Council Bluffs bugle. [volume] (Council Bluffs, Iowa) 1860-1868, 1868-09-10

lions ard maatipaying tAstf NM
herS.
How fruit tress vim suecssd here
rernains - b ten4sd, but NatnFe
! gives auother q her eaSnegt psu1n-
Isas here In the remarkable abnn
dance of Wild gx4pe9 which every
| year Hlz the vines Without haigh4 or
| miliew. and has already begun %
redeem that prcnnine In the l0aded
| vinee al fha cultivated varieties
| which have thus fhx been ptxute6i.
That portion Of the 6ood -paain a
| this 9reek river which Iiae within
| the region of the ban6 doposit be-
fbre descxihea b jlase - peculiar and
lust S di1Iereut nom other food
plains g ether soils ap6 dfforent
from those of the blu6 region. The
soil Il wary simil~r b that 0f the
high laxsds, being lAzysiy of the same
origin. vet haxing bean deposited In
no0vfnE wster if b somewhatc tconxz~
er in soElao placoss One remarkable
feature of the psnfn b iks great
width, sometimes rearhfng nearly
twenty miles from blum 10 bluff,
which added to its peculiar physical
features and wonderful fertility dis
6nguishes the region almost as q
separate progiace, and one which
will la the future require combined
and comprehensive system for Its
management
1t 10 quite certain that the river
ehannei has occupied every foot of
| its surface successfully as it slowly
vihraked from aide TO side during the
process of its erosion, and yet there
are now large portions OF it that are
never reached by the highest floods
Indeed, comparatively small por-
tons ofit are flooded by the Mlss0u-
ri river itself, but when such foods
do take place they are usually hythe
waters brought down from the high
hands by the streams that drain the
western watershed of the State.
Evidences of the former occupan-
cy OF the river channel are often ssen
In the fortuoas and longitudinal
lakes and marches 10 be occasionally
seen In the region, and In the courses
now taken by sonTe OF It's tributaries
as they enter the food plain on their
way to the present channel. Thus
when the river channel ran along at
the foot Of the bluffs the West Fork
of the Little Sioux, the Little Sioux
and the Maple all emptied separate
ly into it although they now reachi IL
by common channel. Evidence OF
this ancient channel are to be plainly
seen above the point where the West
Fork enters the plain, and also be
low Maple river particularly be-
tween THAI stream and Soldier river.
The lake left by the river here we
found by measuring 1t in company
with Mr.. Solanlan j. Smith 10 be
more than thirty feet deep, but usn-
ally surh lakes are quite shallow.
Applying this view Of their exist
ence and origin of the ancient chan
nels to practical purposes, they sug-
gest a remedy for preventing the
floods from deiuging any portion of
the bottom lands OF this great river.
This Is to open straighter and keep
clear its ancient channel at the foot
Of the bluffs and raise an embank-
ment Of moderate height upon It's
west bank, SO that the waters Of the
upland streams should be directed
through them and not allowed to
spread over the piain as they now
occasionally do at the time OF their
floods. With some such system as
this, nearly the whole of this great
region, comprising about half a
million OF acres, can be secured 20
constant cultivation, when it would
constitute one of the most renarka-
bic agricultural regions In the world.
The amount Of labor necessary TO
accomplish this result, il Insignificant
when compared with what has been
done I'm Holland, and even along the
lower portion of Dur own great river.
It must not be inferred from the use
OF the term ssfiood plain,n which Is
here used only In generic sense, or
from these suggestions OF improve
ment, that the region is now an uri-
important one. On the contrary, Ii
Is region of fine farms, pleasant
villages, of well built school houses
and churches, and finally one Of the
best railroads In the West.
1T contains the county seat, and
consequently the majority OF she in
habitants of Moflona county, as well
as some of the most valuable lands
of Harrison and odbury counties.
The extraordinary fertility ofthese
Lands, the comparative facility with
which farms are opened, the prox
unity to the timber which skirts the
river, and to the river and railroad
transportation, make this region a
very attractive one for settlers.
&t~Kk
stone In Harrison county ere 50 linn
ised, yet they have furnished some
very good building material, some OF
which has been carried TO Council
Bluffs. A very good quality of brick
has been manufactured at all places,
both upon the bottom lands aud uf,-
lands, wherever they have been test
ed. 1t Is important, however, to
avoid the iimey concretions when the
bIuff material Is used for that nur-
pose, because the burning OF the
brick converts them Into quick lime,
the shaking OF which whenever they
are wetted by rain or otherwise, win
cause the brick 10 burst. In the vi
cinify of Sioux City. sufficient guam
titles of stone for all purp<ses of COM
mon masonry, are qnxrf1ed from the
hard layers k sandstone of CrEta-
eeous age, and Ave or Six mikes north
ward from the city much good lime
Is made from the shaly ai3d chelky
Layers oyeriaying the sandstonn,
bot which are too sok fof Any okhef
puyp0ac. =. 8 .s< 49, -
Thls ouests0n cannot BE- properly
closed wsthOet r9ferenee 70 the con-
siantly recurring questfun ssis fhere
any hope al nndlfif up1l In Ntis. ~
gfou "A fall nuswof TO this Qres-
h0n cannot be given If present BIT
it may be frankly Bfaf1d fhaf fAus
mr. the inifozki1na ars nof nfnr1i1a