagons, and threo great trains OF
contractors wagons, one of them still in
the corral, the others with six pair oi
mules to each wagon, attempting to make
progress toward New Mexico attempt.
ing it for the most part in vain. The
mules were small, and new to work-to
this work, at all events-and drew badly;
while the wheels cut SO deeply into the
yielding paste beneath them that little OF
no advance was made. | presume they
all corraled for the night within two
miles of the places where We saw them.
Crossing the trail almost at right an.
giles, We left the smart village of Olathe
! County seat Of johnson County mile OF
SO to the west, aud struck off nearly due
south, over high prairies soped as gently
and grassed as richly as could be desired
with timber VISIBLE along the water
courses on either hand. Yet there was
little or no settlement below Olathe-fol
the next twenty miles tina. we Travelled
there was hardly an Improvement to eacl
four square miles of the country in sight
And yet if the Garden Of Eden exceed ed
this land in beauty or fertility. l pity
Adam for having to leave it. The eartl
was thoroughly sodden with rain, SO tha
temporary springs were bursting out OF
aluo,t every acre, while the watcr-cours
es, including those usually dry, ran hea
w stream, each of them requiring skill
10 the charioteer and good conduct on tn,
part Of the horses to pass them witbou
balk or break. We must have crossed
over hundred of these runs in tn
course of this days travel, cash of then
| with a irving Jerk on the carriage. an,