The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-01-08
ORIGIN or THl PRAIRIES.
Read BEFORE s.Ic ottawa ACADEMY Of Nat
ural Sciences. Dee. 80, 1863.
BY HON. J. ID. CATION, IL. d.

origin ef the rrairies though il may seem like
presumption ia me to attempt the discussion OF
subject which that greatest ot natures students
the immortal Humboldt. seems s,udiousiy to
have avoided He describes 10 all the pralrles
OF the world, great portion of which he had
personally examined. lie gives Us their area
their geography, their tJpogrl ply. their sur
pounding, their comp oneuts and their products
bat gives Us 10 word Of suggestion or exp.ana-
ton Why they are destitute ~ trees, when sur
rounded aid intersper>ed ever! where by forests
This, indeed, seems very I'm trkaole IN one who
WAS perhaps. the most extraordinary man that
ever lived tor observing, studying aud explain
ing every interesting phenomenon IN mature.
Whv has not he. the most able u, al men tS dis
cuss it, favored us with Ia, view, Il this sub
iect. We are hardly NJ liberty o. suppose II
was 4 mere oversight aud are iotn to believe
that he considered ,lr inquiry of - i'tlc impor-
tanto AS TO be unworthy VI hI> uy.ce. Inns
would he TOO severe + {, ctiuu up 81. those
who have since considered the inquiry worthy OF
the most serious constellation. SIM" Ills time
1t has been the subject OF much study and OF
many and conflicting theories. Although he
whom OF all other, We should listen To with the
greatest Interest, in answer 10 this inquiry, has,
sc far a. | know, not chosen ~ enlightru Us with
his views, Yet the origin OF the pralrles Is ii
theme which has Commanded the attention of
many, both of those whose eminent attachments
entitle them To the appelttion of learned, and
those who dwell upon them but make no pIeten-
s;1ns TO such distinction. BY the former, theo-
ries have been advanced and olaborited and
placed on record, some Of which are quite incon-
sstent with Others, 80 mat all OF THEM, AT Iest,
cannot be true and probably we should not be
very far out Of the way should we conclude that
some errors have crept into all. and also that
none of them are entirely destitute of truth. In
deed sometimes 1u.hued to the belief
that each one has written ii called upon to
advance something entirely original, and this
may have led some TO the very borders OF absurd
ity, and would tlmost induce the belief that their
authors had never prairie. l pm this, a.
upon all other subjects where we must depend
upon evidence 10 lead us to correct conclusions,
il is indispensable that we proceed upon tncts
and, far as possible, all the facts which
enlighten our judgments upon the subject. The
very moment we proceed upon assumed fact.
which in truth 10 not exist, then most likely
the first step viii toe error, and 20 we shall be led
by false lights to Juc very end, and it VIII he
Inarkable /! our conclusions are not erroneous.
All men, aud especially the learned, are, per-
hapS, too prone to theoriziug, and such IS the
weakut', Of human nature that when theory l.
once formed and announced, It Is our child, our
offspring, cur ioudHng, and We to feel the
obligation ut parent 10 ever aitar maintain aud
support it. Though, a. it grows up it may be-
come deformed and ugly, aud unworthy a! our
father - discard it and rider it, execution.
AL manner Of violence is done t. fact. ia win
support aud su,trnarce f,r The bantijig, aud
every grain ot proof Ia It's defense is nAue 10
wsah pound
Each of the theories which have been advanced
on this subject undoubtedly has som" facts for
it, support, and possibly may account for the
formation Of some prairios; but neither L. capa-
Bile OF accounting Tor all prail1es. Hence | con-
cludc that various causes have contributed to the
formation OF the priIries 1t may be chat some
prairics have been formed by processes entirely
different from processes which formed Others.
But. first of all, III the discussion OF this sub
iect, and so it Is Of all Others it is necessary to
have distinct understanding If the subject to
be discussed. We must know precisely what
particular t1cts to be explained, what phe-
ncmena are to be accounted for. There are two
distinct element, to be considered III the discus
sion OF TIL, subject. The one is the deposition
of the soil, aud the conf curatiou of the surfaces
of the prdrios: and the other /. TIE absence OF
arboreScent vegetation upon them i'll what may
be termed their natural state while they are
clothed with rich coat Of herbaceuus vegetation
So it will be seen that l only propose 20 di,cu, =,
what may be called the fer,iIr prairies, laying
entirely out OF view those arid deserts formed III
many portions OF the globe where rains are so
seldom that few varieties of the vegetable king
dom exit without artificial irrigation.
My attention has been lately recalled to this
subject by the re-perusal of paper prepared by
Professor Leo La,quereaux for the Report of the
Geological Survey Of Illinois, and published in
that Report, Vol. |, page 23S. Hence has it
become the property Of our state, and invites the
criticism OF all her citizens, thousands of whom
have devoted much study to the subject, with
better means OF understanding it than is possible
to one whose observations are confined to mere
superficial examination of them, as was EVIDENT,
the case with the learned author Of this paper
as l think | shall show before conclude, al.
though attempt it with the greatest Difference
and respect for such / ish authority
The theory OF the learned Professor may be
briefly stated thus: Prairies were originally
formed in the shallow margins of agita,cd waters
either lakes or running streams. Fly the agta
ton Of the waters of lakes drifting materials i,
thrown up ~ greater or less distance from the
Shores, forming dams ykes, which serve tc
cut off shallow sections Of water from the nuir
body. These shallow ponds of water, being pro
tected from the agitations of the main body be
come the habitat OF aquatic plants, which in sue
oesslye crops decay ana reproduced, thu
contributing to fill up the shallow pools, which
end Is also promoted by atmospheric deposits auj
the growth and decay Of animal aquatic life NJ
III hnaily the bottom of the pent up waters i
raised above the surface, and pra,te is formed
ihe same process is repeated along the margin
OF rivers, where similar deposits are made in ,h
sun waters ON either side of the active current
which cuts oil seGtious of shallow water int
Guet ponas along the river bottoms, which be
come filled up and are converted into prairies i,
the same way. The paper -ays: This pecu
hanty OF formation explains first. the perulin
"a Tl IN At,fl Ut ,,..,