Year: 1859




Watson. of this place, under date of March
12th. 1859. to his father, John Watson, of
Doylestown, Pa, and published in the
Doylestown (Pa-) Lnteltigencer It con-
tains information of a highly interesting
character to those who design emigrating
to this fair Territory, and the statements
here made may be relied on as true and life
like. He says;


"The country is beautiful beyond des-
cription. Il does not present one vast
waste of barren prairie, affording tiresome
and monotonous view, as one might sup
pose; but on the contrary, it is ever varying;
every mile you travel there is new and
unexpected scene of lovely landscape burst
ing upon your view. Now you trace the
green copse of woodland, as 1t indicates the
serpentine course of some crystal stream
winding its way to the rock-bound gorges
of the high rolling prairie. and anon spread
ing out over plain of unsurpassed fertility
and unspeakable loveliness. You travel on
and loi the scene changes. You stand up
on an eminence, the ascent to which has
been so gradual that you were not aware of
it. and look down upon valley of almost
uneartbly beauty Away beyond. the prai-
rie shoots up like pyramid. and then fiat
tening ont like huge turtle. and then goes
rolling and tumbling off to the right and
left, assuming. as it recedes. the most fan
tastic shapes and forms. A spanking breeze
from the southwest fans your cheek, and
it comes sweeping over the prairie freight
ed with the perfume of flowers Of every
shape and hue. You stand literally en-
tranced. Your soul at last becomes sur
feiied with the gorgeousness of the beauty,
and wearied with its vastness. Kansas
presents the most sublime specimen
of the poetry of nature; and every one
who has the least particle of this element in
his soul, will be filled with extatic delight
as he travels overit.


The soil is as fertile as soil can be; it is a
deposit of decomposed vegetable matter,
which has been accumulating for countless
ayes. On the high prairie the soil is black
loan, from two to three feet deep; in the
valleys it is from ten to fifteen feet deep.


The climate of Kansas constitutes its
greatest attractions: it is most delightful
Our principal winter month is November.
Since the fore part of December we have
not had more than week or two of Geld
and wintry weather. put it altogether; and
have had no rain during all this time. Car
penters and plasterers have been at work all
winter, in their shirt sleeves. You have no
such weather in Pennsylvania. It is some
thing between your Indian summer, and a
soft May day. l am told by men from
North Carolina that our climate resembles
theirs; it is very much like that of the south
ern part of Kentucky. On the first of
4, al IL hII-
in leaf, and the prairie begi to look green
the farmers plough for oats and spring
wheat We sow and plant at leasta a month
or six weeks earlier here than you do. Peo-
pie are now gardening. Corn is pretty well
.natured by the first of September. Last
fall we gathered corn for mush about the
middle of September. Thee must remem-
Der that we live in the south western part
of the Territory, over hundred miles from
the Missouri river. Sixty miles south of
US the grass is up and the cattle are out
grazing. Sixty miles north of US there is
as much difference the other way. This
difference of climate in different localities.
accounts for the discrepancy in the state
ments of travellers respecting it.


The various crops which yau raise in
Pennsylvania grow vel! here. The world
cannot afford a country to excel this in corn
and wheat, and as for vines there is literal
II no end to them Our cornGelds are COW
cred with pumpkins and watermelons.
Timber and water are scarce. Coal has
not vet been discovered in sufficient guam
titles to supply what we anticipate will be
the future demand of the country-so far,
at least. as this (the Neosho) valley is con-
cerRed.7


Fruit trees seem to thrive well; I have
seen peach trees. of six months growth, as
thick as my thumb. and young cotton wood,
of the same age, as high as am. Rabbits
are as plenty as mice, and are very destruct-
i've to young fruit trees.


Wolves are numerous; deer and turkeys
are not very plenty. We lave few hares,
wild cats, foxes and coons. Buffalo come
in from the north and west, in the fall, II
great numbers. and move towards the south.
They approach within fifty or sixty miles
of us. Our people GO out and kill them for
their winter beef. and for traffic. In these
expeditions they are often very successful.
At that season they are very fat. / have
never tasted better and sweeter meat than
ierked buffalo


! This is the paradise of cattle; in the sum-
mer they fairly shake with fat as they move
over the prairie. ] have eaten beef in Kan
sas. fed on our prarie grass. which would
make New York Alderman's mouth wa
ter, Stock raising will some day become
an important branch of business here.
Prairie chickens are very numerous, and
the boys are quite successful in shooting
them. They are about the size of guinea
fowl, and look very much like them about
the head. They are about the color of a
quail.


We have Indians all around US. Their
reservations comprise some of the best wa
tered and timbered portions of Kansas
| The time Is near at hand when the presence
of these troublesome neighbors will be felt