Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-11-08

lAEltL HGllOh lOdlh anu III NCDlL
from one to three feet. Below 1t is
the black soil which on the bottom
extends down to the quicksand.
The town, as already said, is on the
Missouri bottom. West of it nearly
ten miles the bluffs rise bold and ab-
rupt out of the bottom. The ravines in
these bluffs are full of "timber"-
as they call all woods heFe-mostiy
stunted oak and elm, with enough of
other kinds TO make, with their many
colored foliage, just now, most de-
lightful picture against the brown of
the tall bluffs. North of the town is
the "St. Johns timber" a growth of
heavy cottonwood, several thousand
acres in extent. To the northeast
low point of timber, beyond the Mis-
souri,, is all that can be seen of Dakio
ia territory. Just beyond this pont-
the Big Sioux river enlpties into the
Missouri. 1t forms the boundary be-
tween Dakota and Iowa. To the east,
beyond II, and below its mouth, be-
yond the Missouri, rise the bluffs as
high and broken as on the west
These bluffs follow the bend of the
river and are again seen over heavy
belt Of timber to the south.
Dakota City is only one of dozen
towns that were started on the bottom
within a radius of ten miles, when
the country was first. settled The
Soldest inaabitantii-a man apparent
" not thirty-fiye-whe "came up the
river in. '56, u when Omaha was an
Indian trading post and Sioux City
undreampt of, tells Of Omadi, long a
rival of this city, but now entirely
washed away by tie riyer--the main
channel is now where the hotel was,
of Logan, nOws 8 desolate pasture with
not house in sight, but once with a
dozen houses, Of Old st. Johns, at
one time the metropolis of all Nebras-
ka north of the Platte, but at present
containing only two OF three farm
.housts, and half score of others, once
rivals of this town but now ''gone
where the woodbine twineth."
Nature, as well as man, has chang
ed the surface of the bCttom since its
first settlement. Successive overfows
of the river have deposited sufficient
earth in places that, when the coun-
try was first settled, We're svamps, TO
make them hllabIe fields. Even in
some places where, ten years agoFa
boat could be rowed, are now quite
drysand firm. Old settlers say that
the channel of the river is gradually
deepening, and account for the in
creased area Of dry land in this way,
but the deposit left by the river must
have done much.
The other day visited the St.
John's timber, north of town. The
ride for the first eight miles is thro'
a country as well settled and as well
improved as parts OF the Western Re-
serve. Land is held at little over
half the price here that it is there
TO-be-sure every farm has not timber.
but the Missouri Is near and the fuel
and timber along il, such as it is, is
cheaper than in TrumbuII county
The road to the timber Is through Old
st. Johns. Here the first settlement
in this part, and one of the first in
the State, was made by q colony Of
Irish Catholics from Kentucky
"Squatter's law" was predominant
Some men held dozens of claims with
out a shadow Of right, and the Settlers
Club decreed death to any one who
might interfere. Now and then a
man was independent enough TO
"buck agin" this Settlers Club, but
it didn't pay. Chas. Collins, now the
editor of the SiOuI City Daily Times,
wandered into this section then and
cast longing eye on a claim held
without color of right by sister of the
head man of the colony..The tavern
which we pass was the scene of his
being hung by the Settlers Club, on
account Of said longing, till friends
interfered and he WIS cut down more
dead than alive. Such cases, and
worse, were Of frequent occurrence.
Passing through a belt Of tall will
lows, more like Iomberdy poplars than
any forest tree Ohio has, we came into
the border Of the timber, Seaat and
small at first, but as, we; get farther
in denser. Grape vines, loaded with
grapes festooH the trees; Wild hops
climbing scarcely less higher than the
more noble vine, are everywhere, and
loaded with clusters Of large, fine
looking hops. The natives scarcely
ever use the cultivated article, put
pick and dry the wild hops as old
ladies do catnip in the east. still
farther in and the scene is really mag
nificent Tall eottonwoods and elms,
much resembling the largest poplars
in shape and size, growing as close to-
gether as beech do in Ohio forests;
smaller trees and vines, grape, hop,
and several kinds OF which LIDO not
know the names, filling up the space
below them, and all these in the indis-
cribable hues of latter fall, in which
every color, from the modest white
and brown Of the hop clusters, throi
the golden yellow of the grape leaves,
and the purple of the clusters to the
CLASSY green Of the cottonwood leaves
and the brilliant blood red OF the ivy;
imagine this, and you have q faint
picture of Missouri bottom Forest
The ivy here has a most peculiar ap-
pearance since the frost, something
like great crimson serpants envelop-
ing the tailest trees to their very tops.
This brilliant red among the equally
brilliant green OF the cottonwood
leaves, looks unlike anything ! have
ever seen before.
But this letter has already dragged
its slow length along" toa much great
er length than is Interesting.