The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1863-08-15
From the Lawrence Journal.l
KANSAS.
Her Climate, Soil, Productions, &C.


OF the most prosperous of the inland States. |
Her situation in the center of the Union Is |
of less Importance than is the fact that no
prairie State can be formed west of her. |
From the Missouri river to the base of the
Rocky Mountains there stretches that once
mystical region called 1.-The Palms. four
hundred miles of which lie in the State of
Kansas. Some three hundred of this dis
tanee is gently rolling prairie, with deep,
rich soil, and is watered, wooded, snpplie37
with coal, stone, and salt springs. l. isl
therefore capable of sustaining a dense pop
ulation. The remaining three hundred
miles are but imperfectly supplied with the
perquisites of good region for mixed hus-
bandry. 1t is, however, covered with grass,
and supports countless herds of buffalo,
which range over it at will. When civiliz-
alton shall advance with the iron horse of
the Union Pacific Railroad, these will in
time be extermnated, and cattle and sheep,
in herds as countless, will gather these nu
tritious grasses for the benefit of man. Be-
yond the plains are the vast regions of the
Rocky Mountains and their spurs, stretch
ing west, illimitable and unexplored, to the
Pacific ocean. From north to south, from
east to west, a thousand miles either way
A half-dozen tracks have been made across
it from east to west; and its surface has here
and there been scratched by the mountain
trapper or the venturesome gold-seeker. But
| the resources of this region are as yet I'M
touched. 1t Is known, however, to con-
tain, in the greatest abundance, all the min
erals needed by man-god, silver, iron,
! lead, copper, tin, coal, the finest of marble
and slate, gypsum, salt, sulphur, &c.
This country is not void of agricultural
resources; yet Nature does not lavish all
her gifts upon any region, and the main
pursuit of those who inhabit the Rocky
Mountains must, for many years, be mining.
Here is market for the surplus products
OF the Missouri VALLEY. This This trade - AL
ready immense. The butter and cheese
used in Colorado is brought from tie Vest
ern ReSerUe, tn Ohio. The -four, pork, &C.,
from Missouri and Iowa Kansas may fur
nish all these products. The trade with
New Mexico amounts to many millions an
nualy land employs tens of thousands of men,
cattle and wagons; and all this pours an
nualy across this State, and furnishes an
extensive market for cattle, mules and out
fitting goods.
Despite the border difficulties in Kansas,
when this State waged war alone with slav-
cry which now grspples the continent in
its death throes-despite this, the early set
Element of the State was very rapid.
} But people got tired of protracted war
and then, in 1860, occurred the droutE and
, famine. These evils stopped emigration
until this year, when it is setting in again
In relation to the internal difficulties. they
resulted from slavery; and when that snake
is killed, it will hiss no more, here or else
ub nnripn tho oorlv SDrpo IF this
year, there was spasmodic effort, on tn,
part of Missouri bushwhackers, to invade
' this State, but they were hunted down like
wolves, and all is now as quiet here as in tn
East.
THE DRoUTH.
AS to the great drouth in 1860, it wa
a simply one of those terrible scourge
: with which any region is liable, onc
d in half century, to be visited. 1t i
known to have been such, by our settlers
and therefore does not at all enter into gu
calculations for the future, but for distan
Eastern friends, word about it may be il
place. Having drOuth thus early in gu
;. history as a State, when half our time hat
i. been spent in beating back Border Ruffians
a famine was inevitable. There was liter
ally no surplus of food. The people wer
poor Their all was invested in land ant
improvements. They had no money at in
terest, or bonds, stocks or railroad shares
or droves of cattle or focks of sheep to he'll
them out
Z But in spite of the terrible drouth, n
= rain falling for months, sorghum, whic
sends its roots very deep, matured perfectly
and some fields of corn. planted in freshl
; plowed earth Very early, made good crop
The forest trees were entirely uninjured
fruit trees suffered little, and the growth G
grass was sufficient for our wants. Tha
this was an exceptional year, such as ha
not occurred in at least one generation be
fore, is proved
d 1st By the experience of Missouri. Land
v in that State, upon our border were, whe
l. Kansas was opened to settlement, wort
from twenty to fifty dollars per acre, &C
= cording TO improvements; and the farmer
were in the most prosperous condition, an
coveted and fought for Kansas through Ion
and bloody years, because they considere
the land so valuable. They certainly ougt
to know the value of Kansas; and durin
1860 some portions of Missouri suffered q
badly as Kansas, but, having a surplus {
food, there was no famine.
I'd. The testimony of missionaries VII
= have been among our Indian tribes, for p
n RODS varying from twenty to thirty year
Rev. Francis Barker and Friend Harye
among the Shawnees, Rev. ]. T. Jones'
half breed-among the Ottawas, and Br
Simerwell aud Father j. F. Deiouri amor
the Potawatomies, have all Except, poss
"a "a, bly,. the latter) been in Kansas about invent
to Eve wears. They continue to make Kans
ion their home, have settled their families al
children here, and consider 1t one of {
:" very best States in the Union.
Sd. give here table showing the f
nf rain 81 ,,oinfs In thu IIniInd STAT