Year: 1859




are quite often Hickory White Ash, &C.,
even where none such are visible among
the adjacent timber. was fully convinced
that wood grows more abundant with the
progress of settlement and cultivation. OF
course, there is timber enough to-day in
the Territory but the better portion of
it is too generally confined to the inteTvales
of the larger streams, too far for their COM
/ fort from most settlers on the prairies.-
| Could prairie-fres be wholly arrested, the
increase of timber would Overbalance ten
fold the annual rise and waste and the
quality improves even faster than the guam
tity. This real progress. For though
there is quite enough in the Territory and
a pretty good variety of all species except
the evergreens, which are lamentably de-
ficent, there are points at which none is
within two or three miles-the little that
formerly ran up the small ravines which cut
| in upon the great high prairies being soon
exhausted by use for building, fuel and
fencing, aud requiring years for its repro
duction.


Twelve or fifteen miles south of Atchin-
inson, we struck the great California trail
from Leavenworth, and thence followed it
east 10y south into that city, some fifteen to
eighteen miles. | should have liked Gerrit
Smith as one of our party, that | might
show him the practical working of his the
ory that Government has no other legiti-
mate business than to keep cne mans fin
gers off another mems throat and out of
any pocket but his own. The great Cali
fornia trail, like the Santa Fe and all other
primitive roads through the prairie country,
keeps along the highest divides" or prairie
Swells, avoiding the miry bottoms" of the
streams and ESQ far as possibIe) the ravines
which the water falling on the high prairie
has cut down to them, of course winding
considerably, but making the best and most
serViceable natural road that eau be, and
one that in dry weat her is excellent and in
wet is dry as possible But each settler
along this trail, in the absence Of any legal
establishment Of the trail as highway, is
at liberty to run his fences right across it
as the lne Of his land runs, and so crowd
| it off the higl divides" into all manner of
angles and zigZagS, across this ravine and
into that slough, until the trail is fast be-
coming the very worst road in all Kansas
have had pretty full experience of bad
roads and during this week but the very
worst and miriest was that portion of the
California trail (and United States militia
ry road from Fort Leavenworth west to
other Forts) which works its sinuous way
through the region generally settled by
thrifty farmers, lying directly west of Leay-
enworth. And the worst hill for teams I
have seen in Kansas is traversed by this
road within five miles of Leavenworth, be-
tween the Fort and the rich but miry val
ley of Salt Greek on the west. This road,
unless it can be restored, will soon have to
be abandoned, and thence Leavenworth
must suffer.


AS we neared the California trail, the
white coverings of the many emigrant and
transport wagons dotted the landscape,
giving the trail the appearance of river
running through great meadows, with many
ships sailing on its bosom. Most of the
independent wagoners were still encamped
by the way side, unable or unwilling to
brave the deep mud, their cattle feeding
on the broad prairie the emigrants cook
ing or sitting beside the wagons women
sometimes washing and all trying to dry
their clothing, drenched and soaked by the
pouring rain the past night. One great
wagon-train was still in cOrrQL with its cat
tie feeding and men lOunging about the
others might have been, as it was clearly
impossible to make their lean, wild looking
oxen (mainly of the long horned stripe,
which indicates Texas as their native land,
and which had probably first felt the yoke
within the past week. draw them up the
slightest ascent through that deep, slippery
mire. A great deal Of yelling, beating,
swearing was being expended to little pur-
pose, as presume each train corralled for
the ensuing night within mile of the point
it left in the morning These contractors
wagons are very large and strong, each
carrying a couple of good extra axles lash
ed under its body, to be used in case an
old one gives way under heavy jerk; the
drivers are as rough, .wildlooking as their
teams, though not so awkard at their busi-
ness but to keep six yoke of oxeu in
line in the road, and all pulling on the load
is beyond human skill 1t is sore trial
to patience, that first start of these trains
ou their long journey-to Utah, Fort Hall,
Green River, and some of these to New
Mexico, though this is not the Santa Fe
trail The loads are generally dfty hundred
weight the wagons must weigh at least
1900 each and, this would seem moderate
for twelve oxen, it must be remembered
that they are at this season poor and at
first unbroken, and that The road is in
spots very bad one A train consists of
ten to twenty wagons; each train has its re-
liable and experienced master or director /;
and when team is stalled, another is un-
hitched from its own wagon and sent to
the aid of the one in trouble. The rate Of
progress is of course snail-lke; these trains
will do we'll if they make twenty miles the
first week, considering the weather. But
then the feed of the teams (like the lodg-
ings of the men) costs nothing, as they
live on the broad prairie, aud though they
will often be fearfully hungry or dry in
traversing grassleSs tracts on their route,
they are said generally to gain in flesh (for
which there is ample room) during jour
new of three or four months. OF course
they improve in docility and effectiveness
being at first so wild that, in order to ba
yoked they have to be drivn into the cOryaI
formed as may have explained, by the
wagons closely ranged in hollow square,