Omaha daily bee., 1921-06-19

pioneer days-Editor's Note.)
Missouri and Iowa (what is gener
ally termed just Nebraska; ant
he calls this part of the plains jus
Nebraska several times in the report
In October, 1853, he inspected thi.
country and found that there wa.
no settlement made in any part O.
Nebraska. From all the information
l could obtain, there were but three
white men in the territory, except
: such as were there by authority ot
law and those adopted by marriage
into Indian families"
In this report he illustrates the ut.
terly lawless condition of Nebraska
just before its territorial organiza.
ton: .s.. t+.
These emigrants travel through
the Indian country to their abodes
on the Pacific without the protection
of law. There is no law there but
the Intercourse act, and it gives
them no protection whatever. Ex-
cept the Wyandottes and Ottawas,
who have simple laws, the Indian
tribes in the territory are destitute
of any prescribed form of govern
ment."
Panoramic Nebraska.
1t would not be fanciful to repre-
sent the animal and plant life of
early Nebraska in a moving pano-
ramic pageant. Historic facts ac-
tually present such a picture, and
the constantly commingled primi-
tive American people and the Ameri-
can bisons are its outstanding fea-
lures. They were alike ignorantly
Observation-Disclosures and buffaloes.
The people found all over the con-
tinent of North America by its Eu-
ropean discoveries are truly the
American race; but these discoverers
Columbus especially - supposing
they had touched the shores of
India, named the inhabitants In
dams. Peter H. Burnett, leader of
the famous expedition of emigrants
to Oregon in 1843, observed that
when the season was wet so that the
buffaloes could find water on the up
lands and in the sand hills, they
would go back from the Platte river
for wider grazing fields. Thus the
Indians followed them, backward
and forward, mostly northerly and
souther1y.
Procession of the Plants.
The native plants of Nebraska
comprise an unusually large number
of species. Plants, like all living
things, continually move about, into
new places. If the conditions are
suitable in these new places, the new
settlers stay and thrive there.
Nebraska is so situated that it is
the meeting place of species Of plants
which have migrated from valleys
and woodlands to the east, with
other species which have migrated
from the mountains to the west.
Most kinds of trees and shrubs now
native to Nebraska have moved in
from the east. Probably about a
score of species of these native trees
and shrubs have moved down from
the mountains of the west.
Procession of the Animals.
The original animal life of Ne
braska was very rich in the number
Of species, especially of birds and
mammals. The reason for this is the
same as that givn for the great
number of kinds of plants.
By virtue of their great size, num-
Der and usefulness, bisons, now COM
monty called buffaloes, were the
most remarkable of the native ami
mails of Nebraska. They were of
more importance to the Indians than
the domestic European cattle are to
the present white inhabitants.
Their flesh supplied most of the
meat; their skins were used for
clothing, for shoes, for bedding, for |
tent covers and many other pur-
poses. Thread and cords were made
If their sinews, tools of their bones, |
spoons of their horns, glue of their
1oofs, ornaments of their teeth;
heir hair, like wool, was woven into
many useful articles, and small boys
ised their ribs and shoulder blades
% make sleds on which they had
great fun coasting downhill over the |
rozen snow.
The Desert Myth.
A misapprehension that Nebraska |
vas desert" was caused partly |
y superficial observation. Of ex-
lorers and travellers, and, for the
est, by the slanderous reports of
esidents of the eastern and south
western states, who were afraid that
'pening the vast territory to occupa-
ion would hinder the settlement of
heir own great area of vacant land.
They wished also to preserve these
Western plains as dumping ground
or their own undesirable Indian
This influence hindered
he development of the Nebraska
ountry for about 50 years-while
gradually vanished before the ex-
'CiIilSIit vi dSludl SuitlVdlOlS Vi tHC
oil and the spread Of the knowledge
,ained by competent scientific in
'estigation.
G. K. Chesterton has lately been
cry prosperously floating a series
f lectures in this country in which
e talked mostly about "the unedu-
ated educated" His original con-
cit touching this topic, "All vulgar
rrors arise from education. The
are generally right; the
'adly educated are always wrong"
GEMS to solve our present puzzle. A
yroup of half educated reputed
cientihc explorers did most Of the
mischief in question.
In 1906. Lieutenant Zebulon M. |
Pike, Sixth infantry, led military
expedition from St. Louis to the
Rocky mountains and the sources of |
he Arkansas river. His course was
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