The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-11-26
WESTWARD. HaO.
a LaAd-EAun and the Land
We lnumGed Over.

a Land-EAant, and the Land
We nunted Over.
The following article Is clipped
from the Joliet Qll.) Republican,
aud was written by an intelligent
gentleman who lately visited EN-
poria:
EMPoRIA, KS, Nov. I'd, 1875.
Bent on seeing as much as posi-
BILE during our brief sojOurn in
Kan as, we Joined q party OF Land
of adventures.
Our coarse led us for % miles
across al open prairie, nearly di-
reef north from Emporia; 90 Aiding
"a pr b pc, To iOrm as rec. an
piano" he c,uH,r>, cu,uvAIed,
and III sIa.e 81 nature as would IA
drive OF the same distance in Sny
porto. of the S'a' .. Our Course
'ook lie along the skirts "f the set
dement, on Allen creek, one OIL the
iilest agricultural regions in the
State. TO tue left of us, fine farms
with thrifty young orchards, neat
buildings aud u wealth of grain in
shock and stack that betokened
prolific soil, were passed; while to
the right the boundless prairie, with
no apparent limit but :he horizon,
stretched away, unbroken by tree
or human habitation. In some
places the autumn fires had licked
up with tongues of flame" the
summers growth, but in other To-
calities the abundant covering of
prairie grass bore ample testimony
to the character of the soil.
Improved farms in this neighbor-
hood are held at from $25 to $50
per acre, and unbrokeu prairie,
much of which is held by specnla-
tors, at from Sc to $l2. In one or
two places we noticed q popularity
of the "Great American Desert"
even in this favored region. This
consisted in spots of alkali-tinctur-
ed earth. The ordinary vegetation
of the region giving place to q
growth of prickly pears. There is
not enough alkali in the soil here
however, to be considered any det-
riment to it.
After proceeding ten or twelve
miles from the city, the Improve
ments" became less and less fire.
quent, until only an occasional
squatter's cabin relieved the intense
loneliness of the scene. Here was
Nature in its most majestic form
Autumn, 1t is true. has robbed the
landscape OF its wealth of flowers
and foliage; yet, If its softer beau
ties have passed away. we must still
exclaim with admiration:
"These are the gardens Of the desert;
These the nnkhOrn Gel0a- hOnnHleaG and
beautiful"
and gaze in admiration as they
"Stretch In airy undulations far away,
As IL an ocean in its widest swell
Stood still, with its rounded pillows fixed,
And motionless forever"
AS we approached the proposed
limit of our excursion, the face of
the country became broken, dry ra-
vines moro frequent, and what APP
peared to be an excellent quality of
limestone cropping out in the banks
of the ravines. To a Joliet man
this would not seem particularly OBJ
jectionable, especially as the balance
of the prairie is excellent land for
tillage. We succeeded in selecting
three or four thousand acres from q
tract OF $4,000, owned by non-resi-
dent spectators, that we think will
answer our purpose for sheep and
cattle r. nch when we decide to set
tie in Kansas.
We travelled in this jaunt across
the borders of the ."Kaw Reserve"
one of the finest tracts of land in
Kansas, or anywhere else. This re-
serve is now open to settlement, the
government holding the land in
trust for the Indians, who have been
removed to the Indian Territory,
south oil the Arkansas river. The
lands have been appraised, aud the
settlers have TO take them at the
appraised vaIue, which runs from
i've TO twelve dollars per acre, &C.
cording 10 location and qualI,y.
The railroad lands OF the State be
ing offered cheaper and on more IA
vSrable terms OF payment, few peo-
pie have settled ON the Indian lands.
The story of this reserve Illus
trates the difficulty our government
has to encounter in its dealings with
the Indians. The reserve was or
iginally large one-if we mistake
not-3O miles in length, by half that
width. So much land being useless
to the few Indians comprising the
tribe, il was proposed to sell u part
of it, and with the avails put a tim
bered portion in better condition
for their use. Accordingly the gov
ernment had two hundred stone
houses built, and other improve
ments made to encourage them to
assume the habits of civilized life.
Some OF them moved into their
houses, but soon exchanged them
for the wigwam, and put their pc
mics into them. But these comfort
able quarters did not even seem to
agree with the ponies, and were
soon deserted. They then took out
the doors and windows, and finally
stripped them of floors and roofs /;
selling them to the settlers, and en-
igrated To the wilds of the Indian
nation, where stone houses did not
exist, and whisky was contrabani.
The ride OF go miles (out and
back) In the bracing autumn air. &C.
complished without crossing q
threshold, and without fatigue. gave
us perhaps as correct an idea of the
capabilities of Kansas as could have
been obtained in the same length of
time IN any other way we have no
hesitation In saying that when we
decide to emiGrate West, we shall
be as likely to select this region as
any other that We have visited.
But no one will be apt to question
that after such q ride, we returned