Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-10-11
From Dekotah Territory.
correspondence Of the Dubuqe Times.
YANKToN. ID. T.. Sent. 9!

YANKToN, ID. T., Sept. 90.
EDrron TINS - Circumstances requiring
me to spend a portion Of my time in this
newly organized Territory, it occurs to me
| that inasmuch as the business which grows
| up here must necessarily lead to ali intimate
connection with your beautiful city, brief
description of the route hitherward, and Of
| the country may prove interesting to your
readers.
The most convenient and economical route
| from the Northern States to this Territory is
through Dubuque, thence via the Dubuque &
Sioux City Railroad to Cedar Falls, a fine
Furnishing town, the present and trust the
temporary terminus of the Dubuque & Sioux
City Railroad, thence by Stage to Fort Dodge
which is destined in my opinion to be an i'm
portant point. Coal, plaster and iron are be-
ing found here in abundance, backed up by
a most superb agricultural country. The
geological formations here indicate that salt
springs may be discovered in this vicinity
! Fort Dodge is surrounded by timber, bcauti-
| full oak groves being within the corporation
! limits, furnishing very desirable rural build
ing sites. one of which is now being most
elegantly improved by Mr.. Duncombc, a law
yer Of that place, who is erecting a dwelling
house of Gypsum rock. having all the beauty
and finish of marble. This material has been
used for some years in Grand Rapids, Micbi.
gan, for building purposes, and tits there
! claimed, is equal to marble in every respect.
| Leaving Fort Dodge by. the new mail route
via Sauc City, Ida Grove and Smithland to
Sioux City, at present stocked with light
teams and wagons, and making the trip tii-
weekly The Traveller enters upon almost I'M
broken prairie for one hundred and City miles.
| This part Of the route is sparsely settled,
but human eye never rested upon a more
beautiful country than the valley of the Ma
| pie river from Ida Grove to Sinithand. \
comfortable stopping place is reached each
night where the weary traveller can rest and
dream of the timber which crowns the noun
tain tops of New England portion Of which
| if transported hther, would make this the
garden of the world. .,....
Sioux City is place Of considerable COM
mercial Importance, pleasantly located on the
north bank Of the" Big Muddy" or Missouri
river. Crossing the Big Sioux near Sioux
City, which constitutes the boundary line be-
tween Iowa and Dekotah, the stake road
from Sioux City to Fort Randall passes up
the Missouri bottom through Vermillion,
Yankton, Bonhommc and Indian agency of
YanEton. The banks of the Missouri are
well tmbered, the bottom land extends from
the river from one to ten miles, then comes a
bluff Of thirty to fifty feet. and beyond is first
class rolling prairie There can be no better
agricultural country than Dekotah, as far as
have examined it, and as it can be reached
by emgrants with great ease through your
State, it will soon fill up along the Missouri.
In fact II is now as well settled as Northwest
erh Iowa, and when one reflects that there is
nearly two thousand miles of steamboat nav
igation on the Missouri, in Dekotah, above
Sioux City, to say nothing Of the Dekoiah
and other navigable rivers, cmptying into the
Missouri within this vast Territory, some idea
may be formed Of the population it is destin-
cd to contain.
From all can learn upon the subject, and
as far as my own observation extends, the
route from Dubuque to Sioux, thence through
Dekotah to some point near Fort Randall,
thence by route explored by Lieut.. Warren
in 1857, through the South Pass of the Rocky
Mountains to point in Utah, where natural
routes are formed to California on the one
hand and Washington and Oregon on the
other, is the true Pacific Railroad route. 1t
is unnecessary to remark upon the Importance
Of its establishment. AS relates TO your city,
will only say that in my humble opinion
this route viii better accommodate the COM
merce Of the world, and can combine more
influence as likely to secure its establishment
by Congress than any of the numerous Pacif-
ic Railroad routes now before the country.
YANKToN