Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-05-11

Ii Is but few years since upon every
man Of tho United States nearly one half OF
the entire area of this country lying be-
tween the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific
OCEAN. was indicated by ayellewish blank
containing no signs Of mountains, meadow
or stream. and really believed 10 be ~ il WAS
marked, 1.-THE Great American Desert IN
explored, unknown, considered almost i'm
passable, entirely uninhsbi,ed and regarded
as mysterious land which mus. forever
continue to be waste and burying ground
for those who might be SO fool-hsrdy A. to
attemp. the crossing Of those hundreds Of
miles Of burning sands. IL IS not 30 many
years since that this opinion Of ths plains
prevailed to . great extent throughout the
United States, and was taught Is . portion
Of public school geography. Even the Nor
mons, when they started from Missouri, con-
fdsntly expected that II they succeeded in
reaching the country lying between the
Rocky Mountains and Sisrras they would
be safe from further worldly persecution
and possibly their existence forgotten BY
the outer world. What changes have csms,
and how those illusions Of extensive deserts
In the heart Of the Union have been DIS
PEELED. are circumstances With when evssy
schsol bsy IL familiar. That which We.
supposed 10 be . waste Of scorchisg esno
without tree, q stream, aspring OF mn,
valley 10 relieve the eye, has been iound 20
con.is, Of the finest valleys in the world,
with living and abundant streams oil water,
sowino 10 every direction, fertilizinE the
sa;I ana furnishing sustsnance for countless
hard. of cattle. Within TIVE years rail
way will have been completed, stretching
from this to the other side OF the continent,
and that which was once called desert
will become land tesnlng with lie and
producing every thing required Tor the aus
,enance Of man, As well ~ annually pouring
hundreds Of millions Of wealth into the lap
of the civilized world. II is safe TO predict
that this same Great American Desert is
really the most valuable, and will ore long
become the most productive, portion Of the
United States During the month Of March
there was shipped frsm the State Of Nevada
81 ,01S ,977 81 in bullion. This 10 the ship
,nent for one month alone and from State
which ten years ago WAS almest entirely I'm
inhabited, and which formed part Of the
Great Desert. Colorado, Montana, and
Idaho formed part Of that great waste a.
-. and now they fNnish the world with
gold and silver. Wyoming will follow next.
and Judging from what 10 expected u Sweet
water, no State Or Territory will ever excel
this one in mineral or agricultural wealth.
California and Oregon furnish -four and
wheat TO New York, Liverpool, China, Ja-
pan and the Sandwich Islands. while less
than twenty years since, California was con-
sdsrsd worthless in an agricultural point Of
view. The greatness Of Americas future
will be found in the West. That this pre-
diction is correct and generally believed il
made manifest by the extraordinary cmi-
grafton from the Eastern States BY land and
water. The ocean steamers, the river
steamers and the railways, are all crowded
to overlooking with the multitudes who
form the Star OF Empire. Another fact
which tends to establish the superiority Of
the West -, that those who leave for the
East with the determination Of spending the
balance Of their lives in the homes Of their
childhood, almost invariably return again
to tho West where they are content to con-
tinus forever. The great change which
has taken place in this western country
within = few years is really one of the mar
wells Of the age, and the change which must
be produced by the building Of the Union
Pacific Railway and it's numerous branches
which will naturally spring from this tnain
line. will be G. en- greater and more rapid.
x few years more and between New York
and San Francisco there shall be no great
American Desert Cheyenne Daily Leader