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I 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS;
SKETCHES OF NEBRASKA:
DESCRIBING
THE COUNTPRY, CLIMIATE, SOIL, MINERAL, MIANUFAC        TURING, AND OTItER RESOURCES.
THE RESULTS OF A TOUR MADE IN THE AUTUMN OF 1854.
. ~   ~!'.-  BY
REV. O.'.BOYXTON AND T. B. MASON,
COMMITTEE FROM THE "KANSAS LEAGUE," OF CINCINNATLI.
Mi~t4 a lirfm and  utttntit            from  Of  ala   Cuts.
CINCINNATI:
MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & CO.,
NO. 25 WEST FOURTH STREET.
1 8 5 5.
A
I A}
i,./ 
~
W~'TH 
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by
MOORE, WILSTACII, KEYS & CO.,
In the Clerk's office of the District Court of Ohio.
Stereo,,typed by
MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & OVERE.'D,
CNC I NNAT. 
COMMISSIONERS' PREFACE.
OUR first intention, after our return from Kansas,
was to present only a brief formal report of the
principal facts connected with  the geography, soil,
climate, productions, and resources of the country.
But we soon found that the material we had collected
was ample for a work of a different character; and it
was  the opinion of judicious persons with whom we
consulted, that the interests of the cause would be
best promoted by weaving this material into a cheap
book of a somewhat popular caste, by which  a wider
circulation could be given to the facts themselves.
This course was decided upon, after consultation
with the officers of the Societies by whom we were
sent out, and the statements of the book have the
official sanction of the Commissioners.
CHARLES B. BOYNTON,
T. B. MASON.
CicINATI, October, 1854:
(iii)  
PREFACE OF THE WRITER.
Ix September, 185a4, a small party was commissioned by "The American Reform Tract and Book
Society," and "The Kansas League," in Cincinnati, to
explore and report upon the climate, soil, productions and general resources, and promise of Kansas.
With this party the writer united himself, partly
for the purpose of aiding in executing the commission,
and partly in the hope of recruiting his exhausted
strength by a ramble over the "prairie land" of
Kansas.
After the return of the party, it was thought that
perhaps many of the scenes and incidents of that far,
and almost unexplored Territory, which had so deeply
interested us, might, through description, awaken an
interest in others; and that the facts themselves, if
conveyed partly through the medium of narrative,
would make a more vivid impression, and obtain a
wider circulation.
(v) 
,PREFA'CE OF THE WRITER.
All facts and statemenits concerning the aspect, rsources, and productions of the country, are presented
with the sanction of the Commissioners; while, for the
grouping of these facts, description, and narration, the
writer alone is responsible.
vi 
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Preparations and Inquiries..................................1
CHAPTER II.
From Cincinnati to St. Louis................................4
CHAPTER III.
Voyage up the Missouri-Cholera on the Boat.................10
CHAPTER IV.
Business and Boats of the Missouri-Kansas City...........18
CHAPTER V.
A Squatter City-Fort Leavenworth-Weston..............23
CHAPTER VI.
Weston Ferry and its Shibboleth-Entrance into the Territory...30
(vii) 
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VII.
Geographical and Commercial Divisions....................... 33
CHAPTER VIII.
Scenery and Incidents........................................ 45
CHAPTER IX.
Climate and Productions,..................................... 58
CHAPTER X.
Temperature and Quantity of Rain,........................... 60
CHAPTER XI.
Streams, Springs, Wells, Timber-its kinds and quality-MIate  rials for Fences and Dwellings,............................ 64
CHAPTER XII.
A Night on the banks of the Big Blue,........................77
CHAPTER XIII.
The Scenery of the Prairies-The Past, The Present, The Future,.86
CHAPTER XIV
Town Sites and Settlements.................................. 93
CHAPTER XV.                         9
The First Winter may be one of Hardship..................... 101
N 
CON TENTS.
CHAPTER XVI.
Fort Riley-Indian Fighting.................................105
CHAPTER XVII.
From Fort Riley to Council Grove-Kaw Indians............. 114
CHAPTER XVIII.
Number of Inhabitants now in the Territory-Slaveholders   Their Feelings and Plans,...............................125
CHAPTER XIX.
The Importance of Kansas, as seen in her position and rela  tions to other portions of the country,..............133
CR-APTER  XX.
Homestead and Pre-Emption Law............................142
CHAPTER XXI.
Indian Lands and Reservations............................. 152
CHAPTER  XXII.
Mules-Tecumseh-Prospecting-The New England Settle   ment-A Mule Chase.............................15
CHAPTERP XXIII.
The Mounds —An Indian MIurderer-IInteresting, Cito.. l
ix
!7
.     f,       i    -:,'   -), I 
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER  XXV.
Nebraska..................................................183
CHAPTER XXVI.
Great Importance of the Kansas Question,.................... 198
CHAPTER XXVII.
Warning Voice............................................203
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Christian Obligation-Christian Colonization,...............209
x 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
CHAPTER I.
PREPARATIONS AND INQUIRIES.
WITHIN the short space of a few weeks, a large amount
of information has been collected and circulated in regard
to Kansas. Every scrap concerning this last new land of
promise, has been devoured with curiosity's keenest appetite, and most men will now talk as if Kansas were a
familiar subject, studied and comprehended. Few, however,
as yet, have formed any well-defined ideas of the position,
aspect and resources of this great Territory, or have measured aright the influences which its settlement is likely to
exert upon the destiny of the whole country; and two
months since, when it was first determined that an exp!cring party should go out from Cincinnati, it was far n ore
difficult to decide what was needed for such a journey tnan
to provide an outfit for a voyage to Europe; and while we
modestly admit that we had ourselves no knowledge to boast
of, we must add, that the general ignorance was highly
amusing.  Some seemed to have no more definite notion of
1 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
the position of Kansas, than of the distance of the fixed
stars. They thought of it as indefinitely remote-somewhere "out west," toward the Pacific Ocean. One individual placed it two thousand miles from Council Bluffs;
another brought it on within two thousand miles of Cincinnati, while an Irish friend inquired if it was indeed a newlydiscovered continent. An outfit for Kansas is a matter to
be very gravely considered, and attended to in the minutest
manner, before starting, and a thing to be laughed over when
once you are in the Territory. Bifles, shot-guns and revolvers, with all the necessary accouterments and ammunition,
hunters' knives, blankets, tents, camp equipage, fishing
apparatus, water-proof boots and coats; these, and innumerable smaller articles, were to be duly considered and
decided upon.
Who could tell what weapons of offense or defense
might be needed on the lonely prairie? All the newspapers
agreed in declaring that no man should dare venture without
his rifle, at the very least.
Whether the rifle was to be used against panthers, grizzly
bears, and wolves, or against the Pawnees, or Camanches, or
to defend ourselves against those bloody-minded members of
the Platte County Self-defensive Association, who had offered
a reward for Eli Thayer, we could not tell; or whether it
mi ht not be necessary to carry by assault the famous Weston ferry, where it was said no Yankee could, on any terms,
get over.  A rifle was voted into the outfit; also, a "double
barrel," for none could tell us how else food was to be obtained, and for the same reason our fishing-tackle was added,
as also a revolver for close combat, whether with man or
2 
JOURNEY THIROUGH KANSAS.
beast. Rubber overcoats and leggins were also obtained,
for h w could a shelter be reached on the naked prairie?
We were told in the Territory, that a very prudent gentleman from New York, one of great forecast, had carried his
precautionary measures so far, as to take out with him a
paper of sand for scouring his knives. Our providence was
not so far-reaching or so minute as his, but when fairly underway in Kansas, rolling easily in a two-horse carriage over the
finest roads in the world, we discovered that our outfit, provided with so much anxious care, was, with a few exceptions,
as little needed as it would be in the streets of our own city.
Our rifle did indeed have a shot at a prairie wolf, and prairie
chickens, quails and plover heard the voice of our "double
barrel;" to which fact, most of them being yet alive, are
ready to bear witness; while a few, impudent, and scornful,
offering themselves at " standing shot" were added to our
spoils, and we left their well-picked bones to bleach upon
the prairies. The hunter's knife was quite useful, one
morning, in preparing some dry toast for a breakfast on the
prairie, but had no taste of the blood of buffaloes, or elk, or
even grizzly bears.
In fact, the exploration of Kansas was a much more peaceful affair, with a more decidedly civilized aspect, than our
friends had feared, or we had imagined. But, though bloodless, our journey was full of instruction upon points now
intimately connected with American progress, interspersed
with some exciting and many amusing incidents; while
after leaving St. Louis, the whole scene was attractive, from
its novelty, which scene, as it was a few weeks since, I will
now endeavor to present to the reader.
3 
CHAPTER II.
FROM CINCINNATI TO ST. LOUIS.
TiHE Ohio had shrunk, during the drouth, to a shallow
that put to shame its boasting spring flood, and our Ohio
and Mississippi Railroad being as yet only in " rapid progress," our party was compelled to set its face toward
Chicago. But, by which route? This question suggests
many important thoughts concerning the trade of Cincinnati.
The traveler may pass by steamboat or railway to Madison,
and thence northward by railroad to Indianapolis and Chicago; or, to Lawrenceburgh, either by the boat or cars,
and thence to Chicago; or, by Hamilton, Richmond, and
Indianapolis; or, lastly, by Dayton, Richmond, and Indianapolis. This assemblage of railways, stretching from Cincinnati toward the northwest, shows how earnestly she is
now preparing herself to attract the trade of that immense
and fertile region -while the long lines which traverse
the country from the Mississippi eastward, some of them
already crowded with freights and travel, and that leave
the Queen City to the south on one side, cause one to feel
that the air-line connection with St. Louis has been delayed
too long already, and that it behooves Cincinnati not only to
finish this railroad with all haste, but to be diligent and 
JOURNEY THIROUGII KANSAS.
greatly in earnest to ally herself to tho free west and northwest, by all those ties and living sympathies, which are
mightier even than railways, to give direction to the currents
of trade.
On one of the sunniest mornings of early autumn, we
were seated in the cars of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad.  I felt the first motion of the train on this link of
the great central "broad gauge" with strong emotion.  Soon
this broad gauge will stretch in almost an air-line, from St.
Louis to New York; and already its westward continuation
to the mouth of the Kansas is under-way, and then for the
Pacific and the trade of the "exhaustless East."  How
soon, along this iron artery, the tide of commerce will throb
from ocean to ocean! This spanning a continent with such
a railway is a thought worthy the nineteenth century-one
which no other century could have conceived or executed.
It is an exponent of the spirit of our age, and marks the
change in the direction of human thought and industry,
since the time when the genius and labor of an empire were
employed in piling up the good-for-nothing pyramids. Europe and Asia will yet rush to meet each other in this
Western valley, at the rate of fifty miles an hour! At some
eating station out in Kansas, or at Salt Lake, London and
Canton will exchange congratulations and newspapers.
The sooner all idea of obtaining aid from the Government
for building a Pacific Railroad is abandoned, the better,
probably, and the sooner the work will be done. Not that
it would not be a noble achievement for the Government, to
link thus oceans and continents together, and make the
commerce of the earth tributary to our own advancement,
5 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
but the south, and the north, and the center, can never
agree, as we have reason to fear, upon any route, and so let
each section push its own lines westward as rapidly as
possible. Each great division of the country needs a connection with the Pacific; and it is to be hoped that each
will succeed in its efforts. In the meantime, the first and
highest prize awaits the most energetic. A broad gauge
air-line from New York, by Cincinnati, St. Louis, the
Valley of  the Kansas,  and Fremont's newly-discovered
Pass, need not despair of business. So at least I thought,
as we swept down the bank of the Ohio.
The river seemed actually ashamed of itself, and tried to
hide its shriveled dimensions, by creeping close up under
the shadow of the steep banks, and winding, with its feeble
channel, as much as possible, out of sight. I felt a pity
for the old river that had held an exclusive monopoly of
carriage here so long, and now, when old and feeble, was
thrust aside, and made the theme of idle ridicule, by those
who were once thankful to be borne on its full-flowing
stream, kissing the high rim of either bank. The steamhorse snorted and neighed in derision as he rushed past,
and the puny river had now no consolation, unless he
thought of his fall-rise, and his spring-flood.
Chicago may be regarded as the most aspiring city in
the Union, and certainly the marvelous progress of her
youth, may well justify her in anticipating greatness in her
maturity. It remains to be seen whether she is not stretching herself beyond her measure, and preparing for a calamitous reaction. She shows, as yet, however, no signs of
weakness or pause, and though in every natural advantage
6 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
she is far inferior to Cincinnati, yet there are powerful
influences operating in her favor, which the Queen City does
not enjoy.
The east has poured into Chicago and the adjacent country her sons and daughters, and capital in no stinted measure.
She has followed these, of course, with her eyes and heart,
her sympathies and prayers. Chicago has enjoyed, of late,
whatever aid the influence of the east could give her. Toward her, the public attention has been turned; to her,
capital has been directed for investment. The east has
reproduced itself in that northern region, and the promising
child is beloved, praised and recommended.  In all this
movement for the settlement and upbuilding of the northwest, Cincinnati is scarcely more thought of than New
Orleans.   The thought and sympathy of the east rolls
along the lakes, and across to Iowa and Minesota, even to
Oregon, and the memories and affections of these in turn, flow
back eastward along the same lines, to New York and Boston,
carrying their commerce with them.   Chicago is the true
heart of the country, of which she is the commercial center.
The rural population, the people, and the city, are in
sympathy with each other.   Their interests have thus
become mutual, and they are rapidly concentrating upon
Chicago an array of institutions and influences that will
form a broad foundation of metropolitan power.
Chicago is an exponent of western sentiment as Cincinnati
is not, and she is in closer sympathy with the general movement of the country.  With these advantages, united with
the unwearied energy which she displays, it perhaps were
unwise to say, that she will not accomplish her large desires,
7 
JOURNEY  THROUGH KANSAS.
inferior though she is to her southern neighbor, in position,
size, architectural beauty, wealth and manufactures. Moral
causes are entering largely into the control of commerce,
and cities even, must beware how they violate the great
principles of right.
ST. LoUIs.-In studying the map of the United States,
one involuntarily puts his finger upon the site of St. Louis,
as the spot where the great internal city of the country
should be, and feels compelled to prophesy, that there it
must and will be. But here, again, moral causes interpose,
and produce results, which, at first glance, would scarcely
be anticipated. Slavery has repelled from St. Louis the
element of freedom, and turned the tide of free emigration
northward, leaving her own beautiful regions a waste, and
herself languishing in an atmosphere lacking the vitality
of freedom.
It is evident, however, to the most casual observer, that
there is in St. Louis a new life contending with the old
death-power of slavery. The young city, born of the influences of the surrounding free territory and its commerce,
bears yet with her the body of that death; but the bands
which lash the living to the dead, are loosening, and unless
the Nebraska iniquity shall finally triumph, St. Louis will
enter upon a new career, and the enjoyment of a better life.
Should Kansas and the States yet to be erected on the
adjoining Territories, become slave States, St. Louis will
command their commerce, as she will, also, the trade of the
south, in far larger measure than she now does, excluding
Cincinnati in large degree from both, notwithstanding all
past and present efforts to secure the southern favor.
8 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
On the other hand, should those vast and fertile western
regions teem with a free population, St. Louis, as a free
city, will, in the end, interpose herself between them and
Cincinnati; and then, if the latter is not allied to those
frontier States, by any common sympathies or affinities-by
any ties of kindred or the power of common memories and
associations-if the recollections of their early struggles are
connected only with other friends, will it not be difficult for
her, in the absence of these things, to obtain the commerce
of these rising States? Such are some of the moral influences which seem to connect themselves with the fortunes
of western cities-and thus largely is the slavery question
likely to influence their commerce and their growth.
9 
CHAPTER III.
VOYAGE UP THE MISSOURI-CHOLERA ON THE BOAT.
IT had been our intention to join the second party that
went out under the auspices of the Emigrant Aid Society.
This party, numbering about one hundred and thirty,
reached St. Louis on Saturday, and instead of resting in
St. Louis over the Sabbath, as we have since understood it
was the intention of the officers of the Society that they
should do, proceeded immediately up the river-thus trampling down one law of GOD, in a mission professedly under
taken to vindicate another.
This desecration of the Sabbath by a band of emigrants
from Mlassachusetts, as most of them were, and connected
as they were with a society organized for the very purpose
of opposing an immorality, was a cause of grief to the best
friends of the movement in the West. It served to divest
the whole enterprise of a moral character; and to this extent
diminished its power. Those who had denounced it, were
encouraged in their opposition. The friends of the slave
power had feared more than all else, that the spirit and
principles of the Pilgrims would, by systematic effort, be
planted in Kansas. But when they knew that this large
company, the representatives, as they had reason to suppose, 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
of those who were to follow, did not hesitate to prosecute
their journey on the Sabbath, it served to modify, somewhat,
in their minds, the effect of the religious speeches, and
Bible presentation, and Pilgrim songs, that had heralded
their approach. Their Pilgrim character was stripped away
by their own hands, and they sank in public estimation to
the level of a common band of adventurers. In a mere
worldly point of view, it was a serious mistake, and it
occasioned a loss of moral power not easily regained. It
showed the necessity of a movement originating in deep and
steady religious feeling, by which alone Kansas can be permanently secured for God and freedom.
To one unaccustomed to the navigation of western rivers,
a voyage up the Missouri presents many novel, and some
interesting, features.   The union of the Mississippi  and
Missouri is conducted very much according to some of the
modern ideas of marriage. The two do not become one,
but remain two distinct and separate individuals, with
equal rights and privileges, long after their destinies flow
on together, between two common banks. Far below, however, it is perceived, that even the rivers find out that this
is not the true philosophy of marriage, and they therefore
melt into one. There are few such scenes on earth as the
meeting of those giant floods, after each has swept over half
the breadth of a continent, and almost half a continent still
between them and the sea. We speak of them often, and
of the great system of rivers, of which they form the central lines, as evincing the foresight of God, in regard to the
commerce of the Western valley-as if they had been shaped
exclusively for the trade of this nineteenth century. But what
11 
JOURNEY TIIROUGH  KANSAS.
purpose were they subserving, in the economy of creation,
through the ages during which they were all rolling on their
floods before the Anglo-Saxons began to be? Even then they
had some mission worthy of Him who unsealed their springs
in the mountains, and scooped out their beds in the valleys.
We are apt in our pride to imagine, that all the past has
been shaped for our accommodation, and that by us all the
future will be controlled. The veriest puddle of the streets
need not blush beside the muddy Missouri; but one is
deeply impressed with the power of the broad flood, that
rushes down so unweariedly, with a velocity, as is said, of
six miles an hour, nor slacking its speed in the race of two
thousand miles, from the Rocky mountains to the Mississippi.
It is a much more rapid stream than the Mississippi, and
on the fortieth parallel of latitude, is said to be five hundred feet higher than that river.
Sand-bars are the vexations, and snags and sawyers the
terrors of the navigation of the Missouri. Familiarity with
difficulties and dangers, however, has begotten a coolness
and skill, whereby they are avoided or overcome, and after
watching for a day the maneuvers of a well-managed boat,
among the snags, it is difficult to feel any anxiety about
them, though reason gravely tells us there is continual danger, and she also tells the truth. Yet, compared with the
whole amount of business, accidents have become somewhat
rare, even on the Missouri.
These river steamboats may be said to be partly amphib ious, from the manner in which they get out their legs and
walk over the sand-bars and shallows.  I once thought that
when there is not water enough to float a boat, there is no
12 
JOURNEY THROUGHII KANSAS.
remedy; but the western navigator halts not for lack of
water.  The boat is provided with heavy spars, some fifty
feet long, which are set out over the sides, like the legs of
giants, and by means of the proper machinery, worked by
the capstan, the weight of the boat is partly suspended upon
her legs, and she literally "walks the water like a thing of
life."
The  days occupied in our passage up  the river, were
among the hottest of the season, and the heat of the fires
and steam converted the whole boat into one huge furnace,
especially when not under-way. WAVe knew that the cholera
was doing a fatal, though quiet work, along our western
rivers, as well as in the cities of the country, and even one
whose courage is based upon Christian faith, could scarce
avoid some unpleasant apprehensions, at the thought of the
brutal neglect by which so many attacked with cholera upon
steamboats, have been really murdered; nor should a man
be called a coward, if his soul shrinks from a midnight
burial at a woodyard, or from being hurriedly thrust into a
hole in a sand-bar, from which the current may wash his
body out before a day has passed.
Some symptoms of disease appeared among the passengers, though all was quiet. On the second day it was known
to a few, that a young man who had left his wife and child
in Illinois, to seek for them a new home in Kansas, was seized
with cholera, and in a few hours more he was dead. The
body was laid down on the guards of the boat below, away
from the observation and knowledge of most of the passengers.
The few who knew of it however, felt that they had received
one of death's most solemn lessons, in this sudden vanishing
13 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
of early manhood's dream —this swift fading of the temporal
into the eternal, with one in our very midst, one of us-for
among a company of passengers, traveling on for days
together, there springs up a feeling akin to that produced
by kindred, and a death on board resembles, though faintly,
a death in a household.
What tidings, too, for the young wife, counting up the
days of his absence, and consoling herself with thoughts of
the new home on the prairie, that her husband was dead
and buried, perchance where she could never find even his
grave! In the night, at some woodyard, and unknown to
all but the few who would bear the body ashore, he was to
be buried; and perhaps it may interest the reader to know
what reason one of the living has, to remember that night
on a Missouri river steamboat.
Disease, which I well knew might be, and which I had
much reason to believe really was, incipient cholera, had
been upon me many hours previous to the sickness-and death
of him whom I have mentioned. My nervous system, from
physical and mental exhaustion, was, before I left home, in
a state to be impressed by every object, and by every occurrence; and doubtless the predisposition to disease, was
strengthened by this solemn death, and the prospect of such
a midnight burial; and, erelong, I knew that the disease
was assuming its distinctive features, and that life's current
had begun to ebb. A few moments' reflection brought me
to two conclusions; first, that I had at my own disposal, as
efficacious medicines as any one on board the boat could
supply me with, and that I would depend upon them, my
own judgment, and the overwatching care of God, and thus
14 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
escape whatever danger there might be in making known a
second case of cholera on board-for sometimes one's life is
little cared for, in comparison with the reputation of the
boat. Second, I knew that up to a certain point, even the
aid of friends would be useless, and therefore determined
not to disturb my traveling companions, unless it should be
absolutely necessary. I sought my berth, with my medicines within reach, and committed myself into the hands
of Him who I knew was able to save.  The "practice" was
necessarily a very simple one, confined entirely to the use of
large quantities of powerful stimulants, frequently repeated.
The boat was oppressively hot, but I knew that the perspiration that would gush from every pore, and then leave me
all cold, was not caused merely by the heat of the cabin,
and I was sensible also, that the system was gradually sinking; and, notwithstanding what I had swallowed already was
quite.sufficient to destroy a man in health, it was repeated,
dose after dose, as the only hope, knowing that the fatal
collapse was near. For what seemed a long time, I was not
conscious of the slightest influence produced by these powerful remedies so lavishly applied; but as I now recall the
visions and thoughts that hurried through my mind, it
seems evident that the whole system must have been at last
strongly excited, and there was, probably, a mingling of
dreams with waking thoughts, a state of mind which, for a
brief period, bordered upon, but yet was not, delirium.
There was no fear of death, nor was there any higher exercise of Christian feeling than resignation to whatever the
will of God might be. The mind seemed turned outward
from itself, directed, probably, by surrounding circumstances.
15 
JOURNEY THROUGH KAN'SA.
About midnight, as it seemed, the boat was stopped, and I
knew that the corpse' of our fellow-passenger was borne ashore
in the darkness, silently, with no kindred to mourn-with no
funeral hymn or prayer;  it was just at the time when I
knew that my own fate would soon be decided, and that
perhaps I, too, in a few hours more, would in like manner
be taken away.
I followed the group with the body, in imagination, as I
heard it leave the deck. I seemed to see the shallow grave
hastily dug, the glimmer of the single light, the overhanging trees, and the surrounding darkness. Then the grave
seemed to be only a hole scooped in the sand-bar, partly
filled with water, into which the rude box, with the body,
was thrust, and the wet sand scraped in, and I saw the current lay it bare, and then sweep it away. I thought of my
own grave, under the cottonwoods of the Missouri bottoms,
with nothing to distinguish the place, and I saw friends
from home sadly wandering along the shore, and searching
vainly for the spot. Then I seemed to feel that I was dead,
and inclosed in a rough coffin, and buried in the sand,
where I could hear the rush of the river washing my grave
away.
Again, home, with every minute object of the familiar
scene rose before me; the family rooms and circle of loved
ones gathered there, and I saw brought in the letter with
the ominous seal. I followed and traced the sensation produced by the tidings, in the larger circle of friends, and I
remember a sense of sadness and mortification, when I
marked how soon it was all forgot. I could not divest
myself of the impression, that when I was dead and placed
16 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
in my lonely grave, that there would be the agonizing sensation of being left behind, and alone in the darkness of the
night and the tomb, that I should feel that the spot could
never be found or known, and that I should hear the sound
of departing footsteps, and of the receding boat.
When this partial dream or delirium passed, I was conscious at once that the progress of disease was arrested;
the vital powers were beginning to rally; visions faded away,
and I knew that God had interposed in my behalf. There
was no doubt on my mind that the danger was nearly, if
not entirely passed, and that, by the mercy of God, I had
escaped a grave in the sand-banks of the Missouri.
The reaction of the system, so low had it sunk, was only
to the point of health, notwithstanding the quantity and
power of the stimulants, and my next night on the Missouri
was one of comfort and peace. I had often read of the
stopping of boats on these western rivers, at woodyards and
sand-bars, to bury the dead; but now my own eye had
seen, my own heart had been made to feel. One at least will
not soon forget the dead emigrant, and that midnight burial.
The banks of the Mississippi and Missouri are, in reality,
one long graveyard, where the dead of all nations sleep,
and their waters have swallowed up wealth enough for the
purchase of an empire.
2
17 
CHAPTER IV.
BUSINESS AND BOATS OF THE MISSOURI - KANSAS CITY.
INASMUCH as it has an important bearing upon the cheapness and comfort of emigration, the fact may be mentioned
here, that we were agreeably disappointed at the amount of
business, and business facilities, upon the Mlissouri. The
number of steamboats on the river is greater, and they are
larger and better provided, in every respect, than we had
supposed would be found at this season of the year, while
the amount of freight and number of passengers also exceeded our expectations. It shows a large population and
business upon the upper Missouri, which fact is well illustrated by another. Weston, a place of some 4,000 inhabitants, is, by the river, 506 miles from St. Louis; and Platte
county, of which this is the principal commercial town,
has been settled only fifteen years, and now contains 40,000
inhabitants.
These facts show that Kansas borders upon a rich and
populous country, upon which it can depend for supplies,
during the process of settlement, whence it can derive abundance of stock, and where, also, it can find its markets,
until it has commercial towns on the river of its own, and
then it will have the power of choice. With such a country 
JOURNEY THIIROUGH KANSAS.
already settled, the Missouri river oni its border, and markets
within reach, Kansas will have advantages in its settlement
which few new countries have ever possessed, and the settlers,
consequently, will be exposed to fewer hardships and disadvantages. At this season of the year, (September,) and
in this stage of water, (very low,) the voyage from St. Louis
to the mouth of the Kansas river, is made in three and a
half to four days, and the established price for cabin passage, on the best boats, is twelve dollars.
We were informed by the officers of our boat, that the
Missouri was then at its lowest stage, yet this boat had very
little difficulty in making her passage, though of 600 tons
burden. The navigation can be depended upon until about
the middle of November. It is then usually interrupted by
ice, but is clear again early in March, and sometimes, in the
latter part of February. The annual rise, from the melting
of the snows in the Rocky mountains, occurs in May.
The price of freights, from St. Louis to the mouth of the
Kansas, is, during the low water, from one dollar to one
dollar andffty cents per cwt., according to the character of
the article, while, when the river is at full stage, and many
Ohio river boats run up the Missouri, competition often
brings it down to twenty-five cents per cwt.; and as the
merchants of the towns up the river are able to avail themselves of these low prices, for the transportation of their
permanent stock, the settler will often, perhaps generally,
find it to his advantage to purchase his outfit of them rather
than to buy at St. Louis, and then subject himself to heavy
charges for freight-especially in the latter part of the
season.
19 
JOURNEY THIIROUGH KANSAS.
Friday evening, the Kansas passengers were informed
that they must be prepared to land before midnight; but,
unfortunately, it was found necessary to walk over a sandbar, and Kansas City (in Missouri) was not reached until
ten o'clock next morning.
City, is a somewhat ambitious title for the little village
of Kansas, but it may be presumed to have a prospective
import, referring rather to the possible than the actual. It
is on the west bank of the Missouri, near the mouth
of the Kansas, and on the southern shore of the latter
stream. It appears like a village of from six hundred to
one thousand inhabitants. Having a fine landing, with
thirty feet of water, when the river is at its low stage; a
natural limestone wharf, and a high bluff in the rear, it
seems to occupy the natural site of the principal commercial
city for the Kansas valley. Such it would doubtless be,
were it not in a slave State. The line of Missouri, here,
runs on the west bank of the Missouri river, close up to the
mouth of the Kansas; and while the mouth of this river is
wholly in Kansas, Kansas City is within the boundaries of
Missouri.
What influence its location in a slave State may have
upon its prosperity, remains yet to be seen. Prejudices
which imbitter different sections against each other, while
they are held apart, are often modified, or entirely removed,
by mutual contact, business intercourse and social relations,
and it would not be surprising if slaveholders and abolitionists should yet unite their interests and efforts, in
building up a real city, where, as yet, there is little
but the name.
2O 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
In fact, Kansas City is already largely under the influence
of eastern capital, and the wealth, and industry, and skill
of the east, will be welcomed in every town on the Missouri.
Kansas City is already contending with Weston for the
emigrant trade, as well as for that of Santa Fe6 and California, and should this latter place find the current of eastern
trade and travel turned wholly aside from her doors, it will
only prove what great and lasting mischief may be wrought,
in an hour of folly, by a few noisy busybodies, whose selfconceit is much more conspicuous than their wisdom.
On the wharf, at Kansas City, long trains were preparing
to start for Santa Fe6, to us a novel sight, and giving us a
more distinct idea of the extent of this southwestern trade.
It was an American caravan, preparing to cross the American desert. The heavy, capacious black wagons are more
worthy of the name of " desert ship," than the camel, for
they are of a tonnage almost equal to a small canal-boat,
and though drawn by humble mule-power, they make their
voyages with great regularity. The manner in which the
mules were hampered, previous to their being confined in the
teams, appeared very ingenious. It was effected by lashing
the head of one mule to the tail of another. It was such a
meeting of extremes as we had not before seen, but the
result was very satisfactory, and it would be an interesting
question for some juvenile debating society, whether, in such
a case, the tails were drawing the heads, or the heads were
pushing on the tails. They all seemed to cherish a meek
and quiet spirit, and marched in single file, with as much
precision as soldiers on drill.
21 
22       JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
Just outside of the "city limits," Kansas river empties
into the Miissouri. It was now low, but with full banks, it
is about three hundred yards wide. By the side of the
Missouri, its waters appeared clear, and a calm  beauty
rested upon its smooth surface, as it seemed to lie asleep in
the shadow of its woods. On its north bank is the Wyandotte reservation, where the land rises with a fine slope,
from both rivers, and forms a beautiful site for a town,
superior to that of Kansas City, in all except the depth of
water at the shore, and facilities for approach. Here may
be a rival city, on a free soil; and if so, the result is easily
foreseen. 
CHAPTE.R V.
A SQUATTER CITY - FORT LEAVENWORTH - WESTON.
ABOUT thirty miles above the mouth of the Kansas, we
came in sight of an entirely new object, unknown to all
former experience-a "Squatter City "-Leavenworth City,
three and a half miles below Fort Leavenworth, on the west
bank of the -{issouri.
In spite of the President, and Cabinet, and treaties, the
city has "squatted" upon lands of the Delawares, over
which General Cushing has declared squatter sovereignty
has no jurisdiction.  Twelve hundred and more "sovereigns" have already, it is said, set up their thrones on these
Delaware lands; and how they are to be despoiled of their
kingdoms, is a question which the Government will not
readily solve.
A squatter city has little resemblance to any other city;
it belongs to a distinct genus of cities. This is a large and
important one, the capital, as many hope, of Kansas, and is
therefore worthy of description. There was one steam-engine,
"naked as when it was born," but at work, sawing out its
clothes. There were four tents, all on one street, a barrel
of water or whisky under a tree, and a pot, on a pole over
a fire. Under a tree, a type-sticker had his case before 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
him, and was at work on the first number of the new paper,
and within a frame, without a board on side or roof, was
the editor's desk and sanctum. When we returned from
the Territory to Weston, we saw the "notice," stating that
the editor had removed his office from under the elm tree,
to the corner of " Broadway and the levee."  This Broadway was, at that time, much broader than the streets of old
Babylon; for, with the exception of the "fort," there was,
probably, not a house on either side, for thirty miles.
Capital, skill, the spirit of speculation, and government
patronage can accomplish many things, but to bring the
trade of the Kansas valley up to Leavenworth City, would
be a feat scarcely less remarkable than that of inducing the
river itself to take that upward direction.
Fort Leavenworth has a situation of great beauty, on a
rolling bluff, where scattering forest trees give it the appearance of a cultivated park. As a military depot it has importance, in connection with more eastern stations, but, as
a "fort," it makes a meager show. From the character of
the buildings in general, one would not suppose Uncle Sam
to be the gentleman of wealth he is. But his means are
principally expended for the benefit of his southern farms;
and he is also reserving his funds for larger additions in that
direction. Some of his western frontier possessions, on this
account, look as if they belonged to a non-resident proprietor. To this remark Fort Riley forms a bright exception.
We reached Weston, a town of about four thousand inhabitants, in Missouri, on the east side of the river, three
and a half miles north of Fort Leavenworth, on Saturday.
This place is the head-quarters of the "Platte County
24 
JOURNEY THROUGHII KANSAS.
Self-defensive Association, which is composed of a number
of enthusiastic patriots, who have entered into solemn league
and covenant to protect the Patriarchal Institution from the
Abolition hordes which are hovering, like a cloud, on the
borders of southern civilization, and preparing, by the intro duction of Christianity and liberty, to put an end to the
progress of the human race. Platte county has set its face
like a flint, against the introduction of such fatal novelties
as liberty for alleducation for all-and the free use of the
Word of God!  At Weston was enacted the silly, but very
expensive farce, of offering two hundred dollars reward for
Eli Thayer.  That advertisement will cost Weston, in the
loss of commerce, more thousands of dollars than there were
mills offered for Mir. Thayer. There are, in Platte county,
a few precious drops of the very essence of slavery, undiluted either with humanity or common sense; and this advertisement is a fair expression of its spirit and its wisdom.
Neither the advertisement, however, nor the resolutions
of this Association, express the sentiments of the people of
Weston, whose business they have injured. They originated
with a very small, blustering clique of lawyers and politicians, who desired a little notoriety, and who were supported,
to some extent, by the slaveholders in the county adjacent.
But the business men of Weston soon saw that such a
course would ruin the commerce of their town, and would
drive from them a profitable eastern trade, which they are
anxious to secure. This produced a speedy reaction, and
the following circular, signed by one hundred and seventy
citizens of Weston, shows into what contempt the "Fireeaters," have brought themselves, and how surely the com
25
3 
JOURNEY TIIROUGHI KANSAS.
mercial interests of the river towns will compel a liberal
policy in regard to the settlers of Kansas, andcl in general
toward the whole east.
"Ca I TI Z ENS'  MEETING.
"TVeston, September 1, 185-1.
"At a meeting of the citizens of Weston and vicinity, G. W. Gist
was called to the Chair, andl Jos. B. Evans appointed Secretary. On
motion of W. S. Murphy, Mr. J. B. Wright was called on to explain
the object of the meeting. Mr. Wright addressed the meeting in an
eloquent and able manner.
"On motion of G. T. Hulse, a Committee was appointed to draft
resolutions expressive of the sentiment of the meeting. The following persons were selected: Geo. T. Hulse, J. V. Parrot, Ben. Wood,
E. Cody, Col. Railey, W. S. Murphy and A. B. Hathaway. Said
committee retired, and after a short absence, reported the following
resolutions, which were adopted by acclamation:
"WHEREAS, Our rights andprivileyes, as citizens of Weston, Platte
county, Mo., have been disregarded, infringed ul)on, and grievously
violated within the last few weeks, by certain members of the' Platte
County Self-Defensive Association;" and whereas, the domestic
quiet of our families, the sacred honor of our sons and daughters,
the safety of our property, the security of our living and persons, the
'good name' our fathers left us, the'good name' of us all-and
the city of our adoption- and each and all disrespected, and vile,y
aspersed, and contemptuously threatened with mob-violence; wherefore,
it is imperatively demanded, that we, in mass-ueeting assembled, on
this, the first day of September, A. D. 1851, do make prompt, honorable, effective and immediate defense of our rights and privileges as citizens
of this glorious Union. Therefore,
" Resolved, 1, That we whose names are hereunto affixed, are orderloving and law-abiding citizens.
" Resolved, 2, That we are Union men.  We love the south much, but
we love the Union better.  Our motto is-the Union first, the Union
second, and the Union forever.
26 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
",Resolved, 3, That we disapprove the Bayliss resolution as contain  ing nullification, distnion and disorganizing sentiments.
"Resolved, 4, That we as consumers, invite and solicit our mer  chants to purchase their goods wherever it is most advantageous to
the buyer and the consumer.
" Resolved, 5, That we hold every man as entitled to equal respect
and confidence, until his conduct proves him unworthy of the same.
"Resolved, 6, That we understand the'Douglass bill' as giving
all the citizens of this Confederacy equal rights and equal immuni  ties in the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska.
" Resolved, 7, That we are believers in the dignity of labor; it does
not necessarily detract from the moral nor intellectual character
of man.
" Resolved, 8, That we are competent to judge echo shall be expelled
from our community, and who shall make laws for our corporation.
" Resolved, 9, That mere suspicion is not a ground of guilt; mob law can only be tolerated when  tll other law fails, and then, only
on proof of guilt.
"Resolved 10th, and lastly, That certain members of the Platte
County Self-Defensive Association have proclcaimed and advocated, and
attempted to force measures upon us, contrary to the foregoing principles,
which measures we do solemnly disavow, and disap-prove, and utterly
disclaim, as being diametrically opposed to common and constitutional law, and as having greatly disturbed, and well-nigh destroyed
the order, the peace, and the harmony of our families and commu nity, and as being but too well calculated seriously to injure us, in
our property and character, both at home and abroad. We will
thus ever disavow and disclaim.
"On motion of Samuel J. Finch, it was
"Resolved, That both papers published in the city of Weston, be
requested to publish the foregoing preamble and resolutions, and
all papers throughout the States, friendly to law and order, are
hereby requested to copy the same.
G. W. GIST, Chm'n."
27
" J. B. EvAL\S, Sec'y. 
JOURNEY  TIIROUGHII KANSAS.
From St. Louis down to the smallest business town of the
river, eastern settlers and eastern capital will be welcomed;
and the same interests of commerce will just as surely throw
their influence, ultimately, in favor of Kansas becoming a
free State. Thus, while commerce helps to sustain slavery
in the east, it will inevitably aid to check it in the west,
and foster the interests of freedom.
There is not the least reason to fear any serious collision
between eastern settlers and the citizens of Missouri and
other slaveholding States. The western merchants desire
the business which eastern men and capital will create, and
those who are speculating in city lots, must equally desire
the influx of capital and men.
Mlutual interests will make mutual friends; and we may
be thankful that the east and the extreme west are thus
mingled in the providence of God, in a manner which may
allay prejudice and bitterness on both sides. Kansas may
yet prove the neutral ground where the seeds of good-will
may be sown; where the beginnings of peace may be found,
and where the South and West may come to a candid and
friendly discussion of the whole subject of slavery.
The lands in the vicinity of Weston, Missouri, are among
the most fertile and beautiful in the State; and we thought
it well to visit them before crossing into Kansas, in order
that we might have the means of comparing the Territory
with the richest regions in the States. We accordingly
rode back among the hemp-growing farms around Weston.
This district is high and rolling, resembling, in its general
features, the region of southern Ohio around Cincinnati; but
the soil is a deep black vegetable mould, to the very hill
28 
JOURNEY THIROUGH KANSAS.
tops, equal, and we could not but feel superior, in fertility,
to the best portions of the Miami or Scioto valley: a finer
country need not be desired, if heavy timber is not considered an objection. This timber consists, principally, of
black walnut, elm, sugar-maple, and oak, with cottonwood
in the bottoms. This country is divided from Kansas only
by the Missouri river, and farms are worth from twenty to
fifty dollars per acre, according to location and other circumstances which affect value. The later crops had all been
injured by the drouth, but still every thing wore the aspect
of luxuriance, and extensive apple and peach orchards, in
vigorous health, showed how well adapted the climate is to
the growing of fruit. Peaches were selling, in Weston, at
fifty cents per bushel, of fair, but not choice varieties.
After this visit to the hemp-lands of Missouri, we felt
ourselves prepared to form an intelligent opinion of Kansas,
and having provided ourselves with two horses and a light
California wagon, in which we could sleep, if necessary, we
crossed the Miissouri at the steam ferry, about two miles
below Weston.
29 
CHAPTER VI.
WESTON FERRY AND ITS SHIBBOLETII -ENTRANCE INTO
THE TERRITORY.
ON Tuesday morning, September 8, we reached that celebrated steam-ferry of Weston, where, as it was said, in the
early part of the season, the inexorable Alissouri Charon
drove back every one that betrayed his Yankee origin by his
pronunciation of the word cow; and he was sent home to
wander on the benighted shores of the east, and to starve
on the rocks of the Pilgrims. But the eastern flood has
drowned out the Examining Committee, and they are vainly
waiting for the "ebb that cometh not."  There might be
established at that ferry a very effectual, almost certain,
test-if there was no oath, in the first two sentences uttered
by a stranger, he might be turned back safely as not a
native of those parts.
Shiftlessness is a most expressive word, and it conveys
more accurately, than any other I know, the leading characteristic of life in a slaveholding region. There is an utter
lack and helplessness, in regard to all those expedients which
insure convenience and comfort, with which a northern man
is so familiar.  Every thing is accomplished with the rudest
means and most inconvenient manner. The western steam 
JOURNEY THROUGHI KANSAS.
ferry would not be tolerated, in any important position, in
an eastern State, for a single day. It would not only be
the laughing-stock of a community, but would be abated as
a nuisance. The descent to the boat is at an angle of nearly
forty-five degrees, though nothing hinders the formation of
a safe and easy grade; and, after what we had previously
seen, we were surprised that the negroes were not used to
carry the horses and wagons on board on their shoulders, as
the simplest of all methods.
Over an open space, between the landing and the guards
of the boat. some loose boards were cast; and thus the perilous plunge into the boat must be made. Fortunately, neither
our necks or the horses' legs were broken. Another heavy
lumber-wagon was, however, overturned in the attempt.  On
the opposite side, where an industrious man, with a few
hours' work, could make a comfortable road,  teams are
obliged to clamber almost perpendicularly up the sand-bank;
and for such accommodations the State of Missouri allows
the proprietor of the ferry, to take from the owner of a twohorse team one dollar; and if his statements are true, at
least six thousand people have crossed this ferry in one
direction, (westward) this season, already. This, however,
includes the California emigrants.
The first hour spent in Kansas, served to make a lively
impression in regard to its fertility.  From the ferry to Fort
Leavenworth, three and a half miles, our road lay along the
Missouri bottom,  where every description of vegetation
seemed to be on the magnified scale. The timber, principally cottonwood, oak and elm, was remarkably fine, many
31 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
of the trees five and six feet in diameter, and conspicuously
tall. Everything indicated a soil of exceeding richness.
Such bottoms are, however, by no means peculiar to
Kansas.  They are a common feature along the whole line
of the majestic Missouri.  They are fertile as heart could
wish, but considered unhealthy, and on that account, are, as
yet, not extensively cultivated.
Fort Leavenwort'l is beautifully situated on the swelling
river hills.  By the politeness of Major Ogden, we received
such information and instruction concerning our route to
Fort Riley, as assured us of a more pleasant journey than
we anticipated, and we are also under great obligations to
Dr. MIills, for an abstract from his meteorological record,
giving us the means of instituting an important comparison
in reference to the climate of Kansas.
Fort Leavenworth is an important position, as being the
principal point of departure, for troops and Government
supplies of all kinds, for Santa F6e, Fort Riley, Fort Laramie
and Kearney, and other western stations, and the number
of horses, mules, oxen wagons, and the large amount of
stores of all kinds, required in these operations, is an important item to be considered in the prospects of the future
agriculturists of Kansas.
For the purpose of giving an idea of the extent of this
trade, we will mention here, that while at Council Grove,
two trains of wagons passed, drawn by one hundred and
eighty pair of oxen, while as many more were driven which
were unyoked-beside horses and mules. These had been
out to New Mexico with Government stores.
32 
CHAPTER VII.
GEOGRAPHICAL AND COMMERCIAL DIVISIONS.
KANSAS is separated into three geographical districts,
which deserve a separate consideration, and it has, also,
from the features of the country, commercial divisions, which
are differently arranged. Geographically, there is an eastern district, lying along the river and State of MIissouri; a
western one, stretching along the eastern base of the Rocky
mountains, and a central tract, whose width, boundaries and
general character, are somewhat variously stated. It has
been stated, that the eastern district is bounded westward
by a clearly defined, though waving line, where the fertile
agricultural region terminates abruptly, and the line of a
sandy desert begins. It has also been said, that this dividing line between the desert and the eastern farming district,
runs from eighty to one hundred and fifty miles only, west
of the Missouri river. This may be nearly correct in regard
to Nebraska, but it does not convey a correct idea of Kansas.
After having availed ourselves of all known sources of
information, in addition to personal observation; after conversations with intelligent persons, who have passed over
portions which we did not visit, we conclude, that what we
have called the eastern district, does not end abruptly at the
edge of a sandy desert, but that its western portion changes 
JOURINEY TLIHROUGH  KANSAS.
its character gradually, as the slope of the "Great plateau"
is ascended toward the sources of the streams, till at a distance of about two hundred and fifty miles from the Missouri, the river valleys are narrow, and the prairie between
them is sandy and dry.
If asked to point out the western boundary of this agricultural region, we should draw a line whose average distance
from the IMissouri would be about two hundred and fifty
miles, but bending westward, still beyond this, on the head
waters of the Kansas.  This is an opinion to be affirmed or
corrected hereafter.  We are, however, quite satisfied, that
a good farming region extends much  farther westward, in
Kansas, than has been generally supposed, and that future
investigation will very much reduce the dimensions of what
has been called the American Desert.  In confirmation of
this opinion, the following quotation from Col. Fremont's
Journal, by which it will appear that there is a fine country
on the head streams of the Kansas, some three hundred
miles from its mouth.   The starting point, in this extract,
is at Fort Riley, at the confluence of the Smoky Hill and
Republican Forks, which form the Kansas.  On the 14th
July, it will be remarked, he was two hundred and sixtyfive miles from the mouth of the Kansas; that he was traveling westward, and nine days after, the appearance of the
country is described in the last paragraph.  It was by no
means a desert.
"We arrived, on July 8th, at the mouth of the Smoky
Hill Fork, which is the principal southern branch of the
Kansas, forming here, with  the Republican or northern
branch, the main Kansas river.  For several days we con
34 
JOURNEY THROUGH  KANSAS.
tinuedl to travel along the Republican, through a c untry
beautifully watered with numerous streams, handsomely
timbered; and rarely an incident occurred to vary the
monotonous resemblance which one day on the prairies here
bears to another, and which scarcely require a particular
description. Now and then we caught a glimpse of a small
herd of elk; and occasionally, a band of antelopes, whose
curiosity sometimes brought them within rifle range, would
circle round us, and then scour off into the prairies.
The bottoms, which form the immediate valley of the
main river, were generally about three miles wide, having a
rich soil of black vegetable mould, and, for a prairie country,
well interspersed with wood. The country was everywhere
covered with a considerable variety of grasses, occasionally
poor and thin, but far more frequently luxuriant and rich.
We had been gradually and regularly ascndin, in our
progress westward, and, on the evening of the 14th, when
we encamped on a little creek in the valley of the Republican, two hundred and sixty-five miles by our traveling road
from the mouth of the Kansas, we were at an elevation of
one thousand five hundred and twenty feet.
" On the morning of the 16th, bearing a little out from the
river, with a view of heading some of the numerous affluents,
after a few hours' travel, over somewhat broken ground, we
entered upon an extensive and high level prairie, on which
we encamped, toward evening, at a little stream, where a
single dry cottonwood afforded the necessary fuel for preparing supper.
"The country afforded us an excellent road, the route
being generally over high and very level prairies, and we
35 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
met with no other delay than being frequently obliged to
bridge one of the numerous streams, which were well-timbered with ash, elm, cottonwood and a very large oak, the
latter being occasionally five or six feet in diameter, with
a spreading summit.   Sida coccineca is very frequent in
vermilion-colored patches on the high and low prairie, and I
remarked that it has a very pleasant perfume. The wild
sensitive plant (schrankia angusataa) occurs frequently,
generally on the dry prairies, in valleys of streams, and
frequently on the broken prairie bank. I remark that the
leaflets close instantly to a very light touch.   Amorpha
with the same psoralea, and a dwarf species of ltpinus, are
the characteristic plants.
" June 21. During the forenoon, we traveled up a branch
of the creek on which we had encamped, in a broken country, where, however, the dividing ridges always afforded a
good road. Plants were few; and with the short swards of
the buffalo grass, which now prevailed everywhere, giving
to the prairies a smooth and mossy appearance, were mingled frequent patches of a beautiful red grass (aristida
pallens), which has made its appearance only within the last
few days. We halted to noon at a solitary cottonwood, in a
hollow, near which was killed the first buffalo-a fine bull.
"At noon, on the 23d, we descended into the valley of a
principal fork of the Republican, a beautiful stream, with
a dense border of wood, consisting principally of varieties
of ash, forty feet wide and four feet deep. It was musical
with the notes of many birds, which, from the vast expanse
of silent prairie around, seemed all to have collected here.
We continued, during the afternoon, our route along the
36 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
river, which was populous with prairie-dogs (the bottoms
being entirely occupied with their villages), and late in the
evening, encamped on its banks. The prevailing timber is
a blue-foliaged ash (fraxinus, near F. Americana) and
ash-leaved maple.  With these were Fraxinus Americana,
cottonwood and long-leaved willow."
There is, doubtless, a central belt of land, both in Kansas
and Nebraska, where little rain falls, from the fact, that the
west winds are deprived of their moisture, by the mountain
ranges on the west; while this tract itself lies west of the
line reached by the winds that come northward, from the
Gulf of MAexico. The plains, in this district, are destitute
of timber, the soil is sandy and the buffalo grass alone
covers the surface with a scanty verdure. This, however, is
an exceedingly nutritious grass, and the same country which
supports such multitudes of buffalo, elk, antelopes and deer,
is equally capable of affording pasturage for the flocks and
herds of civilized life. To the westward, and as the base
of the Rocky mountains is approached, an elevated region
is reached - the western New England, or American Switzerland, abounding in beautiful streams, timber, and fertile and
sheltered valleys. Here fall the intercepted rains, which,
but for the mountain walls, would travel eastward, and be
precipitated upon the broad plains beyond.
The general character of this mountainous country is
nearly the same both in Nebraska and Kansas, except that
the valleys of the south are milder than those in the high
northern latitudes of Nebraska. The following description,
by Colonel Fremont, of the regions around the sources of the
Platte, or Nebraska, would be equally correct if applied to
37 
JOURNEY THROUGHI KANSAS.
the western districts of Kansas.  He was traveling westward, toward the mountains and up the valley of the Nebraska.
"June 14. Our route lay along the foot of the mountain,
over the long, low spurs which sloped gradually down to the
river, forming the broad valley of the Platte. The country
beautifully watered. In almost every hollow ran a clear,
cool mountain stream; and, in the course of the morning,
we crossed seventeen, several of them being large creeks,
forty and fifty feet wide, with a swift current, and tolerably
deep. These were variously wooded with groves of aspen
and cottonwood, with willow, cherry, and other scrubby
trees. Buffalo, antelope, and elk, were frequent during the
day, and in their abundance the latter sometimes reminded
us slightly of the Sacramento valley. The next day we continued our journey up the valley, the country presenting
much the same appearance, except that the grass was more
scanty on the ridges, over which was spread a scrubby
growth of sage; but still the bottoms of the creeks were
broad, and afforded good pasture ground. Our course in
the afternoon brought us to the main Platte river (Nebraska), here a handsome stream; with a uniform breadth of
seventy yards, except where widened by frequent islands.
It was apparently deep, with a moderate current, and wooded
with groves of large willow.
"The valley narrowed as we ascended, and presently
degenerated into a gorge, through which the river passed as
through a gate. We entered it, and found ourselves in the
' New Park,' a beautiful, circular valley of thirty miles'
diameter, walled in all round with snowy mountains, rich
38 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
with water and with grass, fringed with pine on the mountain sides below the line - and a paradise to all grazing
animals.  The Indian name for it signifies'cow lodge,' of
which our own may be considered a translation; the inclosure, the grass, the water, and the herds of buffalo roaming
over it, naturally presenting the idea of a park. Its elevation above the sea is seven thousand seven hundred and
twenty feet. From this elevated cove, and from the gorges
of the surrounding mountains, and some lakes within their
bosoms, the great Platte (Nebraska) river collects its first
waters and assumes its first form; and certainly no river
could ask a more beautiful origin. The 16th and 17th we
continued through the park, and fell into a broad and excellent trail made by buffalo, where a wagon would pass with
ease. In the course of the 17th we crossed the summit of
the Rocky mountains, through a pass, which was one of the
most beautiful we had ever seen. The trail led us among
the aspens, through open grounds, richly covered with grass,
and carried us over an elevation of about nine thousand feet
above the level of the sea. Descending from the pass, we
found ourselves again on the western waters, and halted to
noon on the edge of another mountain-valley called the Old
Park, in which is formed Grand river, one of the principal
branches of the Colorado of California. The appearance of
the country, in the Old Park, is interesting, though of a
different character from the New: instead of being a comparative plain, it is'nore or less broken into hills, and surrounded by the high mountains, timbered on the lower parts
with quaking asp and pines."
The conclusion then is, that a much larger proportion of
39 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
both Kansas and Nebraska, particularly the former, is susceptible of cultivation than has been supposed, and that
Kansas possesses the elements of one of the largest and most
powerful States in the Union. Very little, if any, of her
Territory will remain a desert.
In comparing Kansas with other Territories, or the States,
it must be remembered that, in her eastern division, there
are from forty thousand to fifty thousand square miles, in
all of which there are almost no waste lands.  There are no
barren mountains, no swamps or marshes, no lakes, and no
rocky hills. It is one vast, undulating plateau, exceedingly
fertile, and ready for the plow. How many States in the
Union can boast of even forty thousand square miles, which
will admit of being cultivated? Add to this her central
pasture grounds and her New England regions on the west,
making in all more than one hundred and twenty thousand
square miles, and it will be seen that, with her coal and
mineral resources in general, she has the elements of an
empire State.
Of the commercial divisions of the Territory, and the
course of its future commerce, no very accurate opinions
can be formed at this early period, yet there are certain
large features of the country, which, instead of being
changed themselves, must give direction to lines of communication, and determine the location of towns.
The northern portion of Kansas, on the Nemaha river, and
Wolf creek, and the tributary streams, is nearer to the Missouri than to the Kansas valley, and this district will therefore
demand a commercial depot of its own, on the Missouri; and
as the railroad now in process of construction, from Hannibal
40 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
on the Mississippi, westward, terminates at St. Joseph, it
would seem, that in Kansas, somewhere in the vicinity of
St. Joseph, a large town would naturally be built.
West from the Missouri, at this point, the country is
fertile, and, in general, supplied with timber, and well
watered, to the neighborhood of Fort Kearney, including the
head waters of the Big Blue and Vermilion.
Time alone can determine what direction may be given to
the trade of the western portion of this district, and whether
it will seek the Mlissouri direct, or the valley of the Kansas.
The second, and central district, is the valley of the
Kansas, including the valleys of the Smoky Hill and Republican forks, which unite at Fort Riley, to form the Kansas.
The importance of this district, over the other two, will
depend, we think, upon two questions: first, whether the
route of the Pacific Railroad shall follow the valley of the
Kansas. The main facts bearing upon this question are,
that a road intended as a part of the Great Central Route,
is already located, from St. Louis to the mouth of the Kansas, as its present western terminus, and this road is soon
to be opened to Jefferson City, one hundred and thirty miles
from the Kansas line. Col. Fremont is also engaged, at the
present time, in determining the exact position of a Pass
in the Rocky mountains, supposed to be in the very latitude
of the mouth and valley of the Kansas. The powerful
interests connected with the construction of a road over
the Central Route, seem to render it certain, that it will
be opened at an early date, and it seems equally certain,
that it must follow the Kansas valley.
A second question affecting the importance of this central
4
41 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
or Kansas valley district is, whether the Kansas shall prove
to be navigable, for such a portion of the year as to render
it valuable as a commercial channel.
The river has not yet been thoroughly examined. It is,
doubtless, navigable for from four weeks to six weeks in the
spring, as far as Fort Riley, and boats for that period may
run one hundred or one hundred and fifty miles further up
the Smoky Hill fork. The appearance of the Kansas, at
every point where we examined it, between Fort Riley and
its mouth, produced at once the impression, that it must be
navigable for boats drawing eighteen or twenty inches of
water, in even its lowest stage. Such is the opinion of most
with whom we conversed, who had given the subject attention, and so great is the confidence in this opinion, that, as
we were informed by one of the owners of the Excel, the
boat which went up to Fort Riley last summer, that several
small boats will be put upon the Kansas next season. We
crossed the Kansas about one hundred miles from its mouth,
and found it about three hundred yards wide, with five feet
water in the channel, and running with a strong current.
A thorough survey can alone determine the practicability
of navigation through the summer, but we feel much confidence that the experiment will prove successful.
Should it so prove, or should the railroad be constructed
along this valley, then this central district will offer advan
tages for settlement, superior, at least for the present, to
either of the other two, and in this case, also, a large portion of the commerce of the first, or northern district, will
be drawn southward, along the tributaries of the Kansas,
to the towns on that river and the railroad.
42 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
The third district occupies the southern and southeastern
portion of the Territory, and is drained by the head waters
of the Osage and Neosho rivers. A ridge of high prairie,
called in the language of the country a "divide," separates
these waters from those which fall into the Kansas.   This
ridge we crossed in passing from Fort Riley to Council
Grove, a distance of thirty to thirty-five miles, and found
about fifteen miles of it stony, though with a dark, rich soil,
and fitted only for pasturage. In descending from this ridge
we came into a most beautiful region, with a fair supply of
timber upon the head waters of the Neosho river, where is
the well-known trading post, on the Santa Fe road, called
Council Grove or Big Spring.
This southeastern district is traversed, in the vicinity of
Council Grove, and eastward toward Fort Leavenworth, by
numerous small streams, some at this time dry, or nearly so,
running southeasterly and forming the Neosho and Osage
rivers.
We are inclined to think that this district is milder in
its climate than that of the other two, and so far as we
could judge, is quite equal to either in the fertility of its
soil. Here, by early planting, a good potato crop, and perhaps half a crop of corn were raised, notwithstanding the
drouth. It has no navigable streams, and for increased
commercial facilities, must depend upon a railway either to
the Kansas or to the southwestern branch railway from St.
Louis, which strikes Neosho at or near the southeastern
corner of the Territory.  By the Santa Fe road, from Council Grove to Kansas, at the mouth of the Kansas river, is
about one hundred and thirty miles.
43 
JOURNEY THRIOUGH KANSAS.
Through the southern portion of Kansas the Arkansas
river flows from the Rocky mountains, to within about one
hundred and forty miles of its eastern border-a distance
of nearly five hundred miles. What is called the Big Bend
is wholly within the Territory of Kansas.
Of this portion of the Territory we can not speak from
personal observation. From the testimony of an intelligent gentleman of our acquaintance who has passed down
the Arkansas valley, from a point nearly south of Council
Grove, we are led to consider this district as equal in fertility and general advantages to any other section of the
country.
The Arkansas is much the largest stream which flows
through the Territory, and is supposed to be navigable above
Fort Gibson, and within the limits of Kansas, except in
seasons of low water. That portion of the Arkansas valley which lies in Kansas, is in the latitude of Southern Virginia, and the nature of its climate and the character of its
productions, may be inferred from this fact. It is said to
be well timbered, especially in its eastern division. This
valley, we think, should be at once thoroughly explored,
and the nature of its soil, climate and resources, accurately
ascertained.
Should it answer the expectations we have been led to
form, from description, it would offer great advantages to a
large colony possessed of considerable capital.
44 
CHAPTER VIII.
SCENERY AND INCIDENTS.
Tils completes a general or outline survey of the Territory of Kansas.  We will now return to the starting point
of our journey in the Territory, which was Fort Leavenworth, and enter somewhat into details, mingling with our
statements so much of the incidents of our journey, as may
serve to illustrate our general theme, and convey a vivid
impression of the country.  WVe had already passed through
Indiana, from Lawrenceburgh by Indianapolis to Michigan
City, and through Illinois from Chicago to Alton; and as we
were about to enter again a prairie land, we supposed ourselves already acquainted with the general features of the
country, and expected a journey wearisome from the monotony of its aspect, and its similarity to what had been
already seen. But the first hour's ride over the prairies of
Kansas, spread before us such a picture, varying every moment and beautiful in every change, as we had no previous
conception of, and drew from us continued expressions of a
delight that would not be suppressed. One can form no
correct idea of the prairies of Kansas by a previous knowledge of those of Indiana and Illinois; and residents in Iowa
add the same remark of theirs. How, without the majesty 
JOURNEY THROUGI{ KANSAS.
of mountains or lakes, or broad rivers, and with so few colors
as here are seen, such an effect can be produced, is worthy
the study of artists. It is a magnificent picture of God,
that stirs irresistibly and inexplicably the soul of every
beholder. Young and old, the educated and the unlearned,
alike feel the influence of its spell, and each in his own
language gives utterance to his delight and wonder, or
stands breathless and mute. There are many scenes, in
Kansas, that can scarcely be remembered even, without tears.
The soul melts in the presence of the wonderful beauty of
the workmanship of God.
With ocean and mountains, with lakes and rivers, hill
and valley, we had been familiar; but here was an entirely
new feature of the beauty of earth-a thing apart and peculiar, but equal to any in its power over the soul, whether to
delight or awe. The Kansas prairies cannot be describedmere words cannot reproduce in another's mind the impression which the scene has made; but if a man sees them, he
is moved, in spite of himself, and the moment he would
speak of them to another, he feels the poverty of languagehe finds no fitting words.
The view, from the bluffs above Fort Riley, at the confluence of the Republican and Smoky Hill forks, is one of the
most beautiful valley scenes on which the eye ever rested;
it reminded me of some of the celebrated views on the Connecticut, by none of which do I think it surpassed. Not
a human dwelling, except an Indian wigwam, has been
erected there, and yet it wore the aspect of a highly-cultivated country. The green meadows and pasture lands
stretched away to the limit of vision-the scattered tufts or
46 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
copses of timber resembled orchards or artificial groves,
while the bluffs on either hand rose with outlines which,
though bold, were so flowing and graceful that it was a pleasure to the eye to rest on them. Still, though accurate
description is so difficult, it will doubtless be expected that
we shall make some statements concerning the general
aspect of the country. Its structure may be said to be
governed by its streams, along which run, first, the level
"river bottoms," on which nearly the whole of the timber of
the country is found. These are sometimes, though not
generally, too low for cultivation.  On the Kansas river
they are often five or 3ix miles broad, and in fertility they
are probably not surpassed by any lands on the continent.
To these " river bottoms" succeeds a second level, elevated,
perhaps, ten or fifteen feet above the first; level also, and in
appearance and fact, equally productive. Above these, and
from seventy-five to one hundred feet above the river bed,
lies the high rolling prairie, whose ever-varying character
gives to the country its picturesque appearance.
These features do not, of course, present themselves at all
points with the distinctness and regularity which we have
mentioned. Sometimes the two lower levels are blended
into one, and again the streams, in their windings, will
sweep to the very base of the rolling bluffs. The high
prairie forms the general surface of the country, and constitutes one vast undulating table-land, whose main slope is
toward the east and southeast, while in its smaller divisions
it presents every variety of exposure, yet every outline is a
flowing one, rounded to the line of beauty. Conical mounds
sometimes rise a hundred feet above the general level, with
47 
JOUPRNEY  TIROUGI{ KANS,AS.
a formation as regulalr as if shaped by art.  Some of these
are visible at a distance of fifty miles or more. and are bold
and impressive features of the landscape. Again, far in
the distance the river bluffs appear like the walls of gigantic fortifications, with parapets and even towers, as if the
vast amphitheater embraced in their long lines were guarded
by watching armies. In some places the prairie sinks
gently toward the river, with an easy slope several miles in
breadth, exactly shaped for beautiful farms; while in the
background, under the shelter of the bluff, is the very spot
for pleasant residences.
Here the low hills sweep round enough for a single farm,
and then they inclose sufficient for a little community.
Whether a man desires a level farm, or with an eastern,
western, northern, or southern exposure, he can be suited;
and if he desires all these combined in one location, he need
not despair of finding even that, without one harsh or abrupt feature in the whole scene.
We will make here but one remark, in reference to soil.
In general, it appears to be a black vegetable mould, deepest and purest, of course, in the bottoms, but usually black
on the highest prairie; there, however, it is mixed somewhat with sand, which not only improves it for cultivation,
but renders it more capable, than the low lands, of enduring
drouth. On some of the higher bluffs we observed that this
vegetable soil was not more than twelve inches thick, with
a sandy subsoil, and at such points the surface was sometimes strewn with pebbles. These, however, are exceptions,
and even in such locations the color of the soil is black.
In some districts this dark vegetable mould is mixed with
48 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
yellow sand and clay, so as to form a chocolate-colored soils
called by some the "mulatto soil," much prized for its
fertility.
OUR FIRST MEAL IN KANSAS.
Incidents of travel, and descriptions of men and things,
so far as they have a proper place in the picture of the
country, may not be without interest even in such a report.
We had been informed of a settlement which we might ex pect to reach in season for dinner, on our first day of
travel; and at mid-day we found ourselves descending from
the high rolling prairie, toward the dark-green line of fine
thrifty timber that fringed and concealed a small stream
now almost destitute of water.  The small rivulet, however,
was clear and bright-a living stream-that gave good
promise for the health of Kansas.
On the opposite side of the grove, called here " the timber,"
we discovered, first, a corn-field. then a log barn, then a
blacksmith's shop, finally, a log cabin, which group, together,
constituted "the settlement;" and this, as we afterward
found, was larger, by the barn and blacksmith's shop, than
many Kansas "settlements."
The " settlement," was located on a level bottom, whose
fertility seemed equal to man's utmost desire; but the cornfield was the only experiment at cultivation, and that the
severe drouth had injured.  We found that "entertainment
could be provided for man and beast." The youngest member of our party had just levied a small contribution on a
flock of quails, and they, with a chicken born and brought
up in the " settlement," formed the basis of a dinner just
5
49 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
suited to the appetites that had been sharpened by the
prairie breeze.
Under the cool "piazza" of our log hotel, where as yet
no dirty floor covered up the natural beauties of the rich
soil, a remarkably intelligent colored woman spread the
cloth. She was a slave, and the few slaves thus far brought
into Kansas are, in general, like this woman, taken merely
as house servants, while no slaveholder, so far as we could
learn, has ventured to bring what they call their "force,"
that is, the field hands, into the Territory. She was cheerful, apparently, and with the sole charge of the household,
even of the hotel bills and funds. There was but a single
circumstance which interfered with the picture of a happy
slave. Her husband was a free man, and she was surrounded by a family of bright, intelligent-looking childrena little group that neither father nor mother owned-that
might at any moment be sold and driven off with the pigs
and calves.
To suppose an intelligent and high-minded mother, for
such she was, happy under such circumstances, is a libel on
the human heart.
The cloth was very white, always a promise of good things
to come. The cooking was satisfactory; the preserved straw berries and plums, both the produce of the country, were
delicious-and a milkman of Cincinnati would have deemed
it a perfect waste to have served up such milk, so capable
of bearing almost any quantity of water. The chickens
that were not excluded from our dining-room, appreciated,
as we did, the good milk, and vigilantly watched, not
always in vain, for a chance to dip their bills in the pan.
50 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
Sundry dogs, the terror of polecats, and opossums, and
prairie wolves, stood round our chairs, and seemed to think
us no gentlemen in appropriating so much good meat to
ourselves.
The bill was moderate. The slave-woman, very appro priately, as we thought, inasmuch as the slave code makes
no distinction between brutes and men, placed us and our
horses all on the same footing, and charged twenty-five
cents a-piece all round for men and horses.
A rainy afternoon followed, which did not much impede
our progress over the beautiful prairie road. Contrary to
our anticipations, the roads in the prairie do not soon become
muddy, and they dry, moreover, rapidly, when the rain is
over. Covered with rubber overcoats we could snap our
fingers at the showers, and kept on our course without
annoyance.
Quails and prairie chickens were frequently seen in the
road, or started up by the very sides of our carriage; but as
one of our horses had no military spirit whatever, and
dreaded a gun as much as Falstaff's soldiers did, we could
not shoot from the carriage, without a probable race over
the prairies-and the birds guessed our intentions as soon
as we stepped from the wagon. Just at sundown, far in the
distance the figure of a horseman was just visible against
the sky. Soon it was apparent that he was armed with a
rifle, and then that he was an Indian and had planted himself directly by the road, and with his gun laid across his
saddle was silently awaiting our approach. He moved not
as we drew near, but his glittering eye was fixed steadily
on us, and it was not without some satisfaction that we
51 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
thought of our revolver, and rifle, and double-barreled gun,
all lying at hand.
It required no great stretch of the imagination to make
one suspect that he was bent on mischief. It was raining
and growing dark, and for what fiendly purpose he was
there, on the lone prairie, at that hour, and in such a position, was not readily seen.
AWhen we had approached within about fifteen feet, and
he was abreast of our carriage, he hailed us, in words
which we could not understand.  It sounded like a highwayman's challenge, though the expression of his countenance betokened no evil intention.  Again  and again he
repeated his demand, of which we could make nothing. At
last we understood "Chebok, chebok," and when he summoned all his English and added, "give some," we found
out that the poor fellow had been waiting all that time in
the rain so patiently, in the hope of getting from us a quid
of tobacco. It is doubtful whether he believed us, when by
signs we endeavored to show him that none of us either
chewed or smoked tobacco.  He seemed, like the dogs at
the table, to think us no gentlemen,
We met with many amusing circumstances, showing the
passion of the Indians for tobacco, in which it is but fair
to the red man to say, they are more than matched by the
white man's appetite in that region, and, so far as we could
observe, the Indians were not so filthy in its use as their
civilized neighbors.
At Council Grove, the family with whom we were staying
had gone out on the Sabbath, leaving us in charge of the
house. The Kaws, to the number of fifteen hundred, were
52 
JOURNEY THROUGHII KANSAS.
encamped near by, and companies of them through the day,
sometimes to the number of fifty, were in and around the
house.
One old veteran came up  ) us with his blandest smile,
which was very winning, set off as it was, by his shaved
head, all but the crest and scalping-lock, and daubings
with red paint, and went through with a very expressive
pantomime, though what it expressed we could not tell. But
he gestured still more earnestly, and smiled still more
sweetly, till it thrilled our very scalp locks, yet we comprehended not.
At last he drew from beneath his blanket a bunch of
matches, and drawing one over his hands succeeded in conveying his idea. He wanted us to loan him a pipe with
which to smoke. We signified that we had no such article.
But he was not easily baffled. He showed us that we could
go up into the private room of our host, and by unlocking
or breaking open a closet there, we could find a pipe, and
he manifested no great regard for us when we refused.
At another time we saw an Indian, splendidly dressed,
coming over the prairie at a rapid gallop. He reminded
us of many a picture of an oriental chief. His head-dress,
a sort of turban, was scarlet, and his blanket, also, was
bright red, and of some rich material. He was evidently
one of rank-a Pottawatomie. His leggins and moccasins
were highly ornamented, and as he came dashing toward us,
he looked as if he might be commissioned to warn the white
man from his paternal lands.
Alas, the romance all vanished when we found that he
only wanted some "chebok."
53 
JOURNEY  THROUGH KANSAS.
FIRST NIGHT IN KANSAS.
Night had set in, a dark and rainy one, and we were yet
out on the broad prairie, how far from any dwellings of men,
we knew not, with the not very pleasing prospect, that once
out of the road we should be lost for the night. We knew,
also, that although we might perhaps follow the road on the
prairie, it would be utterly impossible to thread its windings in the utter darkness of the "timber."
The announcement of a light ahead, was as welcome as
"Land, ho!" to the weary and homesick sailor.  We had
reached "the town" of whose existence we had heard.   A
town is composed of two or more log-cabins. This had
just the requisite number, two. We learned at once that
one of these was full. At the other we gained admittance.
For the benefit of those who have never seen a hotel in
Kansas-who do not know what pioneer life is-who are not
aware how a man can live without comforts, and be quite
comfortable, if he has a contented mind, with very few even
of the necessaries of life, we will give a brief description of
the spot where we passed the first night in Kansas.
It was on the bank of a clear and beautiful stream, about
eighty-five feet wide in its then low estate, and the land
upon its banks seemed rich enough to support the laziest
farmer that ever grew fat on the unctuous river bottoms.
The rain had made the black loam somewhat tenacious, and
the mud on the hotel floor was, in the judgment of charity,
a little shallower than it was without. It was of course a
log dwelling, and it consisted of two rooms. One was bar.
room, sitting-room, dining-room and sleeping apartments,
54 
JOURNEY  THROUGII KANSAS.
and the other was cooking and wash-rooms, warehouse, servants' rooms, and all other rooms needed for a hotel establishment. The owners and all the inmates were Southerners, and with true hospitality the door stood wide open, and
so did one of the two windows, and so they remained wide
open night and day during our stay. With the window it
seemed quite a matter of necessity to be open, as it was
merely a "hole in the wall," without even a sash.  An old
colored woman whom they called "Beekie," was sole queen
of the household, and mistress of ceremonies. She and her
cook-stove, and meal-bag and wash-tub, and innumerable
other things all dwelt together in the "other room."
Beckie's last "clarin up time" had evidently been  "Ilong
time ago," and yet before Beckie is condemned as no housekeeper, one should take a look at the place where, and
means wherewith, she was expected to produce order and
neatness. In fact, she seemed to feel that the state of things
was a stain upon her reputation, and she declared privately
that she had " only just come."
Beckie had a kind, warm heart, under a skin that was of
pure Ethiopian blackness, and when at the supper-table the
blessing of God was asked for our food, she said that she
believed it was the "first blessing that had ever been asked
in the Territory;" that she had not heard a blessing in eight
years; that her old master was a member of a Baptist church,
and at "one time" used to pray.  Beckie expressed  her
sense of the value of freedom by saying that "she wouldn't
be owned by any body for a thousand dollars," "she owned
herself," and she thought "every body ought to own themselves." The supper-table, and a stove, and four beds, as
55 
JOURNEY TIIROUGH KANSAS.
one might suppose, would be regarded as a set of furniture
for one not very large room.  But these were only the main
articles, the outlines, as it were, while  the "filling in"
included all articles used for hunting, for farm and stablework, beside cross-cut saws, harness, saddles and millgearing. The roof was plastered or ceiled, whichever may
be the most expressive word, with strips of cotton cloth,
nailed over the rafters, which were rough poles, and on
hoop-poles laid across beams overhead, the musquito netting
was ingeniously hung.
This spot is presumed to be the site of a city yet unborn,
and which at this time has only "cast its shadow before,"
in the shape of two log-cabins, and lots staked out, patiently
waiting to be bought.  Our fellow occupants of the hotel
were the sovereign squatters on the site and had participatedcl largely in a meeting where terrible resolutions had
been passed, excluding all abolitionists from Kansas, and
making it (on paper) a slave State.  A doctor and a lawyer were in the group.
Now if the reader imagines that we were very uncomfortable, and unhappy in such a spot and scene, he is wide
of the mark.  These "terrible resolution" men were very
companionable, and appeared far better in private than they
did in the newspapers. They came from the region where
a reward was offered for that agitating Yankee, Eli Thayer,
and yet we felt that every hair of our head was safe.
The blessing of God was asked for our food-one of our
friends produced a Bible, and we read, and knelt, and prayed
together, and the abolitionists, and the "fire-eaters," three
Yankees, one Kentuckian, and two Missourians slept under
56 
JOURNEY THROUGH  KANSAS.
the same roof in peace. It was prophetic, as we could not
but hope, of what will yet take place, on a large scale, in
Kansas.
Such is the present exterior of things, beneath which are
found kind hearts, hospitality and intelligence. Such rude
walls cover many noble souls in Kansas, the germs of a
future State. On this very spot there will soon be a real
town, whose populous streets will present the attractions
and refinements of cultivated society.
57 
CHAPTER IX.
CLIMATE AND PRODUCTIONS.
KANSAS lies between the thirty-seventh and fortieth parallels of north latitude. Now if wrc follow these parallels
eastward, and observe the country which they inclose, an
idea may be obtained of the climate and productions of this
Territory, which needs only to be varied in view of local
causes. To this should be added the fact, that the mouth
of the Kansas is about seven hundred feet above the level
of the sea.
Following the boundaries of the Territory eastward to the
Atlantic, we find its southern line passing through southern
Missouri, central Kentucky, and southern Virginia.  Its
northern boundary runs through northern Missouri, central
Illinois, central Indiana, southern Ohio, and southern Pennsylvania, striking the sea-coast in the latitude of Phila
delphia.
Except as modified by its remoteness from the ocean, we
should expect that Kansas would resemble these States in
its climate and productions.   Experience has shown that its
soil is capable of producing, in perfection, all the grains,
vegetables, and fruits which can be grown in the middle
States. If, as is stated, the latter part of the summer is
often dry, though seldom visited by such a drouth as has 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
this season prevailed through the whole country, it would
indicate the necessity of early planting and sowing; the
advantages of which are, this season, shown by the fact that
at Council Grove, early planted potatoes produced a good
crop, and early planted corn also was not a failure.
The ground is usually free from frost in the latter part
of February, or early in Mlarch, and the character of the
soil admits of early plowing; earlier, it is said, than in the
corresponding latitudes farther east. Fall planted potatoes
might, perhaps, succeed best.
The first frosts occur about the 1st of October; but for
two months later the prairies afford pasturage for stock,
while young cattle, where they can be sheltered by the timber, are wintered with very little feeding- though abundance of food and warm shelters will be found, as elsewhere,
to be needed for the most profitable stock-raising.
The meteorological records which were furnished us by
the politeness of the officers at forts Leavenworth and Riley,
show that but small quantities of rain fell in the Territory
during the winters, and consequently that the roads, except
for a small portion of the year, must be in good condition,
and the weather suitable for outdoor work.
59 
CHAPTER X.
TEMPERATURE AND QUANTITY OF RAIN.
THE range of the thermometer, in the winters of 1853
4, was as follows:
Fort Leavenworth, 9 o'clock, A. A.
1 1854.
Jan. 1..17~  Feb.  1..43~
" 2..16 " 2 23
" 3..                                        1     " 3.. 32
"   4..15           4..   "             1.      
"   5.        20   "    5 
"   6   37    "   6.. 12
"   7. 37    "   7.. 17
"   8.. 36  "       8..  5
" 9 31 " 9 19
"  10..34    "  10.. 42
~' 11..32 " 11   42
"  12.. 33    "  12. 32
"  13..33    "  13..32
" 14 29 " 14   20
" 15 23 " 15   41
" 16 22  " 16 20
"17.2 17..40
" 18. 28 " 18 25
"  19..26    "  19..20
" 20..29    "  20..37
Jan. 1.. 31~  Feb. 1.. 41
"   2.. 34: " 2.. 21
"   3.. 56    "   3.. 23
"   4.. 43          4.. 37
"   5..  8    "   5.. 38
"  6..  2    "    6.. 34
"   7.. 18    "   7.. 33
"   8..  19 " 8.. 30
" 9 33 " 9 42
"  10.. 38    "   10..40
"  11..17    "   11..59
"  12  18    "  12..64
"13 7              13.. 7 " 1335
"  14..10    "  14.. 31
"  15. 28    "  15. 17
"  16..  8    " 16.    17
"  17..10    "  17..18
"  18..10    "  18..38
" 19..22    "  19. 39
"  20.. 8    "  20.. 38
1 8 5 3. 
JOURNEY  THIROUGHII KANSAS.
Jan. 21..39~  Feb.21..41~
22. 22         22.. 30
23.. 45       23. 15 
24..33          24..37
25.. 33         25..34
26. 10          26. 542
27   36          27.50
28. 37          28. 31
29. 42
"  30..31
"  31.. 32
28.41          25.07
Monthly MAlean.  "
Position of the Thermometer 160 feet above Missouri.
At Fort Riley, one hundred and forty miles west of Fort
Leavenworth, the monthly mean for Jan. 1854, was 23~ 59',
and for February'54, 37~ 11w, showing that at the westernmost post the average temperature was a few degrees higher
than on the Miissouri river.
In the years which these records cover, the highest range
of the thermometer was, at Fort Leavenworth 102~, and at
Fort Riley 105~, during the last summer; and the lowest
was at Fort Leavenworth, eight degrees below zero, and at
Fort Riley, twelve degrees below zero.
A  record of temperature kept while we were in the Territory, compared with one for the corresponding days at
Cincinnati, shows no important difference; and the general
conclusion is, that the climate of Kansas, in temperature,
corresponds very nearly to that of southern Ohio, Kentucky,
61
J,,in. 21.. 101
11 22.. 0
11 23.. 6
11 24.. 14
11 25.. 40
11 26.. 28
11 27.. 20
11 28.. 40
11 29.. 30
11 30.. 57
11 31.. 44
22.06
11
Feb. 21.. 37'
11 22.. 37
11 23.. 3-1
11 24.. 40
11 25.. 34:
11 26.. 32
11 27.. 29
11 28.. 33
34.78
il I 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
and Virginia; while from the data which we have been able
to procure, the indications are that it is less variable.
Another important question concerns the annual quantity
of rain which falls in Kansas.
The fact that the annual quantity of rain diminishes as
we leave the coasts of continents for the interior, and that
Kansas is nearly in the center of North America, would lead
to the conclusion that it is a land of drought, unfit for agricultural purposes. Such indeed is the impression upon
many minds; and we were informed while on our journey,
that so little rain falls at Fort Riley and Council Grove, as
to render the country nearly valueless. Fortunately, we
have the means of a somewhat extended comparison, from
which a perfectly reliable and scientific conclusion is reached.
QUANTITY OF RAIN AT DIFFERENT POINTS.
Fort Leavenworth, K. T., in 1853, 30 in. 45-100dths perp. depth.
Annual mean quant. Cam., Mass., 38 " 
Western Reserve College, Ohio,   36"               "       "
Fort Crawford, Wisconsin,.. 30  "                      "
Marietta, Ohio.......     41"               "'
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,.. 45"                " 
St. Louis, Missouri...... 32"                " 
British Islands.......   32"               "      "
Western Franee.......     25"                "     "
Eastern France.......     22 a                      4
Central and North. Germany,. 20 "                "
Hungary.....        17 ".'. 
Mean quantity for the Old World, 34"               ".
Mean quantity for America,.. 35 "                 "     "
In this year of universal drought, we have not the means
of a comparison, but at Fort Leavenworth, from January 1,
1854, to August 31, the quantity was 12 in. 49-10lOOdths.
62 
JOURNEY TIHROUGH KANSAS.
At Fort Riley, one hundred and forty miles west of Fort
Leavenworth, the quantity, for the same period, was 15 in.;
and at the same place, from November 1, 1853, to Septem.
ber 15, 1854, the quantity was 24 in. 86-10lOOdths.
These facts, taken together, are quite sufficient to show
that Kansas does not suffer from a deficiency of rain. In
addition, it should be stated, that except in the river bottoms, the soil is of a character that renders it a vast reservoir of the water which falls. It sinks deep, and remains
to supply the roots of nlants when the surface is dry.
0
63 
CHAPTER XI.
STREAMS, SPRINGS, WELLS, TIMBER —ITS KINDS AND QUAN     TITY-MATERIALS FOR FENCES AND DWELLINGS.
KANs-AS may be regarded as a land of springs and streams.
The larger rivers are the Nemaha and Wolf creek in the
north; the Kansas, with its tributaries, occupying the central valley, and the Arklansas with the head waters of the
Osage and Neosho in the south. A glance at the map shows
that these cover all the eastern division of the Territory
with a network of waters.
The head streams of the Kansas stretch far toward the
Rocky mountains, while its main tributary on the north, the
Big Blue, flows from within the limits of Nebraska.
The Arkansas runs for about five hundred miles within
the limits of the Territory, and while a portion of its valley
is represented as sandy, yet all the lower portion is said to
be heavily timbered and fertile, while its mild climate will
recommend it to a large class of settlers.  It is by no
means destitute of groves and fertile tracts of land, high
up toward its sources, as is shown by the settlement at
Pueblo, which is more than five hundred miles west of the
mouth of the Kansas, and the State of Alissouri.
The Neosho, the Mlarais De Cygnes, and the Osage in the 
JOURNEY TIIROUGII KANSAS.
southeast, find their sources in the region of country around
Council Grove, which in beauty and fertility can scarcely
be surpassed.
We traveled through the country a distance of more than
three hundred miles, and though many of the small streams
and springs had become dry, as was the case in every other
part of the country, yet we found no difficulty in obtaining
water, at suitable intervals, for ourselves and horses, without leaving the main roads.
It is a land of springs, which indeed might be inferred
from its undulating character, and living water may probably be found in nearly every section of land. It is probable
that at some points wells must be depended on for the use
of cattle, yet even this is questionable. The deepest well we
saw had been sunk thirty-five feet, and the temperature of
several which we tried was 54~ Fahrenheit.
Some of these wells and springs supply water suitable
for washing, but in general, we think, it is what is called
'hard."
-Iany good mill-sites are already known on the various
streams, and some of them are occupied; but from the
abundant indications of coal, it is probable, almost certain,
that steam-power can be cheaply supplied, and will be
chiefly employed for manufacturing purposes.
We saw no streams in the country, except the Kansas,
whose waters are turbid. Even those of the Big Blue
are clear, and beautiful, reminding one of the streams of
New  England.   The rivers and streams of the Territory
abound with fish.
Among the timber trees of the country, the following are
6
65 
JOURNEY THROUGH  KANSAS.
the chief: white oak, black oak, red oak, hickory, sugar-maple,
red-flowering or soft-maple, poplar, cottonwood, elm, mucilaginous elm, sycamore, ash, black walnut, honey locust, black
locust, linden, beech, wild cherry, hackberry and box elder. A
few cedars were seen near the mouth of the Big Blue, and this
tree is also found in the neighborhood of Fort Riley. The
western district abounds with pines, and other timber
belonging to a colder climate and mountain ranges.
In some locations on the north side of the Kansas. the
timber is short, and has a scraggy, unthrifty appearance.
In general, however, it seems not inferior to that of other
sections of our country, and much of it has attained to a
gigantic sze.
Miany of the oaks are five or six feet in diameter, and the
cottonwood is frequently larger even than that. The timber at the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican Forks,
is remarklably fine, and where it is crossed by the Council
Grove road, is more than two miles broad.
Enormous elms, oaks, cottonwoods, and sycamores stand
thick on all the ground. At the steam-mill there were
solid logs, showing a thrifty growth four and five feet in
diameter, of oak and cottonwood.   On the  upper  tributaries of the Osage and Neosho, around Council Grove, the
timber appears remarkably thrifty, and shoots up to a great
hight-and there also, the quantity appears sufficient to
supply every want.
The general impression seems to be that the deficiency of
timber is so great as to present a serious, if not insurmount.
able obstacle to the settlement of the country, and consequently each squatter has made it his first object to secure a
66 
JOURNEY THROUGHII KANSAS.
tract of timber both indispensable for his own farm, and as
a profitable investment, from the opinion that timber and
fuel must be both scarce and dear.
This subject is one of prime importance, and deserves a
careful consideration; for if prairie farms, destitute of timber, can not be cultivated successfully, then, except for
stock-raising, Kansas will prove of but little value.  If the
prairie farmer is to be at the mercy of the owner of timber,
and tree-tops, for fuel, are to be sold at five dollars per cord,
as in some locations now, it will be long before the Territory is changed into a populous State.
We incline to the opinion, however, that little difficulty
need be apprehended from this cause, with judicious management. First of all, there is more timber in Kansas than
meets the eye of one passing through the country. It is
confined to the margins of streams, and the low grounds,
where it is partially or wholly concealed, until the overlooking eminence is reached. Again, God has provided
three important and complete substitutes for timber and
wood. At almost every point in the bluffs, just where it is
most convenient and yet out of the way, is an abundance
of limestone and sandstone, of a most excellent quality for
buildings or for fences. Coal has been found at several
points already, lying bare where it crops out in the bluffs,
and indications of its presence are abundant throughout
the Territory; and the Osage orange grows in perfection,
from which an impervious hedge is formed the third year.
In such a country, thus supplied, neither a log-cabin nor a
rail fence should ever be built. For fences, the Osage orange
will probably be found, in general, the cheapest, as well as
67 
JOURNEY TIROUGII KANSAS.
the most beautiful material. Yet in very many locations,
stone fence can be constructed, as is believed, at one dollar
per rod, and this has one great advantage over all others, it
will stop the prairie fire.
The mound and ditch, or sod fence, has been used in some
parts of Missouri and Illinois, but is now very generally
abandoned for the Osage hedge. It is said that a fence,
woven from small hemp-cord, with meshes of about five
inches, has been introduced in England, as a substitute for
wire fences. It is saturated with some preparation of pitch,
which preserves it from the effects of the atmosphere, and
is sufficiently strong. From the fact that it can be prepared
and immediately put up, it may perhaps be worthy of a trial,
at least as a temporary fence, while hedges are growing.
The manufacture of this netting is a very simple matter,
and it is also said that it will furnish a very cheap fence.
There is evidently no necessity for consuming the timber
of the country for fences, nor for being dependent upon the
owners of timber, for this purpose. Nothing but a present
and unavoidable necessity should induce a settler to erect a
log-cabin in such a country as Kansas; In the first place,
a comfortable log house, if such a thing can be, is a costly
structure, and secondly, the useless waste of timber, as compared with a light and suitable frame, " balloon-frame," is
enormous. At the Catholic mission, on the north side of
the Kansas, we were informed by the lady in whose house
we passed the night, that a log room twelve by fifteen, which
she put up as an addition, cost her $70. A double log
house, that is, with two rooms, a passage, or open space
between, the whole forty-five feet long and sixteen feet
68 
JOURNEY TIIROUGIH  KANSAS.
wide-walls eight feet six inches high, with three doors and
three windows, the logs hewn on both sides, with pine floors
and doors, cost $.94.  A common shanty, of the same size,
would cost about $10, as we were told.
Such facts, and the importance of being so far as possible
independent of the use of timber, should lead the settlers
at once to experiments with stone for walls, so abundant
and so excellent in its quality, or to the gravel or grout
walls, which in some places have been so successfully
adopted, and which, from the abundance of material, can be
built as cheaply in Kansas as in any spot in the country, or
to the wall of sun-dried bricks, or " adobes," made from the
prairie soil.  We were informed by some who had visited
Salt Lake, that the Mormons have built houses from these
bricks three stories high, by the use of a stucco or common
plaster for the outside, and that such buildings are strong
and beautiful.
mIost of the cabins in Kansas are pointed up, or "filled
in" between the logs, with this material. It dries so hard
as to ring to the stroke, and we have no doubt that, with
bricks from this soil, dwellings much cheaper and much
better than log-cabins, can be constructed.
Should the settlers construct their first dwellings either
of stone or with gravel walls, or from these adobes, they
would be dry and warm, and sickness would in a great
measure be avoided.
Sun-dried bricks have been extensively used in the large
plains, both of the Old and New world, where timber is
scarce, and they will form an available material in Kansas. Still they have not hitherto commended themselves to
69 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
American taste or judgment, and perhaps no necessity for
their use will ever be found in Kansas.
Should such a policy be adopted in regard to fences and
dwellings, there will be found an abundance of timber in
the country, and it will continually increase. Timber will
spring up everywhere, the moment that the annual prairie
fires are checked, and the growth of many kinds of trees is
extremely rapid. Cottonwoods have been known, in moist
grounds, to grow from twelve to seventeen feet high in a
single year, and the black locust shoots up with scarcely
less rapidity.
A question, however, still remains. If sawed lumber is
used for building, and to some extent for fencing, then at
what distance from timber lands can a prairie farm be
successfully cultivated? We have inquired of Illinois
farmers in regard to this point, and the reply has been that
farms, ten or twelve miles from timber, are profitably
occupied.
Taking this as a guide, we will turn to Kansas. Our
route to Fort Riley lay along the north side of the Kansas,
at some distance from the stream, and it crossed the lines
of timber on its tributaries.   A  statement of distances
between them will be interesting, as bearing upon this
question of timber:
Along the MIissouri is a broad line of heavy timber.
From the RIo., westward to Salt creek, is about  4 miles.
Thence to Stranger creek,...........   9 
Thence to Hickory point........... 12  "
Thence to Grasshopper, with Slue creek between, 0 "
Thence to Soldier creek.........20  "
70 
JOURNEY TIIROUGH KANSAS.
Thence to the Catholic mission,
Thence to Lost creek,....
Thence to Vermilion,........
Thence to Bock creek,.....
Thence to Sargent's creek..
Thence to Big Blue,......
Thence to Wild Cat......
Thence to Fort Riley....
Along all this route, to the left, lay also the heavy line of
timber on the Kansas, which, though mainly in the possession of the Indians, at present, can be obtained, as is said,
at moderate prices.
At fort Riley, as before mnentioned, is a very fine body of
timber, on the streams that unite to form the Kansas.
From Fort Riley to Council Grove, thirty miles, the route
is over the high land which divides the waters of the Kansas
from the Neosho and Osage, in the southeast. On this route
we crossed Clarkl's creek, fifteen miles from Fort Riley, which
has a narrow line of timber. About ten miles from this we
reached the timber on the head waters of the Neosho, in
the vicinity of Council Grove. This timber presents a heavy,
luxuriant growth, and it becomes more abundant down the
streams toward the southeast.
From Council Grove, our route toward Fort Leavenworth
was northeast, on the south side of the Kansas; and we
crossed creeks and lines of timber as follows:
From Council Gr. to BigJohn, Spr'g cr'k, is about 2 miles.
Thence to Rock creek........  5 
Thence to Bluff creek,........ 4   "
Thence to One Hundred and Forty-two Mile cr'k,  6  "
71
..... 20 miles.
..... 7 "
..... 5 i
..... 4 11
..... 13,
..... 3 11
..... 7 "
..... 12 11 
JOURNEY THIROUGh  KANSAS.
Thence to Elm creek.........   3 miles.
Thence to Onion creek............    2  "
Thence to Log Chain creek.......  2  "
Thence to Soldier creek (estimated)......    8s
Thence to Waukereusa (estimated)........15  "
Thence to Smith's Ferry, on Kansas, about..11 
Some of the above are small creeks, with only narrow lines
of timber, but they are the extreme head springs of the
Neosho and Osage. From the point at Smith's ferry where
we re-crossed the Kansas, to its mouth, about one hundred
miles, the timber is fine, on its bottom lands, and though
mostly on the Indian reservations, can, as is said, be cheaply
purchased. Of this fact we have no personal, or positive
knowledge.
These statements, we think, are sufficient to show that
few, if any points in Kansas, are so remote from timber as
to be valueless-that, in fact, there need be little apprehelnsion of serious difficulty on this account.
OSAGE ORANGE HEDGE.
To some, perhaps, the following statement, from one who
has experience in hedge growing, may be usefuil:
Plant the seed in a nursery, with the ground very carefully prepared. In the following spring (April in Kansas)
transplant; cut the young plants close to the ground, or
"down to the yellow bark," and, on ground prepared with
care, and to be kept free from weeds, set them out in diagonal lines, six inches apart, thus. ~. ~. ~. The plants
will then shoot out branches thickly, close to the ground,
and form an impenetrable fence, sufficient to turn any stock,
72 
JOURNEY THROUGH  KANSAS.
the third year, andc which even in the second year is a good
defense.  One quart of seed, as is said, properly managed,
will produce plants enough for one quarter of a mile of hedge.
The seed should be swelled or sprouted before planting.
COST OF A FAR3I, AND FARBMING.
The claim of one hundred and sixty acres, which the settler makes under the pre-emption law, will, when surveyed,
cost him, of course, one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre;
for this the crops which he will raise, before the land can
be entered, will more than pay. The first plowing of the
prairie will cost, at present, when men and teams are hired,
two dollars and twenty-five cents per acre. All other expenses are incapable of any estimate, as each man will build
a dwelling and fences to suit himself; will purchase more
or less of farming implements, and of stock, and will surround himself with more or less conveniences, as circumstances allow.
This land, with ordinary cultivation, will produce (according to the care bestowed)
Of corn, from.....        50 to 100 bushels per acre.
Of oats, say.....         40."  "      "     "
Of wheat (average),...   20 i"  "          "
Of potatoes  (300 bushels)
200~        ""
sometimes raised),.   200
Of hemp, ($120 per ton),  1000 lbs.                 "   "
The prairie affords from one to four tons of hay per acre,
according to season and location, which is even now cut, to
some extent, with mowing-machines; to the use of which, or
of' reapers,' no obstacle exists. Whatever vegetable or fruit
7
73
i 
JOURNEY TIIROUGH KANSAS.
will grow well in liew Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Kentucky,
may be produced in perfection in Kansas.
In three years after locating upon the open prairie, a man
may have his farm surrounded and divided by hedges; his
dwelling adorned with shrubbery, and young shade-treesseveral kinds of fruit-trees and grape-vines in bearing-and
if he pleases, a young forest, already capable of supplying
him with some small timber.
For stock, the prairie produces abundance, both of hay
and pasturage, and all the cattle which we observed on
these prairies were in very fine condition; showing that the
prairie grass is more nutritious than we had before supposed.
The country seems admirably adapted both to the cultiva.
tion of grain and the raising of stock.
The price of horses, oxen, cows, and mules, is about the
same as it is in I'iissouri, Ohio, and Kentucky.  The price
of corn, wheat, and other grains, is, on account of the
drouth, extremely high: corn, one dollar and fifty cents
per bushel; wheat flour, six, to six dollars and twenty-five
cents per cwt., and other things in proportion; and at these
prices there is a home market for more than has been pro
duced.
Such a state of things will not continue, but a home
market for the productions of Kansas will be found, for a
long period, at prices equal to those of the States-and this
will make fortunes for those who will be content to enter at
once into the steady and systematic cultivation of the soil,
instead of being beguiled by the more dazzling promise, of
the various speculations so common in a newly-opened country.  Tne influx of settlers will, of itself, open and long
74
L 
JOURNEY THROUGHI KANSAS.
maintain an extensive market, while its position, in relation
to the western government stations, to the California and
Oregon emigration, and the Santa Fe trade, will insure, for
the farmers of Kansas, a steady cash market at home for
whatever they can produce. To this should be added the
fact that the manufacturing resources of the country will
create, of themselves, an extended home market, of great
importance to the agricultural interest.
3IINES AND  MIANUFACTURES.
As has been already stated, bituminous coal, of an excellent quality, seems to abound. The limestone of the country is the carboniferous limestone, and in the bluffs, in
various places, it crops out in veins from fifteen, to twenty
inches thick; and the indications are, that the quantity is
abundant and widely diffused.
It is the same formation as that on the eastern side of the
3iissouri. The strata, on both sides, dip slightly toward
the bed of the river, and on the east side, in Missouri, the
beds of coal are thicker, and of better quality as we recede
from the river, until some beds in the interior are twelve
feet thick. Such was the information given us on the spot.
WV,e should, of course, expect the same in Kansas. As in
other parts of the Alississippi valley, the geological formation indicates the existence of iron, which is so abundant in
Missouri.  Lead has been found: the Indians have brought
in specimens of tin, and zinc; and a bed of excellent gypsum
has been found on the Smoky Hill fork, above fort Riley.
Clay for bricks, and potter's clay, abound, and large beds
of copper are said to exist on Turkey creek.
75 
JOURNEY THROUGIH LANSAS.
It may be assumed as a settled fact, that the slave States,
while they remain such, will never manufacture for themselves; and their helplessness, in this respect, is almost
beyond belief.  We were informed by a Missourian, a citizen of a town of four thousand inhabitants, on the Missouri,
that if a carriage axle was bent or broken, it could not be
repaired in the place; if a shaft were broken it could not be
replaced; and we were elsewhere informed, that, throughout
the beautiful farming region of the Upper Missouri, so far
from manufacturing farming implements, not even a plow
could be properly repaired.
Such, so far as our observation extended, is the universal
state of things. If, therefore, Kansas should become a free
State, and attract to herself an emigration which should
introduce eastern mechanical skill and experience, she would
at once furnish manufactures of wood, iron, leather, hemp,
and a countless variety of articles, for an immense country both above and below her, as well as for the government
and for the supply of the emigrants' outfit, and the trade to
Santa Fe.
Kansas, if free, will be very likely to present a copy of
manufacturing New England; nor will the water-power, the
mineral wealth, and the timber, on her western district, at
the base of the Rocky mountains, always lie beyond the reach
of her population.
76 
CtIAPTEPE   XII.
A NIGIHT ON THIE BANKS OF THE BIG BLUE.
TIOUGIon one beautiful afternoon we had traveled over
the billowy prairie that seemed to be steeped in sunbeams,
and toward evening, as the sun was sinking into the flood,
which himself had poured abroad, presenting a scene equal
in glory to any sunset at sea; a dark-blue line, stretching
along the expanse, and looking like the coast in the far
distance over water, showed us that we were approaching the "timber" that skirts the banks of the Big Blue, the
largest and most beautiful tributary of the Kansas.
As we descended from the high prairie into these timber
bottoms, we found a thick growth of tall and thrifty trees,
oaks, elms, cottonwoods, sycamores, mingled with hickory
and ash, forming a wide grove on either side of the stream.
Our road, for a time, lay along the foot of a high, and
almost overshadowing blff, while below us, through the
dark arches of the trees, we could see the broad river,
rippling in its flow, and sparkling in the sun, or lying still
and dark under the shadow of its western shore, while still
beyond, appeared the open and apparently cultivated meadows of the prairie, extending far as the eye could reach.
The evening song, of birds broke sweetly the general 
JOUPRNLY THROUGH KANSAS.
silence; here and there a squirrel dropped down the nuts
he was gathering, and quails and prairie hliens would
cast on us an inquiring glance, and then away to cover.
It seemed almost impossible to believe fthat we were not in
some old and highly-cultivated country;  we could scarce
help expecting thlat we should soon be among orchards, and
grain-fields, and elegant dwellings.
We reached, at dusk, a log-cabin of somewhat more than
the ordinary pretensions, three stories lony, and one story
highl, around which was a paling fence, formed of split
sticks, indicating that the march of civilization had begun,
and that the first stage, that of the rail or worm fence, for
the front yard, had here been already passed.  Seldom is a
more beautiful site for a dwelling seen.  In the rear, the
sheltering bluffs threw round it a protecting wall of green,
while in front was the bright, clear river and its broad,
natural meadows. It will probably 1x spoiled, for it offers
an advantageous location for a "tavern," and rum  and
tobacco, and drunken swearing men will very soon be there,
to mar the beauty of the works of God.  We found that the
three stories were not too many for the accommodation of
the owners.  They formed quite a patriarchal family, well
suited to the Oriental-looking pastures and meadows  that
lay around them. Jacob, himself, had scarcely more sons and
daughters, and sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, children,
and grandchildren, than were gathered here.
Supper was provided, and we sat down in the midst of the
family, there being no alternative, unless we, or the family,
should occupy the outside of the house, during the meal.
The patriarch, himself, who had been absent, returned just
78 
JOURNEY TitiROUGH KANSAS.
at this juncture, and seated himself with us.  I inquired if
he had any objection to my asking God to bless our food.
He readily assented, but a marked change at once came over
him.
His wife, who was sitting near rae, said that they had
lost all "their manners" since they came out to Klansas.
The " old man," she added, " used to say grace, before he
came out here, but since we came to thlis place he has lost
his manners."  The old man seemed to lose "his manners"
in another sense, after this frank confession of his wiife.  He
was moody during the meal, and answered us rather gruffly,
in some things.  We were soon shown the room where we
were to sleep. Some of the party had begun to lay aside
their garments, when he walked in with his pipe in his
hand, a most capacious one, filled it, lighted it at the candle,
and sat dclown as if he felt at home, in his own house, unmindful of the turning down and tucking up of bed-clothes, and
the half undressed condition of his guests.   Something
evidently was lying with great weight on his mind. He
smooked with nervous energy, while it was clear that his
conversation was only a skirmishing of outposts, a prelude
to soraething which he had not yet got at.  Boots were
drawn off, cravats were laid aside, suspenders even unbuttoned, but the patriarch comprehended not.  Smoke  now
filled the room so that one of the party was absolutely
"smoked out," and was obliged to seek the open air. I
suggested to the old man that the tobacco had sickened him.
It took him quite by surprise. It had not even occurred
to him that anybody could dislike tobacco. As to the idea
that his presence in our sleeping apartment was an intru
79 
JOURNEY TIHROUGII KANSAS.
sion, I saw that he could never be made to comprehend that,
and what sort of a writ of ejectment could be served upon
him was becoming a serious question, and though much
amused, we were also not a little annoyed.
He finally marched straight up to the matter that was
pressing upon his mind.  He turned to me and asked, " Are
you a preacher?" Considering my external man, resembling
a Californian, when "prospectiny," more than a minister, I
honored the old man for his doubts. I think he only partly
believed me when I answered, "Yes." "I wish you had got
here," he replied, "before sundown, I would have sent
round and had'em come in to hear you preach."
He then said that he was a member of the 3Iethodist church,
and used once to enjoy religion, and had family prayers,
and grace at the table, but since he had come into Kansas
he had become cold and neglectful, and he had, he said, a
great many  about him who were not Christians, and he
found it hard to live in a Christian way. His case was
now perfectly clear.   He was rebuked  and mortified by
what had occurred at the table, his spiritual nakedness had
been revealed to strangers, and the aroused conscience had
compelled him to come to us, and make explanations.
He could not rest until he had partially unburdened his
spirit. His Christian graces had not well endured the transplanting, into Kansas, and lacking the support of the usual
external helps, they had well-nigh perished entirely.
He was one of a very numerous class of professors whose
piety depends very much upon circumstances, and who,
without the presence of a ministry, and the ordinances of a
church, exhibit neither life nor light.  The new States and
80 
JOURNEY TIIROUGIH KANSAS.
the Territories swarm with such dead or frozen disciples,
and the sad fact shows the great importance of the emigratiOIl of Christian colonies, of churches, by which many weak
ones might be kept from falling, and perhaps strengthened
in the faith.
The old man in the end expressed a wish to call his family
together for evening worship, and gladly resuming the garments which had been laid aside, we followed him back to
our dlining-room, which was at once filled by the numerous
trilbe, and a scene somewhat vexatious in its commencement,
was interesting and solemn in its close.  The next morning
hlie was reminded of the importance of his position, at the
head of so large a household, whose views of religion would
be greatly influenced by his example.   We found that other
professors were living in the vicinity, and urged upon himn
the duty of at least endeavoring to assemble on the Sabbath
for prayer-meeting.  He replied, "As soon as these soldiers
get away I shall try and do something,"
TWe learned then that some soldiers from a neighboring
fort were engaged on a government work near by; that they
boarded with him; that his piety had not the courage to
show itself in their presence, and Satan had persuaded
him to wait until he could be pious without an effort, and
without the necessity of bearing his cross.
A man does not escape from himself by a journey to Kansas, and Satan follows the weak and wavering Christian
even into the wilderness.  Our old friend is, I think, a
child of God, but he lacks the manly courage which is one
of the brightest excellencies of the Christian character when
the energy is tempered with meekness. Thousands, not in
81 
JOURN\EY THRIIOUGIH KANSAS.
Kansas, are waiting until tile soldiers acre one, before they
attempt their duty.
The night spent at the Big Blue was a cloudless one, and
the purity of the atmosphere, in Kansas, wvas beautifully
exhibited by the exceeding brilliancy of the heavens. Never
before was my soul so filled, and even awed by the glory of
the sklies.  I haIla never before felt so deeply the loveliness
of perfect purity as in looking at the milky-way that nights
so stainless, so perfectly defined, and yet with so soft an outline.  It surely needs the knowledge of the one true God.
to prevent man, in such a climate, from worshiping the
stars. To show the effect of the scene upon a youthful mind
I insert here an extract from the journal of the youngest
member of the party:
"TIllE IEAVEN5 AT BIG BLUE.
"All day we had traveled amid scenes of wonderful
beauty. TWe journeyed toward the setting sun, and often
ere he sank into the plain, he drew our eyes to where the
lengthening shadows, stretching away from every rock, and
knoll, and tree, were pointing back to our eastern homes.
Strangers, and in a strange land, memory had little need of
being thus aroused, for although our faces were set westward,
our hearts went quickly home, and our spirits heard the
voices of those we loved, and we saw their familiar faces.
"Slowly the sun withdrew through gates of gold, that
were surrounded by a deeper, purer blue, than I had ever
seen before.   The glowing sky was so clear, so stainless,
that it seemed as if the gates of Paradise were partly opened,
and the shadow of that heavenly radiance whose splendor
82 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
mortality can not bear, was lighting up  the scene.  The
mind, unless altogether earthly, is always deeply impressed
by the closing up of a summer-day.   The sinking sun, the
deepening twilight, the gradual coming of the stars in their
appointed order, and the stretching of the milky-way across
the skly, will always affect one, even amid the dust and
smoke  of a city, but situated as we were, beyond the
very borders of civilization, and almost beyond the abodes
of men, the death of that calm, beautiful day, came like a
sweet spell over the heart.  Night came, clothed, as it
seemed, in her "festal garments;" she had put on all her
stars. Above, the heavens glowed, and below, every blade
of grass, and every little leaflet, sparkled also with its stardrop of dew.
"The outline of the distant prairie, as it rose and fell,
apparently against the sky, rounding into all conceivable
curves of beauty, was in itself a magnificent picture, and yet
but a single feature in the scene which God had there unrolled.
I did not wonder, as my eye wandered over the magnificence
of these heavens, that the heathen, in more southern climes,
should nightly bow himself to worship in such a temple,
whose walls rise higher than the " armed eye" can reach,
and whose pavements are stars, and firmaments of stars.
It is not strange that these glorious lights before the throne
should be mistaken for the Divinity himself.
"Among the mountains of New England, I had looked on
the same scene, and again, I had watched these stars
while floating on the bosom of the upper lakes, and often
from the hills around our Queen City, I had endeavored, by
83 
JOURNEY TIIHROUGH KANSAS.
the aid of man's short-sighted wisdom, to search out these
hidden mysteries of God.
" At these three, widely separated points, the heavens had
presented the same scene to my eye, but now it was essentially changed. As an old painting is improved by cleansing and restoring what has faded, so it seemed to me, that,
compared with what I had seen before, some hand had
freshly burnished the whole vault of heaven, and brightened
all its jewels. The blue of the sky was dark, almost to
blackness, and the stars seemed nearer, larger, and more
lustrous.   With  the sleeping  prairie, silent  and uninhabited, around, and so pure a sky above, I thought I could
imagine the beauty of earth ere man had marred its loveliness, and I turned forward to that new creation, when it
shall be swept and garnished again. With what feelings I
beheld, so far from home, each familiar shining one. Far
in the East I had hailed their appearance, nightly, and
watched and followed them with my glass, and now, as old
acquaintances, they were doubly welcome, where all was
strange and earthly friends were few. Arcturus looked
down with eye as fiery, as when the Patriarch mentioned
him in his hymn, worshiping' Him who guideth Arcturus
and his sons;' the Northern Crown was slowly setting, bending to place its coronet upon the prairie's brow, and Cassiopeia rode on in queenly magnificence. On how many
crumbling thrones had she looked down, since God first
sent her forth along her shining way!'Time writes no
wrinkle on her changeless brow.' There, too, were the
folding coils of The Serpent, sparkling with many hues, as
84 
JOURNEY THIIROUGII KANSAS.
if trying the arts of fascination.  Aquarius was there, but
it was only in mockery that he seemed to lavish the contents
of his ample vase, upon the parched earth.  The Heavenly
River, (Eridanus) rolling its waters westward, reminded me
of the' streams' that'shall make glad the city of our God.'
"The Eagle and The Youth were pursuing their journey,
side by side, symbolizing, as I thought, the great future of
this West. To an American the eagle speaks of republicanism and civilization in its highest form of a great and
prosperous nation. The western youth has joined hands
with the eagle, and together they are starting on their way,
MIay the splendor of the heavenly pair be typical of the
result on earth.   Again,  the silvery beauty of Altair
brought up a crowd of familiar faces, with whom, at home,
I had often looked upon his brightness. Blue eyed Lyra
'discoursed sweet music' from her golden harp.  The wolves
on the prairies seemed to be howling praises to their fellow
Wolves, that had been, by the ancients, enthroned among
the stars. I thanked God for these smiles of my starry
friends, and laid up, among the treasures of memory, that
night scene on the banks of the Big Blue."
85 
CHAPTER XIII.
THE SCENERY OF THE PRAIRIES-TIE PAST, THE PRESENT,
THE FUTURE.
I HAVE before stated that the Kansas prairies are indescribable, and this is true. Yet when the spirit has been deeply
moved by any object, we can scarce refrain from an attempt,
however feeble and unsuccessful, to describe the scene to
others, that they may share in our emotions. This induces
me to speak again of the scenery of the prairies. I have
just reached an elevated spot, the top of one of the prairie
billows that has heaved itself above its fellows. From this
low eminence let us look around. The eye sweeps, without
one obstruction, round a perfect circle of at least fifty miles
in diameter. Everywhere the undulating outline of the
plain touches the "horizon's rim."   Over the vast plateau
the heavens seem spread out on purpose to curtain it in;
a dome "whose maker and builder is God," and which,
glowing, as it is, with excess of light, seems to send down
to us the glory of some "upper sky," the shiring through
of a heavenly splendor.
Much has been said of the awe one feels beneath the
center of the dome of St. Peter's, but here we are under a
dome whose base is fifty miles across, and which swells, 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
measureless, into the height of the heavens.   Below it,
seems a vast amphitheater; for from the horizon's edge the
prairie appears to slope gently inward toward the center, so
that tie boundary line of vision seems to lie on the crest of
surrounding hills.  But this is a delusion.  It is only the
general outline of the plain that lies clearly defined against
the distant sky. The river bluffs, themselves, seldom rise
above the general level of the high rolling plateau. Far, to
the south and southwest of us, the line of timber that marks
the position and course of the Kansas, appears like a long
blue cloud, just resting on the boundless meadows. West
of us, a slender, silver line runs across the prairie, for
many a mile, and loses itself in the distance.'Tis the mist
which, after a shower whose clouds are gone, is rising over
the channel of one of the tributaries of the Kansas, coming
in from the north. It looks almost as if the milky-way had
descended to the earth, and was now floating slowly back to
the skies.
The distant river sweeps close up to the base of the
bluffs, and they present many grand and curious features as
they swell out into the river valley, and where their upper
outline stands out against the sky. They appear in the
distance much more abrupt than they are in reality. To
the eye they rise from the edge of the valley, almost as
steeply as walls-but walls of most  huge  dimensions.
They look like immense fortifications. It would not surprize us to behold there the floating folds of banners, nor to
see gigantic sentinels pacing their rounds on those battlements. That long regular slope, rising from the river, looks
indeed, like a glacis, constructed with military precision;
87 
JOURNEY  THROUGH KANSAS.
those huge, rounded promontories, reaching out into the
valley, might well be taken for bastions, and that level line,
that for so many miles stretches along the sky, looks like
the graded top of the parapet.
Yonder, too, are circular mounds, cone-shaped and isolated, regular in form as if art had constructed them, yet
not artificial, commanding a view of the whole adjacent
country to the limits of vision, while on the top of one
appears a smaller cone, as if it were crested with a watchtower. From these various elevations and projections, huge
shadows, as the sun declines, are thrown over the long slopes
and level prairie, adding still to the variety and beauty of
the scene.
Now let the eye range round the circumference of this
circle-one hundred and fifty miles, at the very least.  See
this plain around us-fifty miles, or more, across. It seems,
at first glance, a country full of people, so evident, so universal appear to be the evidences of cultivated life. We
think we see countless meadows and grain-fields all about
us.  We have not closely observed, but surely here must be
a multitude of flocks, and "cattle on a thousand hills."  We
look for the spires of distant villages-the snowy gleam of
white dwellings under the low, green hills, we listen for the
voices of human life. We start at the result. Not a single
human dwelling can the eye detect in all the vast amphitheater; not even a smoke curls up anywhere to tell of life;
not a sound can be heard, beyond ourselves, that indicates
the presence of man.   Not even an Indian is abroad, in all
the prairie. There may, or may not be, a log-cabin or two,
somewhere within this circle, but, so far as eye or ear can
88 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
determine, it is one immense waste, and voiceless solitude,
hushed into the very silence of the tomb. Here, away as
we are from the groves by the river, there's not a leaf to
rustle, nor a bird to sing. Yonder hawk waves his wings
all silently as he floats along, and the ear, pained with the
intense stillness, is relieved by even the buzzing of a fly.
I"Where are the people?" Few have ever looked upon
these prairies, I think, without being constrained to ask
this question. We seem not disposed to doubt that the
whole scene was once throbbing with the pulse of a great
people's life. We feel that in some way they have suddenly
vanished, and we ask, Will they re-appear, or are thqmultitudes of their dead sleeping around us; has this great silence
fitly settled here, over a nation's tomb? In this case, where
God has not yet seen fit to disclose one of the most interesting secrets of the past, each one may indulge his own
conjecture, if not plainly contrary to the teaching of existing facts.
For myself I was constrained to adopt, at once, the opinion
of those who believe that the prairies are the once cultivated
fields of a race that has passed away, and left no representative behind. The mounds, the remains of fortifications,
and apparently of walled cities; the ruined temples of Central
America, and these green fields now empty and silent, seem
to be joint memorials of a common past-and of that past
the prairies are, to me, the most solemn and touching monument. In a region desolated by war, the fragments of
demolished temples, and the shattered walls of forts, are
not the saddest features in the scene.
The country, emptied of its inhabitants, despoiled of its
8
89 
JOURNEY TIIROUGH KANSAS.
flocks and herds, its orchards and vineyards ruined, and
far and wide, its fields unoccupied, lying waste and silent,
this is more deeply affecting. So, in looking at the prairies,
we feel that all around us there were once multitudes of
happy homes; that millions once dwelt on these broad plains,
devoted to the gentle arts of peace, and elevated far above
the condition of the wandering savage; that these were their
grain-fields and pasture-grounds; that their flocks, and
herds, and vineyards were on these hill-sides; that this
impressive stillness is the silence of death, and this rank
grass is growing over forgotten graves-its very rankness
suggesting that the plains may have once been fertilized
with blood, and the ashes of the dead. In the period in
which those builders of temples, cities, and mounds dwelt
here, this continent lay, it seems, without the range of that
world which alone has furnished materials for history; and
here a western world, with empires of its own, populous as
those by the Euphrates or the Nile, the Egean or the Tiber,
has had its life of centuries, which no poet has sung, or
historian recorded.   One of those great revolutions  has
occurred here, such as left the plain of Shinar and the valley
of the Nile almost as desolate as the prairie; a great multitude has been swept out of existence, a race has perished,
and God has sealed up the secret of its history, so that
no man can open.
It seems scarcely possible to entertain the idea, that the
present race of Indians are the descendants of those who
built the mounds and temples. Every known characteristic
forbids the supposition. There's not a single feature in all
their mental structure, there's nothing in their tastes or
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
modes of life whatever, that would suggest such a previous
existence as solume race must have had in this central gardenland of America.
Their whole appearance is that of the degenerate children
of a wild, conquering race; that having overrun a cultivated
country, and swept the inhabitants away, and incapable of
any organization or progress, separated into roving bands,
and warring upon each other, nourished the heart of slaughter
and revenge, and sunk at last to where the white man found
them. It seems contrary to the whole course of human
development, that such a race as the Indians of our country
could have descended from those who worshiped in these
ornamented temples whose ruins remain-dwelt in these
cities whose walls are not wholly gone, and cultivated
these plains.
They present two distinct and antagonistic phases of
national life-the one must have destroyed and succeeded
the other. The present Indian is the Scythian of the west.
This race also has nearly finished its course. As surely
as races, like individuals, have characteristics peculiar to
themselves, capacities which indicate fitness or unfitness for
certain modes of thought or action, so certain does it appear
that the Indian race will never assume the forms of the
Anglo-Saxon civilization; and it is difficult to conceive how
any one who has visited the tribes in their homes, can reach
a different conclusion. The fond anticipations which many
are indulging of Christianized and civilized Indian nations,
on our western borders, will, in all probability, never be
realized. The preaching of the Gospel will doubtless secure
the salvation of individuals; many  may thus be gathered
91 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
as trophies of the abounding grace of God, but the civilization of the nineteenth century is not for them. As a people, the Gospel will not save them. As a race, and nationally,
they are lost already, and will disappear. They have played
their part through, in the world's development, and they are
nearly ready to leave the stage. As they succeeded to the
position of a vanishing race, so we have done to theirs.
Their stewardship is over and their doom pronounced, and
ours is now beginning.   The dominions of the Toltecans
have, through the red tribes, come down to us, and the prairies of Kansas, and those adjoining, will soon present all the
forms of a new life-the life of the nineteenth century-and
that peculiar form of it which God has committed to the
American people; for even Anglo-Saxon civilization has
an American phase. Should we permit slavery to enter
here with abominations more hideous in the sight of God
than those of the savages, will he not even take the kingdom from us?
92 
CHAPTER XIV.
TOWN SITES AND SETTLEMENTS.
IN the few days only that have elapsed since the following chapter was written, some progress has been made in
the settlement of the Te~rritory, and in determining the
sites of future towns.  Still, I have thought best to let it
remain as originally penned, for it will at least show how
far the first impressions of the Commissioners sent, are confirmed by subsequent events. The New England settlement
on the Waukereusa, has since received some large accessions, and the first number of a paper, a large, fine-looking
sheet, and devoted to the cause of freedom, has been issued
there. A large colony, as is said, has selected Council
Grove as its center, and some claims have been made in the
vicinity of Fort Riley.
The natural features of the country would seem to point
out the necessity of three, perhaps four, principal commercial centers for Kansas, as points for exchange between
herself and other States, viz: one in the neighborhood of St.
Joseph; one near the mouth of the Kansas river; one on her
southeastern border, where it will be touched by the Southwestern Branch Railway from St. Louis toward Texas; and
perhaps a fourth somewhere in the valley of the Arkansas. 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
All speculations, except of quite a general character, concerning town sites in a country so little known as Kansas,
must necessarily be somewhat vague, yet perhaps the public
are entitled to the opinions of the Commissioners, though
the immediate future may show them to be erroneous.   A
central city at, or near the mouth of the Kansas, may, by
means of railways running west, northwest and southwest,
concentrate on that single point, nearly the whole commerce
of the Territory.
Be this as it may, enterprise, competition, and the spirit
of speculation are already busy with cities and city lots. A
city called Atchison has already been I aid off, not far below
St. Joseph, on the Missouri, with an eye to the trade of the
upper division of Kansas, on the Nemnaha, Wolf creek, and
the upper waters of the Big Blue and Vermilion rivers.
Three miles below Fort Leavenworth, and some twentyfive miles above the mouth of the Kansas, is Leavenworth
City. The proximity of Fort Leavenworth, and the supposed presence of the Territorial Government near, may be
circumstances in its favor, but it is not located at the point
toward which the commerce of the Territory would naturally flow. That point is at the mouth of the Kansas, and
to it trade will flow as naturally as the waters of the river.
There is already, Kansas City, but it is in Missouri, whose
boundary here touches the western shore of the Missouri
river. There is a site for a city on the north side of the
Kansas, at its mouth, on lands now owned by the Wyandots. It would seem that the commercial capital of Kansas must be at the mouth of its principal stream.
In the southeastern district, through which the Neosho and
94 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
the Osage rivers flow, there are as yet few settlers, and no
movement has been made toward the building of a city.
The prevailing opinion with them seemed to be, that their
trade must connect itself with the Kansas valley.  If so, it
must, of course, be by the common roads, or railways.
In regard to internal towns, the settlers, thus far, have
been guided by the very natural idea, that a town would
spring up, either at, or near, where the principal streams
and valleys strike the Kansas, or are crossed by the main
lines of road-such as the Oregon, California, and Santa F6
routes. At all such points, especially along the north shore
of the Kansas, settlements have been formed, and claims
have been made, for some distance up the streams, and to
the depth of two or three claims, along the main road, in
the vicinity of the supposed town site, while back from the
streams, and between town locations, the prairie is as yet
mostly unclaimed.  Thus, commencing on the Missouri and
following the Fort Riley road, on the north side of the Kansas, we find, first, Leavenworth City; then, westward, are
settlements at Salt creek, Hickory Point, Stranger creek,
Grasshopper river, Soldier creek, Catholic Mission, Lost
creek, Vermilion, Rock creek, Big Blue (the largest tributary of the Kansas, and about one hundred and fifty feet
wide, clear and rapid), Wild Cat creek, and Fort Riley.
Then from Council Grove toward the Missouri, and the
mouth of the Kansas, settlements have been made in the
same manner, on the creeks heretofore mentioned as the
tributaries of the Neosho and Osage, where these are
crossed by the Santa F6 road. The same process is also
going forward in the northern district, on Wolf creek, the
95 
JOURNEY TIIHROUGII KANSAS.
Ncmaha, and on the upper waters of the Vermilion and Big
Blue rivers; a settlement of some importance having already
been made by a company, where the government road to
forts Kearney and Laramie crosses the Big Blue.
Among all these, will there be any important towns? A
question which time, alone, can answer satisfactorily; yet
some suggestions may not be entirely useless. One fact
should, we think, be considered. The Indian reservations
lie along the Kansas, running back from six miles to ten
miles, and many spots, now chosen for towns, lie outside of
the boundaries of these Indian lands, and consequently six
and ten, or more miles, from the mouths of the streams on
which they are located. These Indian reservations will not
always be Indian lands, and when they, also, are open for
settlement, will not the true business centers be found further down, where these valleys and streams meet the Kansas,
whether this stream proves to be navigable, or whether a
railway is constructed along its banks?
Doubtless, on all of these streams, small towns will
spring up, but there seemed to us some special attractions
on the Grasshopper, a clear and beautiful stream, about
eighty-five feet wide, and a site for a still larger town on
the Big Blue, a clear, swift stream, one hundred and fifty
feet wide, even in the drouth. On the lower part of this
river few claims had been made at the time of our visit,
(September).
The confluence of the two important streams that form
the Kansas, and the beauty and fertility of their valleys,
as well as the large body of timber at Fort Riley, indicate
that spot as the site of an important place, while a town
96 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
will also be established at, or near, Council Grove. This is
in the midst of a fertile and beautiful region.
Without railways, or the navigation of the Kansas, towns
at the mouth of the Big Blue, at Fort Riley, and Council
Grove, would be situated very much as Columbus, in Ohio,
Harrisburgh, in Pennsylvania, Utica, in New York, and
Springfield, in Massachusetts, once were; though the natural
roads in Kansas are superior to any artificial ones we ever
saw, and the small quantity of rain which falls in the winter
months is not sufficient to render them muddy. They are
so, only for a short time, in the spring. Should these towns,
however, become the radiating points for railways, like so
many interior towns of the north and east, their future
can be easily foreseen.
Will there be an interior town of importance on the Kansas, between its mouth and Fort Riley? These points are
about one hundred and forty miles apart. About midway
between them, on the south side of the Kansas, and on the
peninsula between it and the Waukereusa, the New England
settlement has been established, and twenty miles beyond,
up the river, is Stinson's settlement, where a town has lately
been laid out, which is called Tecumseh. The trade of the
region of Council Grove could reach a point on the Kansas,
about half way from its mouth to Fort Riley, either by the
common road, or by a railway, with about half the distance
now traveled, viz: from Council Grove to the Missouri.
This would probably be true, also, of a portion of the
trade of the Big Blue and Vermilion. If, then, a town at
such a point on the Kansas, could avail itself, either of the
9
97 
JOUPRNEY  TIIPO0UGII KANSAS.
navigation of the river, or connect itself with the Missouri
by railway, it would, of course, become one of the most importan,t interior towns of Kansas.
At such a point the New England settlement has been
established, and we presume that those interested will not
fail to avail themselves of all the advantages of their position. This Company will soon demonstrate the advantages
of combination of capital and skill in the settlement of a
new country. They have selected one of the most beautiful
locations in the Territory, lovely enough to satisfy the most
fastidious taste, and commanding a wide view of th6 surrounding country.  From observations made on the spot,
we think the plan has been wisely conceived, and though the
work has been delayedl, somewhat, beyond early anticipa
tions, is now being pushed on with system anl energy.   A
plot, equal to about two miles square, has been reserved for
the town; a township organization has been effected; the two
first companies have united their interests, and on the day
we visited the settlement, there was an auction sale of the
choice of claCims.  Fifty-six choices were sold, which brought
a premium of five thousand dollars.  This fact is a sufficient
answer to the idle stories which have been put in circulalation about the dissatisfaction and return of the New
England emigrants.   There are now at this point, as is supposed, about four hundred persons.
Two  steam saw-mnills are ready for business, and machinery for various other purposes will be run by these
engines. The Company will be able to supply the emigrants
with lumber, at about ten dollars per thousand, and it is
98 
JOURNEY TIHROUGH KANSAS.
hoped that the tents will be exchanged, not for log-cabins,
but for comfortable framed dwellings, before the setting-in of
winter.   A printing-press, driven by steam, is said to be at
work; a building for schools, with an upper hall for public
worship, is to be erected at once, and the Company will
supply the settlers there, with food, and all necessaries, at
much lower rates than they could procure them for themselves-a point of great importance during the present
scarcity and high prices.  In addition, this company has
purchased a large hotel in Kansas City, where emigrants
will be received, and we are convinced that they are carrying out, in good faith, to the great benefit of the settlers,
and with ultimate advantage to the stockholders, the designs which they originally formed.
In the course of a few months, there will be found there,
a modern town, with its church, or churches, schools, news
papers, stores, mechanics' shops, and manufacturing establishments, surrounded by a farming population. iFor the
present, we are told, a town lot will be donated to any one
who will occupy and improve.
The present promise of this spot, is far greater than that
of any other in Kansas. Here, the settler will find, almost
at once, the privileges and advantages of an older community, and here capital and combination will create business,
and attract a population with a continually increasing
power-while the advance in price of such land as the Company reserves, will remunerate, as it should do, the holders
of its stock.
The noble work, which this Company has undertaken,
may be done in a similar manner at many other points,
99 
JOURNEY THROUGIH KANSAS.
especially at Council Grove and Fort Rilcy, and by other
associations; and we hope to see this general plan acted
upon until Kansas is occupied and filled. It strips emigration of its terrors, and renders the settling of a new
country a safe, easy, and profitable operation, even for the
pioneers.
100 
CHAPTER XV.
THE FIRST WINTER MAY BE ONE OF HARDSHIP.
IT will probably prove a fortunate circumstance that no
greater number have been able to enter Kansas during the
present season. The prices of provisions, necessarily high
in the interior, have been largely increased in consequence
of the drouth; and the settlers will meet the double difficulty of high prices and scarcity of food.
At the New England settlement these difficulties will
be in good degree obviated by the capital and providence
of the company, but unless the settler has more than usual
resources at command, he may find serious inconveniences
during the coming winter. Add to this that the navigation
of the Miissouri is often interrupted by ice early in November, and we certainly have reason to fear that those who
after this period, leave this fall, for Kansas, may meet with
unexpected discouragements.
Nor is it the work of a few days only, to make comfortable provision for a dwelling, and other necessary things,
and sickness will be the almost inevitable consequence of
exposure in tents, and half-finished cabins, of green logs.
Already remittent fevers had made their appearance among
the settlers, at some points, when we were there, owing
e,ntirely to exposure in unsuitable habitations. 
JOURNEY  THIIROUGII KANSAS.
There is every reason to suppose that Kansas is eminently
healthy, but the settler must not expect that he and his
family can escape disease in circumstances which would
prove fatal to an ox.
It would not be surprising, therefore, if, during the coming winter, and the next spring, we should hear an evil
report concerning the land.   Some  ]Iissourians were, in
September, uttering prophecies, born of their desires, that
the "'  northwesters' would blow the Yankees away." This
will doubtless be true of some. Alany have gone into Kansas with no preparation or fitness for the life of pioneers,
impelled by the mere spirit of adventure, and with no definite purpose of any kind. They have floated into Kansas
on the tide, and on the first slight ebb will float out again,
or retire in disgust, if not allowed, in some manner, to prey
on the community.   Let no one be deterred by evil reports
or croaking prognostications.   The land is a good land,
eminently so; and considering its advantages, as a whole,
they are greater than were ever before offered to the American settler.
Nor should individuals fear that if they delay until next
spring, the land will all be occupied, and that good locations can not then be obtained. It is not unlikely that it
will be more easy to obtain farms in the vicinity of present
settlements, than it is even now. The experience of a winter, in such circumstances  as have been described, will
discourage many-and their claims will be for sale at a
premium less than the sum it would cost to spend the winter
in the Territory. There are, moreover, thousands of fictitious claims, which, of course, will never be entered in a
102 
JOUPRNEY  TI!ROUGII IKANSAS.
land-office.  These must be exposed, in a few montls, and
can be obtained.  It was the opinion of experienced men
that the early part of the coming spring will be the most
favorable time which will ever present for entering the eastern division of Kansas. Nor because colonies are already
loaetted in important positions, should it be supposed, that
no othler suitable positions remain unoccupied.
A colony, such as ought to be formed, wherever the thing
is attempted, can, as yet, create an important town at any
point in Kansas, where it may choose to locate.  Such are
the natural features of the country, that around any center
which a prudent man would select, in that enormous plain,
thLere would be found the elements for the support of a town,
both agricultural and manufacturing.   The superiority of
one point over another, will depend more upon the capital,
skill andc enterprise, which may gather there, and upon the
character of the population, than upon mere locality. This
will prove especially true in regard to the town sites of the
interior. Of all these, the position of Fort Riley is most
clearly markedl by its natural advantages.  The confluence
of those rivers, forming the Kansas, indicates a townespecially ii it should prove the head of navigation on the
Kansas.  it  the wide region around Council Grove, the
people and their capital will make the town, in any spot for
miles in either direction.  The same general remarks may
be mnade in regard to large portions of Kansas.  Natural
features of country will have less influence upon town sites
and their destiny than in rec,ions where thes  fures are
more strodg'ly marked.  Tie truth and importa,nce of this
remark will d more clearly seen, if we consider thalt the
103 
JOURNEY TIIROUGH KANSAS.
abundance of coal and iron, to say nothing of other minerals,
affords the means of creating a manufacturing town on
almost any spot where a company may pitch their tents.
-A small part only has yet been explored, its resources are,
as yet, mostly unknown, and the field, either for individual
enterprise or for the establishment of colonies, is yet as wide
and as inviting as the heart of man ought to desire.
104 
CHAPTER XVI.
FORT RILEY-INDIAN FIGIHTING.
ABOUT the middle of a very beautiful day, we came in
sight of Fort Riley. Standing on a broad, low eminence,
swelling gently up from the Kansas valley, on the east, and
from that of the Republican on the south, and southwest, its
cluster of white buildings presented a neat and attractive
appearance; and doubtless the beauty of the picture was
enhanced, in our eyes, because we had lately looked only on
unsightly cabins.   It was a sweet-looking "oasis,"  not
indeed a green spot merely, amid sands, but a little " isle
of beauty," rising out of the prairie ocean, bright with a
civilized smile, and wearing the decorations of taste and
skill.
It is a new station, established only last November (1S53),
and hence the freshness of its look; though such is the
exceeding purity of the air that many colors will remain
long undimmed, even when exposed to the atmosphere, and
white walls will not be soon discolored.
Alost of the principal buildings have been erected during
the present season (1854), and an architect of Cincinnati,
as we were told, has left there a lasting evidence of his taste.
They are constructed of a limestone which is found in the 
JOURNEY TIIROUGI1  KANSAS.
neighboring bluffs, is easily hewn, and when wrought appears
white-a material  cheaply obtained,  heaply hewnl,  and
forming a very neat as well as substantial structure. It
presents almost the appearance of a chalk formation, inclosing  nodules of flint.   The same material  abounids
throughout other portions of the Territory.
On the east lies the Kansas valley, here, pernaps, tihree
miles wide, with its clark-green line of timbler, throu-gh tihe
opening,s of which gleams thle river, whle the casteiln bluffs
rise quite abruptly, and lie along the sky in bold yet  Graceiul outlines.   Toward the Kansas, the eminence on which
stand the buildings of the fort, sinkls with a ive-y Senae
slope.  On the west, the land rises to the crest of the biuf,
so as to form, on that side, a slielterilg wall.  On the south,
is the heavy body of timber lying in the forks f thlis Smoky
Ihill and Republiean-a grove of oal.ks. ers, sy-camores,
cottonwoods, and other large timber, here robbly tlhiree
miles wide.   The Republican, a broad   t  lra)id stream,
comes in from the west, aidcl the Sm.oky   Hil, a'out two
hundred and twenty-five feet wide, flows fiomu the southwest.
The water of this stream is cluite brackish.  Both valleys
are beautiful, that of the Republican eminently so near the
junction, while we were told by those at Fort Riley, that
portions of the valley of the Smoky Hill, are more attractive still.  N;ot a claim had been made, inll either valloy, at
the time of our visit, as was said.  From thle western bluffs,
which we  ascended, we could lookl along t Phe.epuljlican
valley, as far as vision could reach, and I couldl not hut feel,
as I thought of all thle excitement and anxiety, the feverish
rush, of city life, that it would be sweet to have a homc  a
0
106 
JOURNEY TIHROUGHII KANSAS.
resting-place, in that exqui,.'te solitude, until the speed of
life's race could be slacked, and the hot machinery of the
,bra'in have timue to cool.  The prairie breeze came and
fannedl the throbbing brow, as if to show how soothingly the
tling could be done, and a hu[ndred times, since my return,
when the head has been overwrought, and the heart, too,
weary, by night and by day, that beautiful valley; has presentedc itself to the mind, as if it would say, "Come hithlerand rest!"
A single tent was pitched at the base of the bluff, on the
northern  side, the evening shadow had begun to soften the
outlines of the scene, and a light curling line of smoke,
rising from the tent, looked the very symbol of quiet and
repose.  The tent was occupied by some haymakers from
the fort, and one of the number, who has since visited CincinnLati, an intelligent man, informed me that he was so
charmed with the spot, that he had selected there his future
home.
We were entire strangers at fort PRiley, not having provided ourselves even, with introductions to the officers; but
we were receivedcl with the open hospitality of the soldier.
We were directed to the " quarters" of Lieutenant S., the
Quartermaster, to whom  we made known our wants, who
said, hLie would at once supply us with suitable "rations," a
phrase which, at first, almost provoked a smile.   We soon
folund that Uncle Sam feels himself able to " live well" in all
departLments of his great household, and that le  "rations"
are a true.seccfic remedy for an appetite.  We  ihad the
pleasure of meeting at table several of thec younger officers
of the tatlo, somef t them graduates from WesVt Polt,
107 
JOURNEY THIROUGHI KANSAS.
and all mingled the bearing of the soldier with the courtesy
of the gentleman-ready to show us a kindness, even though
it required the temporary surrender of their own comforts.
From these officers, acquainted as some of them were with
Indian warfare, we learned many interesting facts, which
served to explain the havoc which has sometimes been made
with small parties of our troops, in their encounters with
the prairie Indians.
We were surprised, incredulous, almost offended, when a
young officer, whose eye and bearing certainly showed no
lack of courage, deliberately asserted, that our mounted men,
though armed with revolvers, were in general not a match,
in close combat, for the mounted Indians, with their bows
and arrows. But his explanations were satisfactory, and I
shall henceforth regard these wild warriors as a formidable
foe, even for those who are armed with the most effective
weapons of modern times. In the first place, he said, few
of the dragoons sent on this service, are trained horsemen;
and secondly, the horses, also, are "raw recruits," or at
least unused to Indian warfare. On the contrary, the warriors of the prairie are among the most expert riders in the
world, and their horses are so thoroughly trained, that they
seem to obey even a volition of the rider. They ride without a bridle, guiding the horse by signs, and pressure of the
limbs upon his body, leaving both hands free for the use of
weapons.
Provided with such a horse, with bow and arrows, and a
spear, the Indian, if he finds the opportunity of closing with
a dragoon, brings him within range of his arrows, which are
effective at a distance of about thirty paces, and rides swiftly
108 
JOURNEY THROUGIHI KANSAS.
around him in a circle, frightening his horse by his yells,
so as to render any certain aim with the revolver impossible,
while his own arrows are discharged at horse and man more
rapidly than even a revolver can be fired. While running
round the dragoon in a circle, the Indian will lie along the
outside of his horse, lengthwise, the left leg thrown over the
back of the horse, the left arm over the neck, the left hand
holding the bow, and with nothing exposed but one leg and
one arm, arrows are shot like hail, from under the horse's
nieck, while the animal gallops steadily round and round the
victim, who, unable to manage his horse, that is frightened
with yells, and maddened with wounds, is too often ingloriously slain by his active and almost invisible enemy.
These Indians of the plain may be called the American
Cossack, and are exceedingly troublesome adversaries. Artillery is almost useless in any combat with them, except on
rare occasions, as they do not attack in dense bodies, and
are able to keep themselves beyond the range of the guns,
if they choose.
Perfectly acquainted with the country as they are, they
lead our troops into ambuscades, or marching just ahead of
pursuit, decoy them where no water, or perhaps grass, can
be found, except by themselves alone. Seldom attacking,
or permitting themselves to be attacked, unless the advantage is greatly on their side, they have cost our country
many valuable lives, both of soldiers and among parties
of emigrants, and we have reason to fear that the plains
toward the Rocky mountains, will yet be the scenes of many
fierce encounters.
The melancholy affair at Fort Laramie, where about thirty
109 
JOURNEY TIIROUGIT KANSA$.
soldiers, well armed aC   with a hoLitzer, were slain, almost
in a moment, by thie Sioux, showvs what they are capable of
coIng; though ind this ease, those vwho..r.h to klwow, declare
that the fault was with our soldiers, who began an attack
without a cause, and against the dictLates of common prudence.
The late massacre, in Oregon, of an emrigrant party from
}iissouri, by the Snake Indians, was made horrible by the
very worst atrocities of savage war, for which bloody vengeance will, probably, be taken yet, and we may, perhaps, see
another fro2ztier line drawn long and broad with blood.
It is to be feared, perhaps believed, that most of these
Indian murders have been committed on the innocent, in
retaliation for injuries received from the whites.   The judgment day will bring to light many  a bloody deed, perpetrated upon the Indians, in those wide plains, since the
over-land emigration to the Pacific began.  As an illustration, I will here relate an occurrence, which took place on
the banks of the Platte, as described by an eye-witness.
He was one of a company of nearly five hundred, forming
one train for California. They generally traveled in small
divisions, a little distance apart, for convenience in camping, and in obtaining wood, grass, and water.  One morning,
while traveling through the Pawnee country, along  the
bank of the Platte, it was found that the head of the
column of wagons had stopped, and, as those in the rear
came on, they formed soon a long and solid line.  Soon a
horseman was sent back from the front, to inform all, that
the Pawnees had stopped the train, and demanded tribute,
in the shape of cattle, for passing through their country.
ito 
JOURNEY  TItROUGII KANSAS.
The train was stopped, and all flocked, with their rifles, to
the front, until several hundred armed men were there.   A
company of Pawnees had drawn themselves across the road
with a chief at their head.   They were ordered away-and
soon all beg-an to leave but the chief.  He drew himself
pronudly up, andl endeavored to bring back and cheer on his
warriors.  In a moment more he was pierced by fifteen rifle
halls.   The whole band fled toward the river, but fatally
pursued by a volley of balls, a line of dead stretched to the
river, and then the whites rushed to the bank, and shot
those wvho were  struggling in the water.
It is to be feared that this transaction does not standcl
alone, and that the prairies have drunk up much Indian
blood which is crying in the ear of God-blood wantonly
shed without any necessity or even  serious provocation.
These wandering tribes1 of the prairie are often sorely pressed
by hunger.  D)riven from their old hunating-grounds, and
hemmed - in, perhaps, by hostile tribes, they arc driven by
extremity, and sometimes by the neglect of the Government,
to pilfer from the whites, which thefts are not unfrequently
atoned for by their blood.  It is not unlikely that these
Pawnees -who  Ldemianded the cattle, were destitute of food,
and hoped, in this manner, to save themselves from famine,
and now, after a wholesale massacre, if one of this tribe
shouldcl strike down a white, in revenge for some kinsman,
shot on the banks of the Platte, thLe papers will echo round
the land, the tale of another Indian murder, and comment
upon the diabolical traits of their character.
Their revenge is of the most shocking character, it is
truel   they seeml to ) be filed with thie rage and niimaliity of
lit 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
devils, but how much worse even this may be in the sight
of God, than the cool treachery, the heartless robbery, and
needless bloodshed, on the part of the white man, is yet
to be determined. With all their hideous features, there are
some redeeming traits of nobleness, and there is no sadder
sight under the heavens, at present, than they, sunk, as it
would appear, where even the mercy of God can not reach
them; as a people they are oppressed with treachery and
power, and driven onward toward annihilation, strike back
many a revengeful blow upon those who urge them on. But
the abyss yawns across their path, and their final disappearance is near.
We were informed by the officers, of an intention to establish a town on, or near the site of Fort Riley, and that it is
the design of the Government, so soon as the settlements in
the Kansas valley shall reach upward to the fort, to give up
the position, sell out the grounds and buildings, and establish a more western station. Sound policy will doubtless
require such a step, and a flourishing city may soon appear
at the head of steamboat navigation on the Kansas.
We shall ever remember the kindness and hospitality
shown us by the officers at Fort Riley, but to view a soldier's
life, and the trade of war through such a medium, would be
very much like looking at a slave's life and the system of
slavery, from the well-furnished rooms and hospitable board
of an intelligent planter, doing all in his power to render
your stay agreeable.
While there, we saw, even at this small station, where
discipline perhaps, in its strictest forms, is not observed, or
needed, enougih to convince us that the life of a common soldier
112 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
borders upon both that of the criminal and slave.  Even
there, we saw a company driven home from work under the
bayonet with cannon balls chained to their legs, and one
during our stay endeavored to commit suicide while under
confinement for punishment. Another, who had come from
the State of New York, gave me to understand that he preferred any position in life where he could be a freeman, to
the life of a soldier. Said another soldier, just discharged,
" Our life is the life of a slave." It will be a joyful day for
earth when "the nations shall not learn war any more."
These young officers have since been ordered to Fort Laramie, to engage in that Indian warfare which one of them so
graphically described, nor would it be surprising if they,
also, should be added to the list of the prairie dead,
lC
113 
CHIIAPTER XVII.
FROtI FORT RILEY TO COUNCIL GROVE-KAW INDIANS.
FORT PILEY does not stand, where it is placed on most
maps, in the forks of thie FRepublican and Smoky Hill, but
on the north bankl of the Republican, and perhaps half a
mile from the streamu.  A steal  sawmill has however been
erected within the forks, by the Government.  The Republican, which is about two hundred feet wide and runs with
a rapidcl current, is spanned by a substantial bridge, while
on the road to Council Grove, there is a ferry acrioss the
Smoky Hill, whose waters, as I have said, are quite salt to
the taste.
After crossing the Smokly Hill, we entered at once the
fine grove of timber on its eastern bank, about two miles in
width, as we thought, though the road did not cross it at
right angles, and we were liable to overrate the distance.
It was the merriest and finest woodland scene that we had
found in Kansas.  The trees were of great size, tall and
thrifty, while rank vines and shrubbery of various kinds
showed the exuberant fertility of the soil.  The trees were
filled with a great variety of birds, among which the bluejay, reminded us most strongly of home, and me, in particular, of that early home of childhood anong the hills of New 
JOURNEY THROUGHI KANSAS.
ELglanda, where so often, in the bright mornings of autumn,
when the frost had crisped the grass, and clothed the forests
in a shroud as gay as if it were a bridclal garment, I had listelnedl to lthat bird, when it was so still that I could hear
each fallinag, leaf as it rustled down among the branches,
and fell amid its dlead companions.   And now the cry of
that famiiliar bird, and the blue wings glancing among the
leaves, swept space away, rolled back the years, and placed
mLe, where, alas! if I were there, indeed, there would be
little to greet le, unless the dead could rise from  their
grapves.
Sqclirreis seeumed to be very happy, while industriously
gathering their winter's store; quails would start up, almost
from beneath the horses' feet, while at flock of paroquets,
chattering ablove us, reminded me that I was not in New
England.
The eastern bluff of the Smoky Hill rises very abruptly,
and it was not without difliculty that our two strong horses
could drag up it the light wagon which we were using.
Once up it, the same seemingly endless, rolling plain, was
spread before us, destitute of timber, eastward, to the very
limit of vision.  This high ground, or "divide," as it is
called, between Fort Liley and Council Grove, is, in general,
the least attractive of any region which we passed over.
For some fifteen miles it was entirely destitute of timber,
and we saw no water by the roadside, though from the undulating character of the prairie, it is not probable that
springs were altogether wanting.  Parts of this tract are
covered with small pebbles, or rather fragments of flint,
nodules from the limestone mixed with pieces of the limestone
115 
JOURNEY  THROUGI-I IKANSAS.
itself, giving the plain, sometimes, where the grass had been
lately burned off, a mottled appearance, the white pebbles
contrasting with the dark ground. Even here, the soil,
though thin, was black, and apparently productive.
About fifteen miles from Fort Riley, is Clark creek. It
is a small but very clear and bright little stream, looking
like a New England brook.  It has a narrow bottom, of finelooking land, where farms might be selected, in a sheltered
position, with pastures on the high prairie, above. Crossing
Clark creek, we rose again to the higher level, which continued for about eight miles further, when we saw in the
far distance, and on a lower level, faint blue lines, which
marked the position and course of the head streams of tho
Neosho and Osage.  We soon found ourselves on the crest,
if it may be so called, of a broad slope, which sinks downward toward those streams, and a most beautiful region of
country was open before us, in which woodland seemed to
be sufficiently abundant for life's purposes, and where grainland and meadows, and hill-side pastures, were ready on
all sides for the population to come.  Here is one of the
finest regions in the Territory for a large colony, and the
colony might be large enough to occupy a county. It is
about one hundred and thirty miles from Kansas City, and
here is the old trading-post, called Council Grove. It is on
the great Santa Fe6 road, and a town in this vicinity would
probably become, to a considerable extent, a depot for this
southwestern trade, while the agricultural resources of the
surrounding country, being almost unlimited, would of
themselves support a large inland city. This district of
country may have its commercial connection with the Kansas
116 
JOURNEY TIIROUGHII KANSAS.
valley, or it may flow southeastward, to the point where the
Southwestern Branch Railway will touch Kansas, and thus
communicate with St. Louis and the east; while it is possible, that a portion of the commerce of southern and southeastern Kansas may take the direction of Fort Gibson,
and the Axkansas valley. There can be no doubt, that a
few years will see this fine district thronging with a prosperous population.   The mildness of its climate, and the
fertility of its soil, will attract a crowd of settlers, so soon
as its value is known.   The Mlethodist mission-house, and a
few logc-cabins, constitute the whole of Council Grove, as it
now is, and the site of the present confused "huddle"
seems not very happily chosen.
The " iission" is merely a school, the Kaws not consenting to have the Gospel preached among them. They send
a few of their children irregularly to a school, in which
little or nothing is, or can be done.  The name of " Mission" does not very well describe the thing; and this, we
think, is not the only " ission," in Kansas, to which the
same remark would apply. It would do no harm, if this
whole subject of Indian missions were somewhat more
closely investigated by the Churches. Some unexpected
disclosures might be made, perhaps, by such a scrutiny, and
the matter would be stripped of much of the heroic, and
the romantic, with which it has been so largely invested.
Many dreams of Christian Indian nations just budding into
life on the frontier, would, probably, be put to flight, by a
journey even through Kansas.
We found at Council Grove, about fifteen hundred of the
Kaws encamped. A difficulty had arisen between them and
117 
JOURNEY THIPRUGII KANSAS.
the Sauks; one of the Kaws had been killed, and his tribe
threatened revenge. It was rumored that the Pottawatomies
would join the Sauks, and the Kaws had come in and encamped at Council Grove, with the expectation of greater
safety near the MAission, or that they might receive some aid
in settling their quarrel.   To this we owed the opportunity
of seeing, for the first time, a large body of Indians. I had
never before seen a community of real, absolute heathen, for
such these Kaws are, permitting no Christian teaching
among them, except some trifling instruction in reading and
writing, to a few of their children.  They are among the
lowest and poorest of the Indian tribes-guilty of all the
vices that Paul ascribes to heathenism, in the first chapter of Pomuans-and if any new wickedness has ])beeon invented since Paul wrote, they doubtless have learned even
that. In observing these miserable creatures, I was moved,
sometimes to laughter and sometimes with pity, for their
ignorance of all good, and  consequent wvretcheldness.  In
them, sin had wrought out, without much restraint, its
legitimate consequences, and they afforded the most fearful
evidence of its nature, and its power.   No such illustration
of the character of man, as he is when left to himself, had
fallen under my eye before, and it enabled me to estimate,
as I had not previously done, what Christianity has already
accomplished for the world, even where most of its influences are merely collateral. The difference between an
encampment of these heathen Kaws, and a Christian community, no mathematics  can calculate.   The scene was
enough to stagger one's belief in the unity of the race, and
I must confess that my brotherly feelings required a little
118 
JOURNEY THROUGII KANSAS.
nursing, a little application of Christian philosophy as a
stimulant; and I cannot declare, with truth, that I felt any
of the moorings and yearnings of that mysterious affection
which, it is said, will attract kindred to each other, although
personally strangers.  I must acknowledge, that my heart
did not gravitate very strongly toward my brothers and
sisters, of the Kaw branch of the family.  I believe, most
fully and firmly, in the unity and brotherhood of the race,
but I found it difficult to get " a realizi'iq sense " of this
Kaw relationship.
SIan is a sorrowful sight, when hlie has fallen so low that
there is no sublimity ill his ruin; and it magnifies, beyond
mueasure, the riches of the grace of God- the power as well
as the love exhibited in the Gospel-that it can arrest the
lowest in his fall, andcl however cdegradedl and polluted he
may  be, can re-create, elevate, and refine him, until  lihe
becomes fit to associate with angels, and to stand in the
iresence of God.   From such considerations, with a company of heathen before us, we are led to feel that the Gospel
is a resistless power-the power of Godc! This side of
eternity, the individual man can not sink beyond the reach
of salvation.  But the life of nations is governed by another
law, and we see them fall, where no effort or power, even of
Christianity, can recover them. Unwillingly have I been
brought to the conclusion, that this is the condition of our
American tribes. Their probation as conmmunities, is over,
their judgment day even is passed; n(tionfally, they  are
amolng the lost. Let individuals, if possible, by all effort,
be snatched as brands from the burning, and as trophies of
the surprising grace of God  but national vitality there is
119 
JOURNEY  THIROUGH KANSAS.
none. Even if this theory is false, the Indian tribes can
never be socially and politically recovered by a Gospel which
teaches them to adopt and cherish the most hateful enormity
of civilized life.  While their teachers are slaveholders, or
the defenders of slavery-while the churches to which they
are invited, welcome the slaveholder to membership and
communion-it is the error of one morally insane to imagine
that they can be socially or politically saved.  When our
own civilization, the strongest and best, upon the whole,
which earth ever saw, reels under the burden of slavery,
and sickens with its moral poison, and gasps and struggles in
its distress, what madness, what cruelty to lay all this upon
the weakness of those who, in addition, have heathenism itself
to contend with! We may lay aside all moral considerations,
and leave out of sight the sin of slavery, and regard it only
in a social and political point of view, and then safely say
that slavery will present an insuperable barrier to the elevation of these tribes, and make their ruin sure.
The Indian can not endure the curse of slavery with as
little injury as the Anglo-Saxon. The characteristics of the
latter are activity and energy, power in action; and this
tends to secure the full exercise, the complete development
of his faculties. He will not rust in sloth, though surrounded
with slaves, to do his bidding. Hle has a mental vitality
which  "dies hard," even when throttled by slavery.  He
will, if possible, abandon manual labor; he will scorn all
handicrafts and mechanic arts; he will suffer his home,
plantation and all,about him, to wear the aspect of the most
helpless shiftlessness, lacking all neatness, and real comfort,
but he will not lie down and doze his life away like a gorged
120 
JOURNEY THIROUGJI KANSAS.
ox, inll the shadle. or a pig in t1ce stye.  If he can be nothing
else, he will become a politician, and busy himself in saving
the Union.  For such an individual, or people, slavery will
not prove suddenly fatal.   Thougli sure to destroy in the
end. the strength of the character is slowly undermlined.
But the Indian is naturally indolent, cruel, and sensual.
The development of his nature requires the full power of all
the stimulants of a free, Christian society, to cherish the
weak points in his character, with a vigorous culture.
Slavery seizes upon the very worst, most odious features
of his nature, and gives them supreme control of his life.
His indolence; his aversion to any effort beyond the necessity of the hour; his improvidence, cruelty, and seinsuality,
are made all the stronger by this facility of indulgence, and
to attempt to raise him  to the dignity and excellence of
Christian, civilized man, with this incubus on his soul, is
to strive against the force of eternal law. A mission to the
Indians which does not condemn and utterly exclude slavery,
carries not with it one element of ultimate success.   The
most important missionary effort of the age, for the Indian,
is that which proposes to plant among them free institutions-to hold up before them the example, and throw over
them the influence of free and industrious communities.
The Kawvs were encamped at no great distance from our
lodgings, and they are worthy of a special place among the
curiosities of Kansas.   There were groups which those who
are fond of statuary mighlt love to study.   They were the
first persons I had ever met, who, to my certain knowledge,
were entirely free from any patronage of slave-labor cotton.
This sin could not be laid to their clarge, for from crown to
11
121 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
sole, not a shred of ctnythiig covered any part of the body.
There were children of perhaps six years old walking about
the public street, and mingling with others, and exhibiting no more anxiety about clothing, than the pigs they
played with.  From this lowest starting point of total naked~Ls, the styles of dress rose upward in a series, whose culiniating point was a partial covering of the body.  Carlyle
should have seen these IKaws before he wrote his "Philosophy of Clothes;"  he would have gained a tolerably clear
idea how a naked Chancellor would actually appear on the
wool-sack. The style next to entire nudity, was a change
so slight as not to startle or offend by its abruptness. It
was worn by boys of from twelve to fifteen years old, apparently, and consisted merely of a very narrow band around
the loins. The next style exhibited leggins, only, with
nothing above the waist.   Next came one whio had adopted
what may be called the intermediate or half-way style,
between nothing and full costume.  He wore a blanket round
his shloulders, but one leer of his pantaloons was missing;
yet being a man of miclddle age he wore the one leg with great
gravity, and, for aught I know, it might have been an official
garb. The full dress consisted of leggins and a blanket,
with no shirt; and as the weather was warm they were,
generally, when sitting, naked to the waist.
The headcls of the men were shaved so as to leave an upright
crest about two inches high, shaped like a double cock's
comb. In the center of this the scalping-lock is permitted
to grow long, and is braided like a queue. In their poverty,
ornaments were few and grotesque. The feathers of prairie
hawks and eagles were  worn, not unlgracefully, in the hair.
122 
JOURNEY  TIIROUGIH  KANSAS.
All kinds and shapes of bright things were hung in the ears,
of which bunches of silver drops seemedl to be most highly
prized, and one, a little ambitious and particular in the
general style of his dress, had several strings of beads
around his neck, fastened in front in some way, by a large
clam-shell.  The ecldgs of the ears were colored with red
paint, and a red line was frequently drawn round the base
of the circular crest of hair, and sometimes the cheeks, also,
were tipred.  One old man, apparently from the want of
means, for the purchase of paint, had mixed up some prairie
mud, and daubed his faoe into a considerable degree of
fashion and respectability.
One thing was highly amusing, and perhaps ought to be
instructive.  AVhether naked or clothed, whether their pantaloons had two legs, or only one, whether they had paint or
mud on their faces, they demeaned themselves with a gravity
which nothing could disturb, and their carriage was, in
general, erect, dignified, and proud; sometimes, even scornful. The only instances where I observed any relaxation
of haughtiness, were where one endeavored to persuade us to
break open a closet, in the house where we were staying, in
order to get him some tobacco,  and another undertook
to sell me a coat and pantaloons, which he had probably
stolen elsewhere-this last smiled, exhibited, and persuaded
like an old clothes-man. On Sunday evening there was
loud riot and revelry in their camps, and all seemed to join
in yelling out a song, which was so softened and modulated
by floating half a mile, as to enable MAr. M3ason to write down
its principal notes, and after his return he performed or
123 
JOURNEY THROUGII KANSAS.
imitated it on the organ, much to the aston'islment and
amusement of those who heard.
After all, the predominant feeling was pity for those poor
creatures, ignorant, degraded, and almost friendless; apparently forsaken of God, and certainly despised and abused
by man. They will soon be compelled by Government to
treat for their lands, and retire before the white man.
~,
124 
CHAPTEP  XVIII.
NUMBER OF INHABITANTS NOW IN TIlE TERRITORY —
SLAVEHOLDERS-TIIEIRP FEELINGS AND PLANS.
WE made many endeavors to ascertain this, but could
arrive at no very satisfactory result. We know not how it
can be determined until the census is taken.  Alajor Ogden,
at Fort Leavenworth, estimates the number on the Delaware
lands alone, at twelve hundred.   The more general opinion
seemed to be, that there may be now (Sept. 1854), in all,
some four to five thousand in the Territory. Still, this is a
mere estimate.
Fictitious claims are made on all sides, and little can be
known of the true state of things. The statements of some
slaveholders would indicate that the whole country, or nearly
so, is already occupied by friends of "the institution."  A
few will combine for speculation in a certain locality, and
soon a squatter association is formed; a registrar and other
officers are chosen from among themselves; the surrounding
region is claimed; entries are made on the registrar's book,
of long lists of names, and strangers are informed, unless
they are of the " right kind," that the land in that vicinity
is all "taken up." Such combinations have been entered into
sometimes, for the purpose of keeping out "the abolition
I
~, 
JOURNEY THIIROUGH KANSAS.
ists," and if they who use this weapon should find that it
has two edges, with one turned toward themselves, they need
not be surprised.  Such associations have "ygot up" settlers'.
meetings, and sent forth terrible resolutions, as the voice of
the sovereigns of Kansas, of the passing of which, these said
sovereigns were entirely ignorant. They have been quietly
engaged in their pursuits, while a few speculators and politicians have been passing resolutions, saving the Union, and
protecting and extending " our peculiar inslttittons."
The first excitelment on the borders  of!lissouri, in
reference to the settlement of Kansas, and which manifested
itself in a few meetings and intemperate resolutions, has
already passed, to return no more. The actors in these
scenes are even now, by no means, proud of their doings,
while by the masses such proceedings are not merely discountenanced, but treated with contempt.   A settler in
Kansas need have no more apprehension than if he were
about to locate in Illinois or Iowa.
Here and there, he will find little associations composed
of those in sympathy with the slaveholders, who have, perhaps, covered the region round them with fictitious claims,
in order to exclude the "Yankees" from their neighborhood, but then the same thing is also done by those who
call themselves free-soilers, for the purpose of shutting out
slaveholders.
This will soon be over. The different parties will, ere
long, be mingled, from proximity, and the strong necessity
of companionship, and of social and business relations.  It
is, we think, widely andl mercifully ordered in the providence of God, that extremes meet here on neutral ground.
126 
JOUIRNEY THROUGHI KANSAS.
Asperities will be softened, and prejudices removed. One
little circumstance will illustrate the working of these
causes.
A Missourian in the Territory, needing some assistance,
applied to his own fellow MIissourians, and was refused, but
sofne New England men immediately gave him the needed
aid.  Not long after the Missourians invited the New Englandclers to send some of their number to them, and they
would show them " good claims."
I have already alluded to our stay in Weston, where
most of the violent proceedings, which have been published,
originated; and since our return we have seen it stated,
that Weston is bent on blood.  We have no hesitation in
saying, that no eastern man will be harmed in Weston,
unless he desires to produce excitement. As the circular
which we have inserted proves, the business men of that place
have not participated in the folly enacted there, and which
we feel sure will not be repeated, the interests of commerce demand a liberal policy, and it will be enforced.
We have seen the proceedings of a meeting held at Salt
creek, n many eastern papers, which have been presented
as evidence of the state of public sentiment in Kansas, and
of the dangers that will there beset the path of anti-slavery,
or any eastern settlers. It may, perhaps, not be amaiss to
give an accournt of this meeting, according to a Alissourian
who was on the ground.  In the first place, the call for the
meeting was so circulatedcl, that some living within a short
distance of the appointed spot, did not even hear of it until
aftervward.   Then, the  "immense  multitudc,' "  nintioncd
in the papers, numbcred not more than one hundred, assem
127 
JOURNNEY  TIIROUGH KANSAS.
bled at one time, many of whom were Missourians, who had
crossed the river to "rey?'lUte" the affairs of Kansas.  A
committee on resolutions was appointed.  The majority report was in favor of liberal principles and proceedings-the
minority report took the opposite and exclusive position.
The author of this minority report, in spite of the ruling
of the chairman, and, of course, contrary to all propriety,
called for a vote on his minority report first, and put this
vote hii)self.  About seventy, including Missourians who
had crossed for the purpose, voted that Kansas ought to be,
and should be a slave State.   The same man put the contrary in this form: "All who are in favor of giving up
Kansas to the Abolitionists and Freesoilers, signify it," &c.
All but about thirty, then left the ground; they, appointed
a new chairman, and passed the minority resolutions, unaninaously, and then the papers spread, far and wide, the proceedings of an "immense multitude" of Kansas settlers,
and the unanimity with which they determined that slavery
should be establlishedcl in the Territory.   Such transactions
exhibit the spirit and the tactics of some of the slaveholders
and loud-mouthed small-politicians on the frontier. They
show, plainly, what these people are capable of, and would
do, were they able to accomplish their purpose-it proves
the need of prompt, fearless, and united action, on the part
of the friends of freedom, but it represents only the sentiments of a busy and reckless clique, to whom the business
community is directly opposed.
Such meetings are merely empty gasconade, which might
be followed by action, if the east should be frightened
thereby.
128 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
Kansas is fully open to all who choose to make it their
abode.  For the present, there will be little separate cliques,
or bands, drawn together by sympathies and affinities, and
for a time they may keep apart, and "clairm " and save, if
they can, the country around them, for friends, but in a
little time they will all be mingled.  What is called the
"free-soil" principle, is the prevailing sentiment, even in
Missouri. They mean by it, however, simply this-that
they are willing that all should come, and that the question
of slavery should be fairly decided, by the popular vote.
A  "free-soiler," in western phrase, is by no means, necessarily an anti-slavery man.
From the most reliable information we could obtain, we
suppose that a large majority of those now in the Territory
are opposedcl to its becoming  a slave-state.  MIost slaveholders, themselves, profess to consider the question as
virtually settled against them, and the party of freedom
have the prestige of anticipated victory.
It would, however, be a mistake, likely to be attended
with fatal results, should the friends of freedom in the east
relax one iota of their efforts. With all the present fairseeming, Kansas is not yet, by any means, safe.  That class
is not a small one, and it will increase, whose final vote will
be determined by circumstances, and who may be influenced
at the critical moment, by those means and appliances which
slaveholders, and their political abettors know so well how
to employ. That anti-slavery sentiment, which is based on
principle, and which can endure alike opposition or temptation, is not yet very widely spread, nor very deeply rooted
in Kansas. The east and north should be aroused, until
129 
JOURNEY  TtIROUGI IlNSAS.
its emigrants shall be poured in by thousands, and the
party of freedom is placed in an overwhelming majority,
until neither a hope nor a possibility remains of making it
a possession for slavery.
There are two facts by which our hopes are strengthened,
that Kansas will be free, which are independent of other considerations.  First, the character of the productions for
which the soil is fitted, and  the general  nature  of her
resources. Her agricultural productions will be essentially
those of 3lissouri and Kentucky, and it is exceedingly
doubtful, whether, with all their prejudices in favor of the
system, slavery could be now establishlted in either of those
States, if that, instead of emancipation, were the question
now to be submitted to the people. As the general rule,
those who will leave Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and
2lissouri, for Kansas, are from that class who are least attached to slavery, and many of them not only have no inter
est in its support, but their interests stand opposed.
They are often men with large families and small means,
who will emigrate for the purpose of procuring farms for
their sons, and who have not the means of owning slaves,
even if they had the disposition. Such men, who expect to
labor themselves, will not desire the presence of the aristocratic slaveholder, who will class the free laborer with his
negro servants, and treat him with contempt. It is undoubtedly true, that in Kansas are some of the finest hlemplands in the world; but it is also true that the best of
these are, for the present, embraced, in large measure, in
the Indian reservations, and the question of slavery will
probably be decided before these are brought into market.
130 
JOITRNEY TI-IROUGH KANSAS.
Though hemp and tobacco may be successfully cultivated,
and to some extent will be, yet corn, wheat, oats, and stock
are likely to be the great staples of Kansas, and these are
no longer a very profitable basis of slave labor, though perhaps they may be of a slave-breeding community. Human
cattle may be raised in Kansas. Yet the high prices and
ready market which food will command there, for years to
come, will present a drawback, even upon the breeding of
slaves. It is likely that horses, oxen, and mules may prove
more profitable.
The second fact to which we referred is this: It seems
probable that a large portion of the lands of Kansas will be
" claimed" or occupied by squatters previous to the survey.
As a " clain," or preemption right covers but one hundred
and sixty acres, it can only be by indirect methods, if at all,
that larger tracts can be secured, and the watchfulness and
eagerness of settlers will be likely to prevent this, in all
desirable locations; so that before the lands are on sale by
the Government, a large portion of them will be divided into
farms of one hundred and sixty acres each, not large enough
for plantations. To these considerations, it may also be
added, that it would be almost a suicidal act for the slavepower to vote Kansas a slave State, against a heavy minority
of freemen; and should the emigration from the north and
east be carried at once so far as to constitute a considerable
part, though not a majority of the population, Kansas would
even then be ultimately free. Slaveholders can not live
there in the presence of a strong minority of freemen. Slave
property would, in the present state of feeling be almost or
nearly valueless there; the emigration from the free States
131
: 11. I...I. ' 
JOURNEY TIIROUGH KANSAS.
would, comparatively, increase, and that from the slave
States decrease, and so in the end a victory will be won for
freedom, if large bodies from the free States are thrown in
at the very first. When once the northern States have
heavy interests at stake in Kansas, those interests will be
protected. Let it not be supposed that the question is
finally settled, if the slaveholders of LMissouri should succeed
in carrying the first election. It will even then be but the
beginning of a contest that in the end must be decided
arifght. Unless eastern emigration receives an early check,
Kansas will ultimately be free.  The first few thousands
will draw multitudes after them.
Kansas may easily be made a free State. It is now completely in the power of freedom's friends. They can save it
if they will, without unreasonable effort, and without even
pecuniary sacrifice. But we desire to lift our voice in warning against the idea that it will be a free State now, as a
matter of course.   Every man  whose circumstances will
allow, should feel that he is personally called upon to go
and aid in making it sure.
...
132 
.CHAPTER XIX.
THE IMPORTANCE OF KANSAS, AS SEEN IN HER POSITION
AND RELATIONS TO OTHER PORTIONS OF THE COUNTRY.
THE eastern part of Kansas occupies the central position
in that line of country which forms the eastern boundary of
what is called the American Desert, a belt about two hundred and fifty miles wide, a portion of which is without
timber, and almost without rains. She will then be, in an
important sense, a point of departure and outfit for the
western trade-an exchange point between the Eastern
States and the farthest West. She will be a point of departure for the western commerce, and a point of arrival for that
coming eastward from the vast regions beyond her; and
should the country between Fort Riley and the Rocky mountains, become, as many suppose, mining and manufacturing
regions, their supplies must be derived from the commerce
and agriculture of Kansas. The position of Kansas, therefore, is certain to create for her an extensive commerce and
a steady home market for all her productions.
There are, also, grave moral and political interests and
influences connected with her position and relations, which
render it of unspeakable importance that she should be
secured from the dominion of the slave power-and that 
JOUPINEY TIIROUGIt KANSAS.
there a genuine Puritan State should be established, both as
a model and center of influence, and a point of departure
for other enterprises in favor of freedom. The churches of
Christ and the friends of free institutions, universally,
should arouse themselves to consider the significance of
passing events. Are they not clear indications of the will
of God? Do they not speak to us in an almost audible
voice? How quickly, how completely, how unexpectedly to
all, has God changed the field and character of the struggle
between slavery and freedom!
Kansas may be regarded as a political upheaval. Like
islands that have been formed in the night by volcanic
action, or mountains suddenly lifted out of the plains of
South America, Kansas has been upheaved from the political
ocean, by the internal fires of party, and has become at once
one of the most prominent objects on our Continent. With
thousands, who a few months ago had never even heard of
Kansas, it is now the chief subject of thought and inquiry.
Minesota and all her northwestern sisters are partially forgotten, and the pioneer army is directing its march upon
the vast central plains that form the heart of the Continent.
Rightly considered, one of the most suggestive scenes that
has been looked on for a hundred years in this country,
was when the first large emigrant party from New England
stepped upon the slave-soil of Missouri, at St. Louis, on its
way to Kansas.   In that silent, unheeded  act, was  the
inauguration of a new era, unknown though it might be to
the actors themselves. It was the advance-guard of freedom's hosts which was taking possession of the lands and
dominion of slavery in the name of God and humanity. It
134 
JOURNEY  THROUGII KANSAS.
was the first ripple of that new stream of emigration which,
for years to come, is to swell on that southern shore with a
broader and stronger tide.
For the first time, emigration from the north has changed
its direction, and turned toward the south. Should it follow along its new course with the same impetuosity and
power that have marked it hitherto, then it may be safely
said that a new order of things has already begun-the
nature and the scene of the conflict between freedom and
slavery have been changed. It is the beginning of a peaceful but irresistible occupation of southern and southwestern
lands, that will roll slavery back upon itself, and remove it
toward the sea-coast and the Gulf.
This change in the direction of the line of emigration
may be regarded as the most interesting phenomenon at
present in our country.  Let once this current "set in"
upon the south, and it will no more be checked than the
flow of the Gulf-stream itself. Freedom, in its turn, will
filally become aggressive, will seek extension, and conquer
by an exhibition of the arts of peace. There is no clause
in the Constitution to prevent northern freemen from settling in colonies, if they please, either in southwestern Territories or in southern States. The soil and climate invite,
and the south must receive in peace this peaceful "Armyn
of Occupation," though their coming will prove the overthrow of her institutions-for they will root them up in a
Constitutional and Christian-like manner, by showing them
a "more excellent way."
Upon the question of the settlement of Kansas, the fate
of the slave-power now hangs, more especially than upon
135 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
the movements of political parties.   The contest for the
possession of this Territory will end in giving an effectual,
if not decisive blow to the defeated party. From a defeat
there, slavery can never recover itself, and if the slavepower is victorious, it will have at its disposal almost every
conceivable earthly advantage. It would effectually exclude
the people of the northern States from the fairest and most
fertile regions of the Continent, and completely hem them in
with institutions at war with every principle of a free, Christian republic, and cut them off, by interposed slave States,
from our Pacific possessions.   But let us look for a moment
at the influence which she would exert, as a free State, with
institutions constructed after the Puritan model.
On the east of her lies Missouri; on the south, those Indian tribes that are just assuming some of the forms of
civilization, and Texas. On these Indian lands, new Territories are soon to be erected, on the west of Arkansas. West
of her is Utah.
Let us now suppose that such a State as Massachusetts,
or New York, or Ohio, were established on the Territory of
Kansas, and thoroughly penetrated and controlled by the
spirit of freedom, and a true Christianity should there present, as a "city set on a hill," its peaceful but resistless
example. It would be, for all the vast regions west and
southwest of the Mississippi, even to the Rocky mountains
and Alexico, the dawn of a new era, decisive of their destiny.
Such a free State as Kansas is capable of sustaining, and
built on such a model, with its cities, and commerce, its
capital, and manufacturing skill and power, its schools, and
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
scientific and benevolent institutions, its churches and religious influences and observances, would wield there an
influence, to which none could object, peaceful, constitutional,
unobtrusive, but perfectly irresistible, and which, in the
end, would be welcomed and rejoiced over, even by slaveholders themselves.
In this manner, without the strife of parties, without the
bitterness of sectional conflict, rather by the allaying of
prejudice, and the union, not severance of interests, a triumph of the noblest kind might be won over slavery-a
Christian victory-the overcoming of evil with good. With
the exception of a portion of its northeastern boundary,
there is no mountain, lake, or river, or any other natural
feature to separate it from Missouri, or any neighboring
Territory, on the north, east, or south. This is a circumstance of great importance, in estimating future influences
to be given and received. The Ohio river, flowing between
free and slave States, is sufficient to hold them apart. Were
it not for the river, these States could not be held asunder.
They would soon be knit together by a thousand interlacing
ties.
Except at the point just mentioned, nothing will separate
Kansas from Missouri and other neighbors, but a mere
boundary line, invisible to the eye, and offering no obstruction to passage. By the presence of such a State as we
have supposed upon her border, and no interposing barrier,
Mlissouri would be, perhaps slowly, but certainly revolutionized.  She would be penetrated by the leaven of free
institutions; she would be peacefully changed into the image
12
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JOURNEY THROUGII KANSAS.
of the better example before her, and slavery would pass
away.
In this case too, the powerful center of attraction which
such a free State would form, would direct southward upon
Mlissouri, the Territories to be formed on the south of Kansas, upon northeastern Arkansas, and western Texas, a tide
of free emigration, which would prevent forever the formation of another slave State in all that region, and cut short
entirely, the march of slavery in that direction.
Another consideration, bearing upon this point, should
not be lost sight of, The population of Kansas will be
composed of mingled elements, probably to a greater extent
than any other State in the Union. It will be a neutral
Territory, where for the first time in the history of the
country, the tides of northern and southern emigration will
meet on the large scale. Hitherto, emigration has moved
westward, nearly on parallels of latitude, and these streams,
except in California, have not met, though running westward on parallel lines.
The eastern States have, by emigration, prolonyed each
itself westward. We mean that this is the general result.
The northern stream has now been deflected southward upon
Kansas, and there the lines, from all the States, except the
extreme south, will concentrate and mingle.
The emigrants from the northern States will meet there
Missourians,  Kentuckians,  Virginians  and Tennesseeans
They will be thrown into neighborhood associations. Business, social and domestic relations, will spring up between
them, common interests will bind them together, prejudices
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
will be allayed, and friendships will be established, and
they will be woven together by the countless interlacings of
society. If, under such circumstances, Kansas should become a free, a model State, the reflective influence which it
would exert upon Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia, could not be estimated.
They would then be bound to freedom and the north, by
countless new ties, of the strongest and most sacred character, and the ultimate consequence would be, if a separation of the Union should ever come, it would place these
States in the northern division.  Rather might it be said,
that such a state of things would render disunion impossible.
Such results are the natural consequences of the intermingling which will take place on this "middle ground" of
Kansas, and the flowing-forth of the affections of older
communities to the new States, which their sons and their
daughters have formed.
These consequences, though some of them may be remote,
would be almost certain to follow from making Kansas free;
they are fairly within reach of the friends of freedom now,
and most earnestly do we desire that the opportunity may
not pass unheeded away. We regard this idea of the colonization of the west and southwest-this conquest of slavery
by the showing of the more excellent way-as one of the
grandest conceptions of modern times.  It is a peaceful
march of freedom's armies in a holy crusade, for the securing
of human rights, and the extending a true Christian civilization to our remotest borders.
It will plant northern energy, skill, capital, and industry,
upon a new and nobler theater. It will move men in masses,
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JOURNIEY  THROUGII KANSAS.
so that their character, sentiments, and institutions, will
all be preserved entire.  It is not merely emigration-it is
colonization-and these colonies, if properly formed, and
wisely conducted, will settle, under God, the question of
American slavery. Earnestly should the friends of freedom
and a free Christianity, so exert themselves that companies
may be speedily formed, all over the north, of those who
will go, and of those who will embark their capital; for any
company can, by judicious management, secure a rich return
for capital employed. Especially do we, of Ohio, hope that
southern Ohio will not hesitate to take interest and part in
this great enterprise, but that she will cause herself to be
represented by one of the largest and noblest colonies in
Kansas. The stake which Cincinnati has in this enterprise,
is a very deep one, and her business men should give it a
prompt and serious consideration. Should Kansas become
a slave State, the bitter and aggressive spirit of slavery
would be intensified by the victory, and the late proceedings at Mlemphis and St. Louis, show how prompt the slaveholding power would be to exclude Cincinnati from the trade
of that whole west and southwest. And they will succeed,
if Kansas is linked by her institutions and sympathies to
the south. Nothing has lately been presented to Cincinnati, of more importance than to bind Kansas, and all
that surrounding region, to her by all the affinities which
free institutions on both sides can create, and by sending
there, in large numbers, the sons and daughters of Ohio,
to bind Kansas to her by the ties of kindred and old association. Let it be considered, how the trade of the northern part of the great valley has thus been secured to New
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JOURNEY  TIROUGII KANSAS.
York and Boston, and how those who have settled here from
New Jersey and Pennsylvania, have sent back a commerce
to Philadelphia.
The operation of such causes is sure, and if Cincinnati is
wise, she will avail herself of them, on the large scale. No
city of the Union has advantages for this work equal to
hers.
141 
CHAPTER XX.
IIOMESTEAD AND PRE-EMPTION LAW.
TIIERE is no homestead law, as some have supposed, applicable to Kansas. By the law of pre-emption, any person
being the "head of a family, or widow, or single man, over
the age of twenty-one years, and being a citizen of the
United States. or having filed his declaration of intention
to become a citizen, as required by the naturalization laws,"
is entitled to enter upon any unoccupied public lands, and
"claim" any number of acres not exceeding one hundred
and sixty, (a quarter section).  He must make a "settlement" upon the land thus claimed, and erect thereon a
dwelling. This claim and settlement must be made in person, and the claimant must "inhabit and improve" the
same-in order to have a legalprotection against others who
might claim the same ground.
When this land has already been surveyed, the pre-emptor
must within thirty days after the settlement upon his land,
"enter it," in the proper land-office, and within twelve
months from the time of settlement, payment must be made.
A man who makes a "claim" to unsurveyed lands, as in
Kansas, must file a description of his "claim," with the
Surve-or-Genleral within three months after the survey has 
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been made in the field, and then (though the law does not
specify), it is supposed, that as in the case of surveyed
lands, before stated, the settler is allowed twelve months
in which to make his payment to the Government. As the
survey of Kansas has not yet commenced, and little will be
done until next spring, the settlers will mostly enjoy the
use of their lands for perhaps two years from next spring,
before payment will be required by the Government. I
have thought best, however, to insert here an abstract of the
pre-emption laws, prepared lately by C. C. Andrews, Esq.,
of Fort Leavenworth, and with special reference to the
settlers in Kansas and Nebraska, and published originally
in a Kansas City paper.  It will be seen that a man can
hold but one claim-that he must make oath that he does
not claim for the purpose of selling to another or on speculation, and that no one can make a claim or "enter" land
by pre-emption right who already owns three hundred and
twenty acres:
LAW OF PRE-EMPTION.
AIR. EDITOR:-I send you herewith, for publication, the following
abridgment of the preemption law of 4th September, 1811, the provisions of which have been applied to the public lands in this Territory.  This I do at the suggestion of some of the actual settlers;
and because I believe that at the present time it is inconvenient for
most of the pre-emptors in Kansas to peruse that law as readily
and frequently as they might desire. The act may be found in
volume V, of the United States Statutes at large, pages 453-45o8.
I. LA_-DS SUBJE,CT TO PRE-ErIPTIo. —By section ten of said act it is
provided that the public lands to which the Indian title had been
extinguished at the time of the settlement, and which had also
been surveyed prior thereto, shall be subject to pre-emption, and
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JOURNEY TIIROUGH KANSAS.
purchase at the rate of one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre.
And the act of 22d July, 1854:, section twelve, the pre-emption of
unsurveyed lands is recognized as legal. Lands of the following
description are excepted: Such as are included in any reservation,
by any treaty, law or proclamation of the President of the United
States, or reserved for salines, or for other purposes; sections sixteen and thirty-six in each township, they being reserved for school
purposes (organic act of Kansas, section thirty-four); lands included
within the limits of any incorporated town, or which have been
selected as the site for a city or town; lands actually settled and
occupied for the purposes of trade and not agriculture;  and lands
on which are situated any known salines or mines.
II, THE AXTOUNT designated, is any number of acres not exceeding
one hundred and sixty.
III. WHO -.xY PsE-EMIPT.-" Every person being the head of a family,
or widow, or single man, over the age of twenty-one years, and being
a citizen of the United States, or having filed his declaration of
intention to become a citizen, as required by the naturalization
laws." But no person shall be entitled to more than one preemptive right; and no person who is the proprietor of three hundred and twenty acres of land in any State or Territory of the United
States; and no person who shall quit or abandon his residence on
his own land to reside on the public land in the same State or Territory shall acquire any right of pre-emption.
IV. THE METHOD TO PERFECT THE RIGHT.-The pre-emptor must
make a settlement on the land in person; inhabit and improve the
same, and erect thereon a dwelling. And when the land has been
surveyed previous to settlement, the pre-emptor shall, within thirty
days of the date of the settlement, file with the register of the proper
district, a written statement describing the land settled upon, and
declaring the intention of such person to claim the same under the
provision of the pre-emption law. And within twelve months of
the date of the settlement, such person shall make the requisite
proof, affidavit and payment. When unsurveyed lands are preempted (act of 1854), notice of the specific tracts claimed, shall be
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JOURNEY THROUGH  KANSAS.
filed with the Surveyor-General, within three months after the sur vey has been made in the field.  And when two or more persons
shall have settled on the same quarter-section, the right of pre emiption shall be in him or her who made the first settlement; and
questions arising between different settlers shall be decided by the
register and receiver of the district within which the land is situ ated, subject to an appeal and revision by the Secretary of the
Treasury of the United States.
And the settler must make oath before the receiver or register
that he or she has never had the benefit of any right of the pre-emption
act; that he or she is not the owner of three hundred and twenty acres
of land in any State or Territory of the United States, nor hath he
or she settled upon and improved said land to sell the same on
speculation, but in good faith to appropriate to his or her own
exclusive use or benefit; and that he or she has not directly or indirectly made any agreement or contract, in any way or manner, with
any person or persons whatsoever, by which the title which he or
she might acquire from the Government of the United States should
enure in whole or in part to the benefit of any person except himselfor herself; and if any person taking such oath shall swear
falsely in the premises, he or she shall be subject to all the pains
and penalties of perjury and shall forfeit the money which he or
she may have paid for such land, and all the right and title to the
same; and any grant or conveyance which he or she may have
made, except in the hands of bona fide purchasers for a valuable
consideration, shall be null and void.
Proof of the requisite settlement and improvement shall be made
by the pre-emptor to the satisfaction of the register and receiver, in
the district in which the lands so claimed lie, who shall each be
entitled to receive fifty cents from each applicant for his services
rendered as aforesaid; and all assignments and transfers of the
right hereby secured prior to the issuing of the patent, shall be
null and void.
In the above I have sought to give all the material parts of the
pre-emption act in as condensed and clear a form as practicable;
13
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JOURNEY THROUGHII KANSAS.
trusting it may be of service to those who wish to avail themselves
of the beneficent provisions of that law.
The following letter, from the Commissioner of the landoffice, may  also be of service  to settlers.   It originally
appeared in the National Era:
GENERAL LAND-OFFICE.
October 13, 1854.
Sm R:-In reply to the inquiries in yours of the 10th instant, in
relation to the "rights of settlers in Kansas," I have to state:
1. That a "squatter" will not be allowed to take more than one
hundred and sixty acres by pre-emption.
2. That the "terms of payment" will be one dollar and twentyfive cents per acre, at any time after the survey, and before the commencement of the public sale, including the land settled.
3. The "putting steam saw or grist mills in operation on mill
sites" will not give a preference right.
4. Payment and entry can be made after survey, and before public sale.
5. The purchase money can not be paid a portion at one time and
a portion at another; nor can the pre-emptor sell his right, and the
purchaser stand in his place.
6. The requisites to a pre-emption will be perceived from the accompanying copy of a circular from this office.
7. Information with regard to lands not subject to pre-emption
may be obtained from this office.
8. Settlement rights before the survey, will take the precedence
of school claims.
I would take occasion to remark, that none of the lands in this
Territory and Nebraska, which weoe ceded by the Delawares, lowas, and
Weas, by treaties in Mfay last, are subject to pre-emption, with the exception
of the "outlet," within the Delaware cession. The lands thus ceded
(with the exception mentioned) are to be offered at auction, to be sold
for the benefit of the Indians.
The " outlet" referred to is subject to pre-emption, because it is
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JOURNEY TIIROUGII KANSAS.
excepted from the lands to be thus sold, having been ceded for the specific sum of ten thousand dollars.
Respectfully,               JOHN WILSOxN, Comission,er.
But the entire process of "squatting," "claiming," and
settling, is not made entirely clear by this act, alone, and,
therefore, some additional facts will be stated. The object
of the pre-emption law should be first understood.  Formerly, the "squatter" on the public lands had no protection.- He might occupy a tract of public land and make
upon it improvements, and then, as the public lands were
sold at auction, on the day of sale, some one might overbid
him, and take his and land improvements, without any
means of redress on his part, unless he chose to use his rifle,
as settlers sometimes did. The pre-emption law protects
the actual settler in his claim to one hundred and sixty
acres, and allows him to pay for it within twelve months
from the time of settlement (if surveyed land), at one dollar
and twenty-five cents per acre-beyond this, the Government extends no protection. But it is plainly a matter of
indifference to the Government how much land a man purchases on the day of public sale, or where it is located,
provided no individual makes objection.  If a person, therefore, should locate himself upon ten thousand acres, more
or less, in Kansas, and no other person should object, or
interfere with his claim, and if on the day of public sale,
after the survey, no one should bid against him, he would
obtain it all at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre.
He has no legal security to more than one hundred and sixty
acres; but then if all people are willing that he should thus
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
hold ten thousand acres, the Government does not object to
sell that quantity on the day of sale.
I- have received letters inquiring, if a man should make
a claim, and leave it to go for his family, whether it would
be secure.   There is no legal security, except to the actual
settler, residing on the claim.  But, then, if no one interferes or claims it in his absence, of course all is safe. Few
men will dare " jump a claim," where it is known that there
is an honest intention to settle thereon;  for "squatter"
public sentiment is strongly against such proceedings. A
somewhat amusing incident, illustrating these matters,
occurred at the New England settlement. A Missourian
had made a claim there, and subsequently abandoned it, so
that, by "squatter law," it was forfeited.  A New England
man then took it, and dug a well upon it, without, however,
erecting any dwelling. Then the Missourian came back and
resumed his claim, on the ground that the "Yankee" had no
dwelling, and was not residing there; that the man who
first put up his dwelling was entitled to a claim, and that
he had the timber all ready for his house. The Missourian
took his team and started for his timber, and when he
returned with his house, the Yankee had moved a tent upon
the claim -had erected his dwelling-  and the Missourian
was nonplused. Squatters make such regulations concerning these matters as please themselves. They may agree
that they will allow each other to "claim" more than one
hundred and sixty acres, and protect each other against
intruders. They may agree that a man may have a certain
time in which to bring on his family, and during that time,
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JOURNEY THIIROUGH KANSAS.
those who remain on the ground will protect his claim.  So
a man may make a claim, and hire some one to watch and
protect it for him in his absence, and as has been stated,
few will interfere with an honest claim; but in all this,
there are no rights acquired which the Government will
protect, except where an actual settler complies with the
conditions of the law.
A "claim" is made by measuring off, as near as may be,
one hundred and sixty acres, and by placing upon it a foundation of a dwelling, generally, four or eight logs, laid up as
the beginning of a cabin; sometimes a line of stones is laid
around a foundation; sometimes a pile of stones is laid up;
and sometimes a mere stake is set up with the claimant's
name thereon. All these methods are merely by sufferance,
or agreement, among the squatters themselves. As the
lines of the Government survey will not correspond with
those of the claims, the claimants agree that they will
mutually convey to each other, so that each shall obtain, as
nearly as possible, his own.
Such rules of a Squatter Association, are here subjoined.
WHEREAS, the laws of the United States confer upon citizens the
privilege of holding land by pre-emption right; and whereas the
Kansas valley, in part, is now open for such settlement, or location
of claims; and whereas we, the people of this convention, have, and
are about to select homes in this Territory, and in order to protect
the public good, and secure equal justice to all, we solemnly agree
and bind ourselves to be governed by the following Ordinances:
FIRST. We recognize the right of every citizen of the United
States, of lawful age, or who may be the head of a family, to select,
mark, and claim, two hundred and forty acres of Land, viz: one
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
hundred and sixty acres of prairie land, and eighty acres of timber
land-and who shall, within sixty days after the treaty is ratified,
proceed to erect thereon a cabin, or such other improvements as he
may deem best, and shall, within sixty days after the ratification
of the treaty, enter thereon as a resident.
SECON.D.  A claim, thus made and registered, shall be good sixty
days from the ratification of the treaty, at which time the claimant,
if the head of a family, shall move upon and make his home, on
either the prairie or timber land, which shall make them both good,
and shall be regarded so by the settlers. Single persons, or females,
making claims, shall be entitled to hold them by becoming residents
of the Territory, whether upon their claims or otherwise. Any
person making a claim, as above, shall be entitled to a day additional, for every five miles they have to travel to reach their families.
THIRD. NO person shall hold more than one claim, directly or
indirectly.
FOURTIH.  NO one shall be allowed to enter upon any previously
made claim.
FIFTH. All persons failing to commence improving, or entering
thereon, within the time specified, shall forfeit the same, and it
shall be lawful for any other citizen to enter thereon.
SIXTH. Each claimant shall, at all reasonable times, hold himnself in readiness to point out the extent of his claim, to any person
who may wish to ascertain that fact.
SEVENTH. It shall be the duty of the Register to put every applicant upon proof, oath, or affirmation, that the claim offered for
registry is free from the claim of any other person.
EIGHTH. Every application for registry, shall be made in the
following form, viz: "I apply for certificate of registry for a claim
selected and marked on the -  day of -  185, lying and being in
- containing one hundred and sixty acres prairie land, and
eighty acres of timber land, and declare upon honor, that the said
claim was selected and marked on the -  day of - and that I am
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
claiming but the one in my own right, and that it was not claimed
by any other person, or selected;" to be signed by the applicant.
Any person failing to make this certificate shall not be entitled to
register.
NINTHT.  We  agree, on the survey of the Territory, to mutually
deed and re-deed to each other, so as to leave the land, as near as
possible, as claimed.
151 
CHAPTER XXI.
INDIAN LANDS AND RESERVATIONS.
THE Indian lands now form but an inconsiderable portion
of the Territory in quantity, but they embrace some of the
most desirable parts of the country, and in particular, a
large proportion of the timber on the Kansas river, and on
the mouths of its tributaries. The disadvantages of the
present arrangement are such, that some modification of
these treaties, or the purchase of these lands entire, will
soon be demanded at the hands of the Government.
In fact, we consider it impossible that these lands should
long be held by the Indian tribes, as they now are. Necessity will compel a change - we only hope that it will be
wisely and justly made.
At present, the Wyandots have six square miles at the
mouth of the Kansas, and between that river and the Missouri; and on this tract is the only good town site, at the
mouth of the Kansas, that is not in slave territory.
Then, on the north side of the Kansas, the Delawares
have reserved a tract extending west from the Wyandots,
forty miles along the river, and ten miles wide. The value
of this reservation, and its importance to the country, will
be seen when it is considered that it includes all the bottom 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
and timber on the Kansas, and on all its tributaries for ten
miles back, on the north side of the Kansas.
West of this Delaware reservation, there is next an opening of thirteen miles, between it and the lands of the
Pottawatomies.   Then, west of this, is the Pottawatomie
tract, thirty miles long, and fourteen miles wide, on the
north side of the Kansas, and four miles wide upon the
south side.  All west and north of this is open for settlement.   On the south side of the Kansas,  the Shawnee
reservation begins, about four miles from the Mtissouri, and
runs westward forty miles, and ten miles wide.  For eighty
miles then from the mouth of the Kansas, the bottom lands
and the timber on the Kansas and its tributaries back for
ten miles, are in the hands of the Indians.
It is supposed, however, that the Pottawatomies are now
ready to sell, and that a treaty will be concluded the present
autumn. Such a treaty would be of immense importance to
the Territory. The Kansas, or Kaws, have a small tract in
the neighborhood of Council Grove, which, it is said, will
soon be ceded, and that all or nearly all the southeastern
district will be open for settlement during the coming winter.
We have no official information on these points, but well
known circumstances would seem to indicate the truth of
the statements.
The Osages and Ottawas, the Sacs and Kansas, have some
reservations on the head waters of the Osage and Neosho
rivers, and embracing some of the finest bottom lands and
timber on these streams.
The Iowas have also some inconsiderable reservations in
the northern district of Kansas. There is some dispute in
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
regard to the lands lately ceded by the Delawares. The
treaty was formed, it would seem, with the intention of
excluding the right of pre-emption, and of bringing the
lands into market, at a public sale, unshackled by "squatter"
claims. The Attorney-General has decided, that this is the
meaning of the treaty; that the ]ands are not subject to
pre-emption, and that it is the duty of the Government to
exclude the settlers.
At the time of our visit, in September, it was computed
that there were twelve hundred settlers already on these
Delaware lands, and how the Government can induce them
or compel them to leave, is a question not easily answered.
It is said by those best acquainted with the subject, that
portions of these lands would readily sell at auction for fifty
or sixty dollars per acre, if unincumbered with claims, but
the settlers will combine to keep them all down to Government price, and we see not why they will not succecd
Lawyers are already publishing opinions opposed to that
of the Attorney-General, and before any final action can be
had, the whole country will not only be claimed, but occupied. And in spite of treaties, we doubt not, it will be
held.
So far as the great ends of civilization and Christianity
are concerned, the most of these Indian lands are so occupied
by the tribes as to be useless to the world, or rather they
are obstacles in the progress of the country. Of this any
candid observer will be at once convinced, by passing through
the Territory. Among the Delawares, Shawnees and Pottawatomies are some whom civilization and Christianity have
154 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
reached, but this is not true of the mass, and we fear will
never be.
How their Territory is, without injustice to them, to
pass into the possession of the whites, is a question we can
not answer, and yet we can not doubt that the transfer will
erelong be made.
155 
CHIIAPTER XXII.
MULES-TECUMSEH -PROSPECTING-THE NEW ENGLAND
SETTLEMENT- A MULE CHASE.
BEFORE my visit to Kansas, I had held mules in very light
esteem.  I regarded them as of much lower " caste" than
horses, and had associated them mainly with obstinacy and
thistles. But I found that in Kansas, a mule was in some
sort a Government officer, or, at anyrate, he was in the
employ of the Government, and drew his rations of Government provender, and being, for aught I could discover, on
the same level with some other employees, whe, have nothing
to recommend them, except that they are fed by the Government, I felt a growing respect for a mule. MIany of
these, in the employ of Government, are exceedingly fine
animals, and command high prices. They are really more
serviceable than horses, are able to endure more hardship,
and with less food and care, while they will also travel
farther in a day. A Government mule must probably be
admitted to hold a higher social rank than a common horse.
While at the Pottawatomie MIission, one of our horses was
taken ill, and we were unable to proceed. We were about
thirty-five miles from the New England settlement, near the
south of the Waukereusa, and two of our party concluded 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
to visit that spot while our horse was recovering his strength.
By the kindness of a merchant, trading there with the
Indians, we were furnished with a light wagon and a mule
whose name was John. John, when required, however, was
at large, in a pasture which reached without a fence, from
the Missouri river to the Rocky mountains, and it was quite
problematical in what quarter of the Mississippi valley he
might be on that particular morning.
He was found, however, captured by guile, and brought
in about 11 o'clock, and we started across the prairie. John
was really a noble road animal. With almost no perceptible
effort, with no appearance of fatigue he swept over the plains
at about six miles per hour. Yet John's master was not
entirely divested of the old idea that a mule is of low
"caste," a mere menial, for whom kindness and mercy would
be as much out of place as for any other slave. I once heard
of a man excusing himself for abusing a black horse by saying that "he was nothing but an old nigger, anyhow," and
the owner of poor John seemed to think he was "nothing
but a mule, anyhow," for when I inquired how he was to be
fed during this drive of thirty-five miles, he replied that I
might let him pick a little prairie-grass, but it wouldn't matter if he had nothing at all. He gave us some twenty-five feet
of rope with which to "picket " him' out at night, and I
asked what could be done if he should entangle himself and be
cast down? he said, "let him lie till he gets up, it won't hurt
him." John " was but a mule, anyhow," yet he took us
faithfully, and speedily on, about fifteen miles, to Tecumseh or Stinson's, where on the south bank of the Kansas, and
apparently in a healthy location, the town of Tecumseh has
157 
JOURNEY TIIHROUGH KANSAS.
been laid out. The enterprise is said to be under pro-slavery
influences, and that these have their center in one of the
Missionaries of the Territory, and that it has been started
as a rival of the New England town. In such a contest, it
will probably be found necessary to enlist the energies of
freemen, and the interests and necessities of trade will soon
dispose of mere pro-slavery schemes.
There is a fine farming country about it, which is still
mostly owned by the Indians. Mr. Stinson obtains eight
hundred acres of land, through his Indian wife and children,
and on this tract, as we understood, Tecumseh is located.
The whole peninsula between the Waukereusa and the
Kansas, is a very beautiful region, capable of supporting a
dense population, from its agricultural resources alone;
but in addition to this, it will probably be covered with
manufacturing establishments, on account of its mineral
treasures, especially iron and coal. There seems nothing
to prevent this from becoming an eminently populous and
prosperous region.
Just beyond Tecumseh we met a wagon, in which were
five men, beside the driver, seated fiat on the bottom boards.
They did not appear to be a "moving" party, having no
household effects with them, and we were curious to know
the object of such a company abroad on the prairie.. We
found that they were from Illinois; that the five had hired
the team as a stage-coach, or rather perhaps private carriage,
and were out "prospecting" through Kansas. We afterward found a similar party who had camped out on the
prairie, and whose driver, having drank himself drunk,
had lost his horses in the night, and in the morning the
158 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
whole party found themselves "becalmed" on the prairieocean, and not a sail in sight. Having missed what is
called Big Spring, and where we were directed to slake the
thirst of John, and anxious to comfort the poor animal, we
halted at a log-cabin, and made known our wants. The
woman was anxious to aid us, and there was a spring near
by, but she had no pail, or "bucket," orvessel which would
answer the purpose. At last she bethought herself of her
large brass kettle, and with that we managed to "water"
the thirsty John.
A few miles beyond, we reached the house of a friend,
whose "Letters from Kansas" have attracted some attention
through the papers. We called, and found only his lady at
home. She was from Ohio, and had been accustomed to
the comforts and refinements of eastern life. Amid the very
manifest lack of many things which we are accustomed to
class among necessaries, I expected to find her somewhat
dispirited.  Far otherwise.  She expressed herself as " perfectly delighted." I looked around, curious to know how
many of what we call comforts and necessaries, might be
dispensed with, and still leave one "perfectly delighted."
I found that it was not necessary to happiness that a house
should have a floor, or any door, or a window, or even a
roof, for our friend's house had none of these, usually considered very convenient, if not necessary appendages to a
dwelling.  Some poles were laid across the upright walls
at one corner, on these prairie-grass was laid, and under
this canopy was the bed. Under another similar canopy
stood a chest of drawers and household utensils. Here then
was the house of a Kansas pioneer, where a worsn, fresh
159 
JOURNEY TIIHROUGH KANSAS.
from the comforts and luxuries of cultivated life, cheerfully
and heroically adapted herself to circumstances, and aided
with a strong heart, to lay the foundations of their domestic
kingdom. She could invite us to stop within her walls, but
not beneath her roof. Those who sow thus in hope, will, by
God's blessing, reap, in the end, with joy.
Just before sunset we reached the " Yankee settlement."
A few tents were pitched on the high ground overlooking
the Kansas and Waukereusa valleys, others were scattered
over the level bottoms below, but not a dwelling beside was
to be seen. It was a city of tents alone. We were cordially
received by the intelligent and active agent, Dr. Robinson,
from whom we learned, with much satisfaction, the plans
and expectations of the Company. This town, where at this
time (November 16), there are already six hundred heads
of families, is beautifully situated on the peninsula formed
by the junction of the Waukereusa with the Kansas. At
the point of confluence the ground is low, and for some distance back it is a level bottom. It then rises to a second
terrace, which, at the site of the town, runs quite up to the
Kansas' bank. On this it is expected that the business part
of the town will be located. Above, on the high, broad
plateau, is the site for dwellings and public buildings. It
would be difficult to find another spot combining a greater
variety of attractive features than this.  It is vain to describe what it was, or now is, for before these sheets can be
printed it will have made many onward steps. Capital,
skill, and eastern enterprise and industry, will build there,
in a few months, a large town, with most of the comforts
and advantages of older communities. A church has lately
160 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
been organized, schools are in progress, a newspaper is
printed there, and nearly a thousand souls are already collected, and a college even is now in prospect.
We had a comfortable night's rest in Dr. Robinson's tent,
and in the morning were introduced to the only "boarding
house on the hill." Two very intelligent ladies, from Massachusetts, had united their forces and interests, and had
taken "boarders."   In the open air, on some logs of wood,
two rough boards were laid across for a table, and on wash
tubs, and kegs, and blocks, they and their boarders were
seated round it. This was the first boarding-house in the
new city of Lawrence. All were cheerful, hopeful and full
of energy, and the scene reminded me of Plymouth Rock.
Would that there might be found there the same depth of
piety, the same sublimity of faith and loftiness of aim!
We had "picketed out" John over night, and in the morn
ing he was missing, having pulled up his stake and decamped.
We took a hasty look over the prairie from the eminence,
but he could not be descried. Dr. Robinson's horse, a large
and powerful animal, was saddled by his tent, and he urged
me to take him and go in search. I soon heard of John,
who, at a distance of some two miles, was making his way
homeward, as was said, "at a sweeping trot."   By hard
riding, I came at length in sight, and here his speed and
sagacity were at once made manifest. I supposed that a
horse, of course, could overtake a mule; but with the full
speed of the horse, I could barely come up with him, and
then was entirely unable to seize his rope, which he was
trailing.  Once I headed him, but when I wheeled, he passed
me by a skillful dodge, and went straight on. We were
14
161 
JOURNEY TItROUGII KANSAS.
now some four miles away, and tie prospect of capture was
small. I changed my plan, and took a wide sweep out into
the prairie. John was evidently gulled by this stratagem;
he halted and began to feed. I came into the road far
ahead, and gathering to my aid three men, who were at a
cabin, we held a council. John's suspicions were again
aroused, and he was once more moving homeward. Two of
the men took a long rope, and stretching it across the road,
let it rest on the ground, while one stood at each end, ready
to jerk it up and catch him, as he passed between them.
On he came, apparently unconscious, but just as we thought
him safe, he fathomed the scheme, and slipped skillfully
round the rope; but luckily, as he trailed his own " lariat"
past, it came within reach and was seized. But John could
easily tow one man, and forward still he swent, pressing
toward home. He was gaining in speed, so that the man
could scarcely keep his feet, when another also seized the
rope; but still the mule went on. At last, after a doubtful
struggle, by a change in the line of draught, they took a
sidewise purchase on his neck, and slowly rounded him in.
He submitted himself with all meekness, evidently considering that he was a lawful prey.   Taking a turn of the
"lariat" round the horn of the saddle, I started the Doctor's
powerful gray, expecting that the mule would quietly follow.
The "lariat" round his neck was about twenty-five feet long,
and the moment the "silack" was taken up, it was found
that John had cast anchor. When he found that the direction I had taken was not homeward, he became suddenly
stiff and motionless, as if smitten with catalepsy. It now
became doubtful which of several possible things would
162 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
actually occur; whether the strength of my " gallant gray"
would fail, or the saddle girths would give way, or the mule's
neck would be broken, or his obstinacy would be overcome.
The chances for each were about equal, and my resolution
having been a little strengthened by the exciting chase,
I urged gray sharply forward.   I shall never forget the
expression of John's countenance and general aspect, when
he " felt the halter draw."   He seemed not to be angry or
revengeful, but closing his eyes, as if perfectly resigned, and
forgiving his enemies, he would meet his fate in a manner
becoming a mule.  Gray was a very tall and very powerful
animal, and accustomed to a long and steady pull. Slowly
John seemed to be "drawn out," until it was nearly a
straight line from the top of his nose to the root of his tail,
yet his feet were all immovable.  He seemed "planted out"
in the prairie. But the great hight of the horse put him
at great disadvantage, for the line of draught was so high,
that it raised him gradually from his fore-feet, and at last,
with a forward leap, like a kangaroo, he started. Gray,
proud of his victory, put himself into a gallop, and John,
with his obstinacy dreadfully stretched, if not entirely
broken, was hastened back to the camp.
When returning, we were obliged to trust entirely to the
sagacity of this animal, having lost our way in the prairie.
Left to himself, he turned off at right angles to the road
we were following, and taking the open prairie, pursued
what proved to be an air-line route to the Mission.
163 
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE MOUNDS - AN INDIAN MURDERER -  INTERESTING
CUSTOM.
THE mounds of the prairies are among the most interesting features in the scene, and probably no other objects in
the Mississippi valley have given rise to so many conjectures
as they.  The large mounds of Kansas present the appearance of artificial structures, and especially when seen from
a distance, rising out of the plain like immense flattened
cones. Indeed, the general outline of the prairie, when seen
against the sky, as well as that of the bolder bluffs and
mounds, seems as if shaped by human art, such is the regularity of the form. This, however, is especially true of the
mounds.   They are so perfectly rounded,  that it seems
impossible that the result should have been produced by any
natural phenomena.   Many of the smaller mound-shaped
structures of the west have, doubtless, been reared or modeled by the hand of man, but it seems strange that any one
should mistake such elevations as the large mounds of
Kansas for artificial structures. A single glance at their
formation, shows it to be identical with that of the neighboring elevations; the rock strata lying as regularly in them
as in any of the bluffs of the river. That they have been 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
upheaved there by the hand of God and not man, is a fact
beyond all question.
Still, some of them at least, stand precisely where it would
seem they might have been wanted, in certain styles of
defense or warfare, and even in modern war, a battery placed
on their tops would command the whole country, on every
side, within range of the guns, while to storm such a battery
would be a serious work.   I see no objection to the idea
that they may have been used for military or religious purposes, and were partially shaped for such purpose by the
labor of man.   The regularity of their outline seems to
favor this opinion, though it is by no means a necessary
inference.  Doubtless, in our attempts to  "re-people  the
past," we may believe that these mounds have been used for
posts of military observation, or for the kindling of beacon
fires, or for " high places" of worship and sacrifice, or even
under such heavens, for astronomical observations. For all
such purposes, they are certainly suitable, and for such uses,
or even for a pleasure resort in these level regions, they
may have had their natural inequalities smoothed away.
But they belong to the hills, and not to the works of man;
and we hope that human folly will never dig them down, or
deface them in any way. Within sight of the Mission, there
are two such mounds, and a story was related to us, in connection with one of them, interesting in itself, and illustrating a singular custom of the Indians.
A few years since, at the base of this mound, a chief
resided, whose young daughter was a girl of uncommon
beauty, and this beauty was but the external manifestation
of a pure and noble spirit. As a matter of course she had
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JOURNEY THIIROUGH KANSAS.
many admirers among the young braves of her nation. Her
nature was above the arts of a coquette; and loving one
among them all, and only one, she hesitated not to let her
preference be known, not only to the Young Eagle who had
won her heart, but also to those whose suit she had rejected.
Among the rejected suitors one alone so laid it to heart as
to desire revenge. He, the Prowling Wolf, was filled with.
rage, and took little pains to conceal his enmity, though he
manifested no desire for open violence. Both these young
men were brave, both skillful in the use of weapons, which
far away on the buffalo plains had sometimes been used in
battle; but while Young Eagle was noble, generous in spirit,
and swayed by such high impulses as a young savage may
feel, the Wolf was reserved, dark and sullen;  and his
naturally lowering brow seemed, after the maiden had
refused him, to settle into an habitual scowl. The friends
of the Young Eagle feared for his safety. He, however,
was too happy in the smiles of his chosen bride to trouble
himself concerning the enmity of another, especially when
he knew himself to be his equal both in strength and skill.
The Indian customs did not permit the young couple to
be much alone with each other, but they sometimes contrived
to meet at twilight on the top of this mound, and spend
there together a happy hour. Young Eagle was a favorite
with his tribe, except among the kinsmen of the Wolf; and
among the whites too, he had made many friends, one of
whom, who had hunted much with the Eagle, had given him
a Colt's revolver, the only one owned in the tribe. Delighted
with this formidable weapon, he had made it a plaything
till he became skillful in its use, and always wore it about
166 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
him in addition to his other arms. This was a second cause
of enmity which the Wolf laid up in his heart.  He seemed
to be revolving some dark scheme; but his secret, if he had
one, was confided to no one. Bitter words sometimes were
passed between the young warriors, but nothing more; yet
it was felt that at any time a sudden rousing of passion
might end in bloodshed.
One summer evening, just as the moon was up, Young
Eagle sought the top of the mound for the purpose of meeting
his future bride, for their marriage was agreed upon, and
the appointed day was near. One side of this mound is
naked rock, which for thirty feet or more is almost perpendicular. Just on the edge of this precipice is a footpath,
and by it a large flat sandstone rock forms a convenient seat
for those who would survey the valley, while a few low
bushes are scattered over a part of the crest of the mound.
On this rock Young Eagle sat him down to await the maiden's
coming. In a few moments the bushes rustled near him,
and rising, as he thought, to meet her, a tomahawk flashed
by his head, and the next instant he was in the arms of a
strong man and forced to the brink of the precipice. The
eyes of the two'met in the moonlight, and each knew then
that the struggle was for life. Pinioned as his arms were
by the other's grasp, the Eagle frustrated the first effort of
his foe, and then a desperate wrestle, a death-wrestle,
followed, in which each was thoroughly maddened. The
grasp of the Wolf was broken, and each instantly grasping
his adversary by the throat with the left hand, sought his
weapon with the right-the one his knife, the other his
revolver. In the struggle the handle of the knife of the
167 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
Wolf had been turned in the girdle, and missing it at the
first grasp, ere he could recover himself the revolver was at
his breast and a bullet through his heart. One flash of
hatred from the closing eye, and the arm of the dying
warrior relaxed; and as the body sank the Eagle hurled it
over the precipice, and in his wrath fired bullet after bullet
into the corpse as it rolled heavily down; and this not
satisfying his revenge, he ran round and down the side of
the mound, and tore off the scalp of his foe.
The young girl, who was ascending the mound to meet
her lover, heard these successive shots, and knowing well
from what source such rapid discharges alone could come,
hastened on, and came just in season to see the Eagle
scalping his victim. She soon brought her family to the
spot, and every circumstance of the transaction showed at
once the dangerous position in which the Eagle was placed.
There was no witness of the combat, no means whatever of
showing that he had smitten the Wolf in self-defense. The
number of ball-holes in the body, and the tearing off of the
scalp, all seemed to bear evidence against him, and he knew
that the friends of the Wolf would take advantage of every
circumstance in order to procure his death as a murderer.
He felt that death was certain if he submitted himself for
trial, and he therefore determined to defend himself as best
he might, and await the result, as his only chance for life.
These Indians observe the law that was established among
oriental nations long before the time of Moses, by which the
shedding of blood may be rightfully avenged by the nearest
kinsman of the slain, while the murderer, in this respect
an outlaw, will of course defend himself as best he may.
168 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
At the same time the friends of the deceased are at liberty
to accept a ransom for the life of their friend, and ofternif for a time the murderer escapes the blow of the avenger
of blood-a compromise is effected, and the affair is settled.
In the meantime the avenger of blood assumes the office at
the risk of his own life, for if he falls, retribution is not
demanded for him, but the next of kin takes up the original
demand only for the blood of the first one slain.
The Young Eagle at once took his resolution, sustained
by the advice of his friends. Completely armed he took
possession of the top of the mound, which was so shaped that
while he was himself concealed, no one could approach him
by day without being exposed to his fire-and he had two
devoted and skillful allies, which, together with his position,
rendered him far more than a match for his single adversary, the avenger of blood-the brother of the Wolf.  These
allies were his bride and a large sagacious hound which had
long been his hunting companion, and had guarded him
many a night when camnping on the prairies. The girl had
in her veins the blood of Indian heroes, and she quailed not.
She demanded with lofty enthusiasm to be made his wife,
and then, acquainted with every stratagem of savage war, and
with every faculty sharpened by affection, and her husband's
danger, she watched, and warned, and shielded him with
every art that the roused spirit could suggest, and which
could be safely practiced.
In vain the brother of the Wolf surveyed from afar this
fortress of the Eagle. It was evident that long before he
could reach a point from which the young warrior could be
seen, he would himself be within the range of his rifle
15
169 
JOURNEY TIIROUGIh  KANSAS.
without a cover of any kind. Often, by night, he attempted
to ascend the mound, but scarcely could he put his foot upon
its base before the dog of the Eagle would give his master
the alarm, and then to approach would be only to go to his
death. It was no mystery how the Eagle was supplied with
food, for the young wife showed no solicitude, and yet no
one saw her form, or heard her footsteps on the mound.
The brother of the Wolf knew well that the Eagle's wife
must supply him with food, and determined, if possible, to
entrap him. He therefore studied and imitated her gait, he
obtained opportunities of observing her dress, and when he
felt that he was perfect in his part, he arrayed himself one
evening in a dress the exact counterpart of hers, with knife
and tomahawk concealed beneath, and bearing some food
openly before him, took, just at twilight, the common path
up the mound, where he knew the mere sound of footsteps
would be less likely to alarm the dog or his master, and he
hoped to approach so near without suspicion, that he might,
by a sudden rush, secure his victimi His plan was skillfully executed. He imitated well the light step of Eagle's
wife; the approaching form was one familiar to the dog, and
he had not caught the scent. He wagged his tail as he
lay with his eye fixed as if he would soon bound up and
forward with a welcome. The Eagle addressed his supposed
wife in gentle tones and bade her hasten. The blood avenger
was within ten feet of his intended victim, and thought that
all was gained, when the dog, with one yell and one bound,
threw himself upon him and bore him to the earth, with his
jaws grappled to his throat. Entangled by the femaie-dress
and throttled by the hound, he could not draw his knife, and
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JOURNEY THROUGH  KANSAS.
the Eagle, who comprehended the scene at a glance, deprived
him of his weapons, while held by his dog, and then pinioned
his arms.   "Now go to your friends," said the young war
rior, "I crave not your blood. Your brother sought my life,
on this very spot, and I slew him, but only to save my own.
But stay; you shall go home as a warrior should. You
have shown some skill in this." He cut the pinions from
his arms and gave him back his weapons. They were taken
in silence and the humbled, yet grateful foe withdrew.
Three months thus had passed away, and negotiations
were opened for a ransom. The friends in such a case agree
first to treat, but do not engage to accept what may be offered
for life. This is to be decided only on a spot appointed for
the ceremony, and with the shedder of blood unarmed, and
completely in their power, and bound by the law, to make
no resistance. When the parties are present, and the proposed ransom is offered, it is considered by the friends of
the slain man, and if accepted, all is settled; but if not they
have the right to slay the murderer on the spot, without
resistance from him or from his friends.
In this case the friends of the Wolf agreed to consider a
ransom, and Young Eagle consented to abide the issue, he
and his friends hoping that the sparing of the brother's life
might have some influence in the decision, and beside it
was now generally believed in the tribe that the Wolf had
been the aggressor.
At the day appointed the parties met in an open space
with hundreds to witness the scene around. The Eagle,
all unarmed, was first seated on the ground, then by his side
171. 
JOURNEY THROUGHI KANSAS.
was laid down a large knife with which he was to be slain,
if the ransom was not accepted. By his side sat his wife,
her hand clasped in his, while the eyes even of old men were
dim with tears. Over against them, and so near that the
fatal knife could be easily seized, stood the family of the
slain Wolf, the father at the head, by whom the question of
life or death was to be settled. He seemed deeply moved,
and sad, rather than revengeful. A red blanket was now
produced and spread upon the ground. It signified that
blood had been shed which was not yet washed away, the
crimson stain remaining. Next a blanket all of blue was
spread over the red one.  It expressed the hope that the
blood might be washed out in heaven and remembered no
more, and last, a blanket purely white was spread over all,
significant of a desire that nowhere on earth or in heaven a
stain of the blood should remain, and that everywhere, and
by all, it should be forgiven and forgotten.
These blankets, thus spread out, were to receive the ransom. The friends of Eagle brought goods of various kinds
and piled them high before the father of the slain. He considered them a moment in silence and then turned his eye
to the fatal knife. The wife of the Eagle threw her arms
around her husband's neck, and turned her eyes imploringly
full on the old man's face, without a word. He had stretched
his hand toward the knife when he met that look. He
paused; his fingers moved convulsively, but they did not
grasp the handle. His lips quivered, and then a tear was
in his eye. "1Father," said the brother, "he spared my
life."  The old man turned away.  "I accept the ransom,"
172 
JOURNEY TIIROUGH KANSAS.
he said, "the blood of my son is washed away.  I see no
stain now on the hand of the Eagle, and he shall be in the
place of my son.
The feud was completely healed. All were at last convinced that the Eagle was not a murderer; the ransom itself
was presented to his wife as a gift, and he and the "avenger
of blood" lived afterward as friends and brothers.
173' 
CHAPTER XXIV.
AN INTERESTING FAMILY-HUNTING ON THE PLAINS AND
AMONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS-WINTER ADVENTURES
ON THE PRAIRIES.
IN our journey homeward, from Council Grove, we found
ourselves, one evening at twilight, in sight of a solitary logcabin. It was new, and had a most substantial look, quite
superior to the common "shanty." For this reason, and one
much stronger still, viz: that there was not another dwelling nearer than twelve miles, we requested the privilege of
stopping for the night. The proprietor, a hearty, robustlooking man, with an open frank countenance, and prompt,
decided air, gave us to understand that he intended his establishment for the accommodation of travelers, and we at
once felt very much at ease "in our inn."  The house was
in the most approved style of Kansas architecture, having
two rooms on the floor and an open passage between. Back
of the house we saw a brightly-blazing fire, and as the evening was somewhat cool, we sat down in its cheerful glow.
The spot proved to be the kitchen. A fireplace had been
formed by piling the turf of the prairie in a semicircle of
about eight feet in diameter, and within this, shielded thus
partly from the wind, was a huge wood fire, that sent its red 
JOURNEY THIIROUGH KANSAS.
glare far over the prairie. Rough boards laid upon poles
formed a partial covering, and a range of shelves held the
common utensils for cooking. Amid this rudeness, however,
there were some things that appeared a little out of place in
Kansas, judging from what we had already seen, a few features or indications of a more civilized life than we had
latterly met, especially in the cooking department, and we
began to be curious to know something of our host. There
were no females about the house. A slender, pale-faced,
young man, was busy over the fire with different dishes for
the supper.
We had, during the afternoon, captured a prairie-hen,
which we desired for supper, and one of our number sat down
to pick and dress it: our host coming up at the time, observed
that we seemed not to understand those birds, and taking it
himself, he almost in an instant stripped off its skin, instead of picking off its feathers, and in a moment more the
bird was ready for cooking
Some fresh fish were produced, just caught in a stream
close at hand, and the manner in which our host gave direction to his cook, or aided, himself, in the work, showed that
he was quite familiar with an art so interesting to us just
then.
The third member of this family, was a young man, apparently about twenty-eight years old, with a fine form and
manly features, in the garb of a common laborer, but with
a demeanor somewhat above his style of dress. The palefaced young cook was, we found, a M5ormon, who having
come thus far with a band of these " latter day saints," had
been detained by the sickness of his wife. Here she died,
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JOURNEY  TIIROUGII KANSAS.
and here he had since remained.  Hle was an Englishman,
and thus far this land of promise had been one of sorrow. and
disappointment, and poverty, and these had written a history
on his form and face. Our hlost, as hlie informed us in the
course of the evening, was born in the northeastern part of
New England, had left his father's house, when young, to
indulge a desire for roving, and had spent, thus far, a rover's
life. A portion of this life had been spent on the ocean; a
part in South America; a part in iMobile and New Orleans;
a part in New York; a part on the plains of Kansas and
Nebraska, and among the Rocky mountains-and last of all,
having been persecuted for anti-slavery sentiments in a
town of western 3Iissouri, he had left in disgust, and come
over into Kansas, determined to aid in making the Territory free.  The third was a young Virginian, who also tired
of home, among other wanderings, had spent five years with
the Indians, on the western plains and among the Rocky
mountains.  To complete the group, there  walked in undcler our shed, a tall six-footer from the Emerald islePatrick, of course, by name.  His toes had walked out of
the ends of his shoes; his " pants" were cut across at the
knees; he had neither coat nor vest, but, instead, an Indian
blanket thrown over his shoulders, and a short pipe just
cleared the end of his nose. England and Ireland, New
Eng-land, Virginia, and Ohio, were all represented in that
small company-a fit representation of the future mingled
population of Kansas. Patrick explained his dilapidated
state, by informing us that he and his brother had been out
some weeks "prospecting," and that finally, near this point,
each had located a claim, and Kansas was to be their future
176 
JOURNEY THROUGH  KANSAS.
home. He was now on his way to St. Louis, where Judy
and the children were.
Such was the interesting company that had met in the
kitchen of this Kansas hotel. On the ends of the poles over
head the chickens of our host were roosting-two large dogs
stood by the fire, except when they ran off to bark at each
new sound in the prairie, and a pet horse would occasionally
come and stick his nose in the flour and salt dish, which
the cook was using for supper.
After supper was over (which was really well served,
through skill ac(quired by our host in former years), we sat
down to listen to the various talk of our associates.  Two
of them had been connected with many a wild and stirring
adventure, and from them we gained some knowledge of life
on the buffalo plains and among the Rocky mountains. The
Virginian had been five years among the Indians of these
regions, and some of his recitals of incidents were exceedingly graphic and stirring. We inquired of him concerning
the grizzly bears, and, among other things, asked him in
regard to their size.   " They grow," he said, "as large as
the law allows. Some of them will weigh eighteen hundred,
and if a man should see one of these critters walking up to
him on his hind feet, and swinging his fore-paws, he would
be apt to think he was going to the Legislatur' mighty quick.
Even an Indian," he said, "; is often terribly scared by one
of these bears.   We camped one evening, just at sunset, by
the side of a small creek in the prairie, and a little beyond
was tall prairie-grass and some small bushes. One of the
younger Indians strayed over among these, looking for game.
In a few moments we heard first his gun, then the war
177 
JOURNEY TIIROUGII KANSAS.
whoop, then a yell which was prolonged to a continuous
scream, then the scared Indian broke cover on a clean run,
loping for life, and close at his heels a grizzly bear, that
shuffled and shook as he ran, as if he hadn't a bone in his
body.  A Frenchman seized his gun and ran to meet them,
and fired at the bear without stopping him; and then he too
turned, and the two came on in double quick time, the bear
striking and snapping at their rear. In a moment more he
was in reach ofall our guns, and we brought him to a dead
halt.  But not the poor Indian.  He ran through the camp,
giving the war-whoop at every leap, and went far beyond
into the prairie, before he could be brought up and made to
know where he was. An old hunter," he said, " is never
anxious to' scrape acquaintance' with a grizzly bear. One
who knows them will not shoot at one from choice, except
with at least an ounce ball, and when he feels entirely
certain of a dead shot. The hunters are willing to give them
a wide berth, unless they have greatly the advantage. I saw
in the mountains," he continued, " a man whose arms and
chest were stripped nearly bare of flesh, and who was covered
with sears elsewhere, from a battle with one of these bears.
He was a Frenchman, and he and a companion were hunting
and traveling alone, and were, of course, strongly bound to
each other. They met unexpectedly, one day, a grizzly bear,
who at once attacked them. They both fired, and having
only wounded the animal, they both turned and ran. After
having gained some distance ahead, one looked back and saw
that the bear had caught his companion, and that he was
making desperate efforts to defend himself with his hunter's
knife; while the bear was tearing his flesh in the most
178 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
horrid manner. His regard for his companion overcame his
love of life, and he resolved to aid him or die with him.
He ran back, and as he could not wait to re-load his gun,
he attacked the bear with his knife and hatchet. After a
desperate conflict, in which both were dreadfully mangled,
the bear fell partly upon one and died. For a long time
neither was able to rise. The flesh upon the arms and
chest and face of the one first overtaken by the bear was
torn into strings, or stripped entirely off, so that the bones lay
bare, yet no artery was cut. The other was at length able
to crawl on his belly to a spring at some distance, and obtain
some water for himself and his friend. For days he crawled
thus back and forth for water, unable to rise upon his feet;
and when their little stock of food was gone, they cut pieces
from the bear and ate them raw, drinking water from the
spring. Often, he told me, the wolves would come and eat
on one side of the bear while we lay on the other. The one
least hurt recovered so as to nurse his companion, whose
frightful wounds began to heal, and in the end they were
relieved by a party of trappers. The one I saw," said the
Virginian, "had very little meat left on him. Better let a
grizzly alone if you can't put an ounce ball through the
vitals."
This same hunter gave us some interesting facts in regard
to hunting on the plains. He told us that buffaloes are
hunted on horseback, with horses that are trained to the
chase, and that love it well. Each hunter is provided with
a lasso, or "lariat" (as we found it usually called in
Kansas), and a very short gun, with a barrel not more than
from fourteen to eighteen inches long, and carrying an ounce
179 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
ball. These horses, he said, though not large, are able to
hold with the lasso from the horn of the saddle the most
powerful and furious buffalo. They are so skillful, that the
instant the lasso strikes the horns of the buffalo, they brace
themselves away from the animal, and inclining the whole
body strongly inward, and gradually running on a curving
line, they soon are able to round the buffalo in, and expose his huge side to the hunter's shot at the distance of
a few feet only. At other times the hunter rides among the
herd, and loading his short gun very rapidly, is able to slay
a large number in a little time. The hunter is able to
indicate to his horse the very animal which he wishes to
follow, and he seldom loses him, or misses him, amid all the
confusion of the flying herd. The elks, he said, when they
are suddenly come upon, seem unable from fright to run
swiftly, but rather leap up and down than run, and a
hunter with a short gun and a fleet horse will sometimes
shoot down four or five before they are fairly under-way,
but when at full speed they are more fleet than the horse.
Our host, who had for some time been engaged in the
transportation of furs, for the Fur Company, from the Rocky
mountains, gave us an account of some of his winter adventures in the far-western wilds. He started, one winter, he
said, with twenty-four mules, loaded with furs, and three
men beside himself, he having charge of the company. Their
destination was Fort Laramie. This fort is about six hundred miles northwest of Fort Leavenworth. The snow fell
deeper day by day, until the prairie was one trackless waste,
through which the animals could scarcely make their way;
little could be procured for them to eat, and the weather
180 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
was bitterly cold. From cold, fatigue and want of food, the
animals failed, one after another, and died, until when one
morning they heard the drum-beat of Fort Laramie, there
were only four mules alive.   They started for the fort, but
the snow was so deep that they were obliged to tread a path
for the animals, and soon they lost all knowledge of the
direction of the fort, and wandered helplessly about in the
snowy waste, and at night found themselves without any
shelter whatever, except what a large log could give them,
breaking, a little, the sweeping blast.   One of the men
became benumbed with cold before they reached this place,
and in spite of all efforts to rouse him and urge him on, sat
down in the snow and died. To save him from the wolves,
they dug a grave in a deep snow-drift, and then hurried on
with what speed they could, beating a path as they went.
They were soon so chilled, that as their only hope, having
exhausted all their food, they cut the throat of a mule and
drank the warm blood. Somewhat revived by this, they cut
off some of the mule's flesh, made a meal of a part, and
reserved the rest for the future. The next morning, not
knowing where they were, nor what direction to take, they
wandered almost despairingly on. The prairie was without
a tree or bugh- one limitless waste of glittering, driving
snow. Ere night, however, guided by a kind Providence,
they came in sight of Fort Laramie, and reached it with
three mules and three men remaining. Such are some of
the perils of the life of the hunter and fur-trader, and such
are common scenes on our wild frontier.
With such tales the evening passed away.   In the meantime, Patrick was becoming talkative, if not eloquent.
181 
JOURNEY THIROUGH KANSAS.
Whisky had excited his brain and loosened his tongue, and
his love of liberty and patriotism swelled to overflowing.
Against the Pope, and slaveholders, and the Mormons, he
was especially angry, and declared himself ready to leave
Judy, at any time, and shoulder his musket and bring the
M1ormons into subjection to United States law. After we
retired, he commenced a lofty oration upon the blessings of
liberty, and the greatness of America, and I fell asleep to
the music of Patrick's eloquence, resounding the names of
Washington and Lafayette.
182 
CHAPTER XXV.
AFTER the somewhat minute descriptions which have been
given of Kansas, little need be added in order to present a
correct idea of Nebraska. In many important features, the
Territories so nearly resemble each other, that a picture of
one will present also the aspect of the other. The general
appearance of the prairie is the same in both Territories,
and there are the same great divisions in both, presenting a
fertile agricultural district, along the Missouri; a central
tract destitute of timber, sandy and poorly supplied with
water; and a mountainous region west of this, comprising the
Black Hills and the Rocky mountains.
A large and fertile tract, lying between the Kansas and
the Platte or Nebraska, is situated partly in one Territory
and partly in the other, and the description, therefore, of
the northern district of Kansas, on the Nemaha, Wolf creek,
and the head waters of the Big Blue and Vermilion is also
a description of the remainder, which lies adjacent in
Nebraska.
The prairies of the latter Territory are considered to be
more ",roken" than those of Kansas, and the proportion of
waste land is also greatest in Nebraska. To describe this
NEBRASKA. 
JOURNEY TItROUGH KANSAS.
Territory, in detail, would, therefore, be in the main, only a
repetition of what has already been written concerning
Kansas, and it will be necessary, on this account, to dwell
only on some of the larger characteristics, which are peculiar to itself.
Nebraska is much larger than Kansas. It reaches through
nine degrees of latitude, from the fortieth to the forty-ninth
parallel, having the irregular ridge of the Rocky mountains
for its western boundary, and the equally irregular line of the
MIissouri for its eastern frontier, until that river turns westward, near Fort Mandan. Its average breadth, therefore,
can only be approximately stated, as about five hundred
miles.
Assuming this to be correct, Nebraska contains about
three hundred thousand square miles. Its general character
may, perhaps, be understood, by tracing eastward the parallels of latitude that bound it, and observing the country
which they inclose.  We find, by this experiment, that its
northern boundary runs eastward, north of lake Superior,
north of the inhabited portions of Canada, and strikes the
Atlantic at the island of New Foundland, passing through
cold and inhospitable regions; while its southern boundary
runs through central Illinois, central Indiana and Ohio, and
southern Pennsylvania, touching the ocean in the latitude
of Philadelphia. Within these limits, are embraced New
England and the Canadas, New  York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, northern Ohio, Illinois and Indiana, and all of
Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minesota- the most healthful regions on the continent. It will require more exact
meteorological observations than have yet been imade, to
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JOURNEY TIIROUGII KANSAS.
form a correct opinion of the climate of Nebraska, as compared with the regions that lie east of it, between the same
parallels. Its elevation above the sea will, of course, largely
influence its climate, which may be still farther modified by
local causes, such as the position, hight and direction of its
mountain ranges.
Western Iowa and western Minesota present, of course,
the counterparts of the eastern portions of Nebraska, as
they are divided only by the Missouri river.
Nebraska may be spoken of under six general divisions.
The first is the high and fertile plateau, or " divide," between
the Kansas and the Nebraska. It has already been sufficiently described, and is, probably, at least for the present,
the most attractive district in the Territory. The second
is the valley of the Nebraska proper. The lower portion
of this valley, for about two hundred and fifty miles, westward from the MIissouri river, is well watered and fertile
prairie.
Up to this point there is a fair supply of timber on the
Platte and its tributaries, and the country, except that
it lies further north, and consequently has a colder climate, offers about the same inducements to settlers as the
valley of the Kansas. The climate of the latter has more
of the "sunny south," and the winters are shorter and less
severe. Beyond this point, westward, the comparatively
dry and sandy plains appear, which form the pasturegrounds of the buffalo, elk, deer, and antelope. This lower
portion of the Nebraska valley, and the "divide," mentioned
as forming the southern district of the Territory, will first
be occupied, both from its superior attractions, and the
16
185 
JOURNEY THROUGH  KANSAS.
greater facility with which it can be approached. It seems
to abound with coal, and as in Kansas, this coal is doubtless
accompanied by iron.
The Nebraska river is wide and shallow, and although a
small steamboat has, in time of high water, ascended it
several hundred miles, it may be regarded as almost useless
for the purposes of commerce, spreading out as it does into
broad shallows, and divided, at times, into several streams,
that often lose themselves in the sands. Voyagers, in descending the river, even with small boats, after following
for days along one of these streams, will find it sinking
away in the sands, and disappearing altogether, subjecting
them to the labor of dragging their boat again up the stream,
to explore another channel, perhaps with similar results.
Two towns are already projected near the mouth of this
stream, and in the vicinity of Council Bluffs, and around
and back of them the country is being filled up with settlers. Doubtless the annual flood that pours into Iowa will,
hereafter, aid also in populating the opposite shores of Nebraska. The attractions of the latter are at least equal to
those of Iowa.
The third division is the valley of the Missouri, from the
valley of the Platte to the valley of the Yellow Stone. For
this long distance, along the western bank of the Missouri,
runs the fertile belt which has been described as about two
hundred and fifty miles wide in Kansas and the southern
division of Nebraska.   Although it has not been fully
explored, this belt is supposed to be narrower on the north
of the valley of the Platte, than it is in southern Nebraska, and in Kansas. It is represented, moreover, as
186 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
deficient in timber. These points, howeer, can only be
settled by a more complete survey than has yet been
made. It is not improbable that the supply of timber
may be found more abundant than present impressions
would indicate, and I am quite prepared to expect, that
the skill and enterprise of American farmers will find
the means of obtaining comfort and wealth in those regions, both of Kansas and Nebraska, which many are disposed to condemn as worthless   I am  by no means ready
to believe that large tracts, in either Territory, are to remain desert and waste, as incapable of affording the means
of subsistence. It is not unlikely, that some, who represent
portions of these regions as uninhabitable, would be even
more ready to be discouraged at the appearance of many
parts of New England.
As we approach the valley of the Yellow Stone, timber
becomes more abundant, both on the Missouri and its tributaries, and westward from this point there are dense forests
along the streams-and in some parts, according to Gov.
Stevens, they cover the face of the country. The fourth
district is the valley of the Yellow Stone.  This  may
ultimately prove the most desirable portion of Nebraska.
Although it lies in a high northern latitude, its sheltered
position, between the Rocky mountains on the west and the
Black Hills on the east, will probably secure it a moderate
climate. It is described as presenting, not so much the
aspect of a prairie land, as of an immense valley, walled
in by lofty, wooded mountains, that abound in scenes of
grandeur and of beauty.
187 
JOURNEY THROUGHi KANSAS.
The Yellow Stone rises in the Rocky mountains, and
pursues a northeasterly course, of about one thousand
miles, to the Missouri. It has been found navigable for
barges, more than eight hundred miles from its junction
with the Missouri, and several of its tributaries may, in
like manner, be ascended with boats. The Yellow Stone has
been ascended nearly a hundred miles by steamboats, and
it is not unlikely that it may be found navigable for small
steamboats, for a much greater distance. Its valley is represented, by those who have seen it, as one of the most beautiful valleys in the world-so vast in its dimensions, abounding in timber and streams of water, with a soil exceedingly
fertile, and with scenery that charms with its loveliness
and awes by its grandeur. The sources of the Yellow
Stone are not far from those of the Columbia, and the valley of the Yellow Stone may yet have a commerce both with
the Atlantic and Pacific slopes of the Continent. It is said,
by hunters, that a branch of the Yellow Stone, and one of
the Columbia, head in one common spring.
The volley of the Mlissouri, above the Yellow Stone, that
of the Maria river and the valley of the Yellow Stone itself,
form, together, an immense region, abundantly supplied with
streams, and springs, and timber, with fertile soil and most
attractive scenery. This region can even now be reached
by steamboats, for the Missouri, when not frozen, is navigable, for small steamboats, to the Great Falls, many
hundred miles above the Yellow Stone; and it is supposed,
that boats built above the falls, may run up to the Rocky
mountains. In these regions, pine, cedar and fir trees are
said to abound, and when we consider the vast extent of
188 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
prairie country below, it becomes a most interesting question,
whether a supply of this timber can not be obtained from
the upper Missouri and its tributaries.
It is not unlikely that this may be the case, and that
heavy lumber establishments may erelong be built upon
these upper waters. A writer, quoted in the Home Missionary Journal, and whose articles appeared originally in
the New York Tribune, speaks of Nebraska as follows:
" The surface of the country, from the Missouri river
westward to the spurs of the mountains, is rolling prairie,
but little diversified in its aspect, save by the intersection
of its streams. The soil, for a space varying from fifty to
one hundred miles west of the Missouri river and the State
line, is nearly identical with that of Iowa and Missouri.
The highlands are open prairies, covered with grasses; the
river-bottom, a deep, rich loam, shaded by dense forests.
From this first district, to about the mouth of L' Eau qui
Court (Running Water river), it is one boundless expanse
of rolling prairie, so largely intermixed with sand as to
be almost unfit for ordinary agricultural purposes. The
prairies are, however, carpeted with succulent grasses, affording an inexhaustible supply for herds of cattle and sheep.
"The third district is a formation of marl and earthy
limestone, and extends in a belt of many miles, east and
west of the Mandan village, on the most northern bend of
the Missouri river, and southward across the southern boundary of the Territory. This soil can not be otherwise than
very productive. I should think it especially adapted to
wheat, rye, barley, and oats. I have seen, also, very fine
Indian corn along the upper valleys of the Missouri river.
189 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
It is in this district that what are called buttes by the
Canadian French, and cerros by the Spaniards, are profusely
scattered. Here and there the traveler finds surfaces, varying in diameter from a hundred feet to a mile, elevated from
fifteen to fifty feet above the surrounding surface. They
are not hills or knobs, the sides of which are more or less
steep and covered with grass. Their sides are nearly perpendicular, their surfaces flat, and often covered with mountain cherries and other shrubs. They have the appearance
of having been suddenly elevated above the surrounding
surface by some specific cause. This marl and limestone
formation is, in many localities, worked into fantastic or
picturesque forms, by the action of the elements. In one
place, especially, called by the traders La Mauvaise Terre
(the bad ground), and about thirty miles in diameter, it has
assumed a marvelous variety of singular forms.  From one
point of view it assumes the aspect of an extensive and
frowning fortification; from another, the appearance of an
oriental city crowned with domes and minarets; and from
a third, the appearance of a sterile, broken, and unattractive congregation of incongruous elements. These delusive
appearances are produced by distance and the position of
the sun.
" The wrecks of the diluvian period of geology are spread
all over this region, and most profusely on that portion north
of the Missouri river.  Detached masses of rock, some of them
hundreds of tons in weight, wholly unconnected with the adjacent geological formations, and evidently allied to those of
the northern Rocky mountain region, dot the whole country.
The district which I will call the fourth, lying north of
190 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
the Mlissouri river and west of Minesota, is a succession
of undulating plains, the soil of which is quite fertile but
rather dry.  These plains are covered with a thick grassy
sward, which sustains innumerable herds of bison, elk, and
deer.
"The fifth district is at the base of the Black Hills,
between that range and the Rocky mountains, and includes
the valley of the Yellow Stone, of the Maria's river, and a
variety of other small valleys, circumvallated by an amphitheater of mountains and gorgeous mountain scenery. The
valley of the Yellow Stone is spacious, fertile, and salubrious.
The streams are fringed with trees, from whence the valley
expands many miles to the mountains.  The traveler can
almost imagine himself upon the Danube; for the valley is
sprinkled over at long intervals with cyclopean structures
of granite, closely assimilated in appearance, from a distant
view, to the stern and solitary castles with which Europe
was covered and guarded during the middle ages. But these
structures exceed those of Europe in magnitude and grandeur, and the woods and waters are disposed with a taste and
beauty which the highest art must ever toil after in vain.
It is encircled by a rich girdle of hights and mountains, the
bases and dark sides of which are obscured in shrubs, and
the summits tufted with noble forest trees. And here is to
be the seat of a populous and powerful community in the far
future."
The writer of the foregoing is understood to be a gentleman of St. Louis, who has framed his statements partly
from personal observation, and in part from the accounts of
hunters and trappers who are familiar with the country
191 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
described.   The same writer states that snow falls at the
foot of the mountains as early as in September, and in the
southeastern part of the Territory, about the first of November. I had read with much interest the graphic articles
of this gentleman, before starting for Kansas, and doubt not
that they are, in the main, correct, though our own observations, and the opinions of others in the Territory, compel us
to believe that he has underrated the extent of the fertile
district which lies next west of the Missouri river, and
that this district is not so abruptly terminated as he seems
to suppose, but that its characteristics change gradually
into those of the dry and sandy plain.
I had, also, consulted Fremont's Journal, previous to our
journey, and was gratified, in passing over some of the
routes he traveled, to notice the accuracy of his descriptions
and observations. I should have been glad to have quoted
still more largely from his valuable journal, were it not
already in the hands of so many.
In MIr. Hale's book on Kansas and Nebraska, there is a
quotation from a writer, not named, who made a short excursion into southeastern Nebraska, which, as affording a
description of scenery, I insert here. The writer started
from Council Bluffs.
" A short drive brought us to the Winter Quarters Ferry,
twelve miles above on the river, where a good, well-manned
and capacious steam ferry-boat was waiting, and in three
minutes we landed all our company upon the far-famed soil
of Nebraska. After a refreshing draught from a clear, cold
spring that gushes from the hill-side, a few minutes brought
us to the encampment of Messrs. Babbitt and Stiles, situated
192 
JOURNEY TitIROUGtI KANSAS.
upon  a prett., grassy knoll, with the green carpet thickly
bespangied with miyiiads of red, juicy strawberries, which,
by-the-by, abound  plentifully in the river-borders of this
liiglly interesting country.   A cheerful camnp-fire was soon
blazing, and our animals turned loose to graze.
"We encircled the broad, spread table (buffalo  skin~
spread upon the ground), and regaled upon luxuries.   At a
reasonable hour the camp-fire was well replenished, and a
circular bed of robes, etc., spread, and all retired in quiet
to repose. and to dream of the great future of that lovely
land.
" Early morn brought the report of horses being missing.
A scout soon returned with the conviction that they had
been stolen by the Indians. A co(mpany of horsemen started
on one trail north, while we, with a small company, took
the road for the Elkhorn, where we arrived (thirty miles)
in good camp time, after passing over a most delightful
country for nearly the whole distance. There is, however,
quite a scarcity of timber, which may only be found upon
the streams.
"We encamped for dinner on the Papillon, where there is
some nice timber and excellent water. In approaching near
the Elkhorn, a glorious and grand scenery breaks upon the
vision. The eye takes in, at a glance, the country ahead for
some twenty miles, giving a full view of the Elkhorn and
Platte rivers, with their winding courses, groves, bluffs,
and valleys; at sundown the scenery is both grand and
enchanting.
" The river being high, we met with no success in fishing, although there are fine fish in the stream.  Our roast
17
193 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
venison was eaten with a relish while seated on nature's
grassy carpet around the camp-fire. Here we found a number of Pawnee Indians, one of whom had a monster of a
young black eagle which  he had captured after having
broken one of its wings. We had an excellent night's rest,
and at an early hour started homeward, snatching occasionally from their native beds a cluster of sweet flowers."
The fifth division embraces the country lying at the eastern base of the Rocky mountains, and the whole of their
eastern slope.   The country stretching along the eastern
base of the mountains has a general elevation of from four
thousand to five thousand feet above the sea-it being about
four thousand at the southern line of Kansas, and five
thousand, around the sources of the Platte, in Nebraska.
A country, thus elevated, must of course possess a cool, but
healthful climate. Numerous spurs shoot out from the
mountains, forming fertile valleys, with mountain-streams
whose banks abound with timber, as stated by Fremont in
his journal, quoted already, where he is describing the country around the sources of the Platte. Throughout this
region there seems to be an abundance of pine timber, and
other trees of mountain growth, and it becomes a question
of great interest, whether the treasures of this immense
western lumber region can be wafted eastward by being
floated down the upper Missouri, the Yellow Stone, and
their tributaries, the Platte, and the tributaries of the
Kansas and the Arkansas.
The features of this mountain district are quite different
from what many have supposed.  Many probably think of
the Rocky mountains as a single continuous mountain wall
194 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
which the traveler mounts by a steep ascent on one side,
and descends as steeply on the other. But these mountains
are only the highest peaks in a vast mountainous region,
varying in breadth from five hundred to nine hundred miles,
and occupying a large portion of the space between the
Pacific Ocean and the Mississippi river. It is an immense
elevated plateau, reaching from Mexico to the farthest north,
the Sierra Nevada, in California, being the westernmost
high ridge, and the Rocky mountains forming the loftiest
range in the east.
Over this wide space, imbosomed among the hills, are
countless valleys, streams and lakes, while the mountains,
up to the snow line, are covered with forests. One of these
valleys, that of Salt Lake, is occupied by the Mormons.
Many tribes of Indians, some of them warlike, and some
at present hostile, roam over this wide country. It abounds
in game of almost every variety, and it can not be doubted,
that this Switzerland of the west, will yet be occupied by a
bold, hardy and intelligent population. Could the Government once abandon its purposes of acquisition on the south,
and foster the construction of at least three lines of railway
through these regions to the Pacific, it would confer a
greater benefit upon the people of the United States, than
by the acquisition of every island in the West Indian seas.
The sixth district is occupied by the not well-defined
sandy belt, that extends along the center of the plain,
between the Missouri on the east, and the Rocky mountains,
whose characteristics have been previously described, while
speaking of Kansas.
West of our present line of States, and between them and
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JOURNEY TIIROUGII KANSAS.
California, andl tihe Pacific, there is an immnse Territory,
about equal to that occupied by the States at present, rich
in agricultural  and mineral resources, whose political and
religious destiny depends very much upon the question,
whether slavery shall be excluded from Kansas and Nebras
ha, and especially from the former. If Kansas is made free,
the vast regions of the west and southwest will be saved
from this devouring curse, which not only destroys all
external prosperity, but eats out the very heart of the country. It is, apparently, the most important issue ever made
in the United States, and it will never be completely met
by the muere action of political parties.  The determining of
this question belongs of right to the churches of this land,
and upon them, as the end, I think, will sh6w, has God laid
the responsibility, because it is a question of morals and
religion, involving the honor of Christ.
Since writing the foregoing, I have had an opportunity
of conversing with the Rev. Mr. Spencer, of the Ojibwa
Mission, at St. Joseph, on the Pembina river, close on the
boundary line between the United States and the British
Provinces, and consequently farther north than the wide
region embraced in the valley of the Yellow Stone and the
upper Missouri.   Mr. Spencer has just returned from the
Pembina station, and having spent a winter there, his
account of the climate and productions of this region is
interesting, as throwing light upon the capabilities of the
country lying to the southwest of his location. He informed
me that a person does not suffer there from cold during the
winter, more than even in the mild climate of southern Ohio;
that the greater humidity of the atmosphere here, produces
196 
JOURNEY THlROUGH KANSAS.
a sensation of cold not felt in those northern regions, at a
much lower temperature. This he attributes to the dry and
invigorating character of the atmosphere. Upon the whole,
he considers the winters not more severe there than in Ohio,
though the mercury sinks much lower. The frost commences
there in September, but after the first frosts, there is usually
pleasant weather for several weeks (the Indian summer),
and in the latter part of October, the winter begins, when,
until spring, the weather is steadily cold.  Corn is not
planted there till the beginning of June, but it ripens perfectly, producing fine crops. Wheat also succeeds well, as
do also barley and oats; while potatoes and other roots yield
large crops, and are of a very superior quality.
This tract is in the valley of the Red river of the north,
and opens toward the Polar seas. As the valleys of the
northern Missouri and Yellow Stone are farther south, and
are sheltered by the Rocky mountains and Black Hills, the
climate is, doubtless, more mild, and the whole country every
way more beautiful and desirable. When it is considered,
moreover, that this vast amphitheater can be reached by
steamboats, it can not be doubted that it will soon be occupied by the homes of the pioneers. It can not be held much
longer by Indians and wild beasts alone.
197 
CHAPTER XXVI.
GREAT IMPORTANCE OF THE KANSAS QUESTION.
WEsT of our present line of States, and between them
and California, and north of the general boundary of
Texas, lies a country about as large as that occupied by all
the present States and the Territory of Minesota.  It is a
district more than one thousand miles square. Its eastern
portion comprises Nebraska and Kansas, and the prairie
country which lies south of Kansas, and between it and
Texas. West of this, there is the broad belt of mountainous territory, reaching from Mexico to the British Provinces
on the north, being from five hundred to nine hundred miles
wide, and bounded westward by the Sierra Nevada, in California, and farther north by the Pacific Ocean. The Rocky
mountains form the dividing line, or "ridge," between two
immense water-sheds, one of which slopes eastward to the
Mississippi, the other westward to the Pacific. The eastern
slope has been dwelt upon in this book. The western is
composed of a succession of mountains and hills, valleys
and mountain basins, sparkling with lakes, and streams
that flow westward toward the Pacific Ocean. This region
abounds also in timber. It receives the moisture and mild
influences of the western and southwestern winds from the 
JOURNEY THROUGII KANSAS.
Pacific, which, even in Washington and Oregon render the
winters short and mild. Several of the mountain peaks
shoot up to the region of perpetual snow, while at their
bases, as in Switzerland, are mild and beautiful valleys, and
clear streams and lakes.  In Mexico and New Mexico, these
same mountain ranges are known to be exceedingly rich in
minerals.   The value of this immense Territory has not, as
yet, been duly appreciated, and especially by the people of
the free States. Little importance has been attached, until
lately, to the whole country west of the Missouri, on the
north, and of Arkansas, on the south. The great " American
Desert," as it has been called, and the Rocky mountains,
have, in the minds of most, probably, filled the whole space
between the present States and the Pacific Ocean, excepting
only California.
But it is a question not yet settled in the negative,
whether this western half of the United States territory,
lying beyond the Missouri and Mississippi, is not capable
of supporting as large a population as that which is occupied
by our present States. The beauty, fertility, and general
resources of the Pacific slope of our country have doubtless
been greatly underrated. The whole of this vast region is,
by the Nebraska bill, virtually thrown open to slavery; for
though in terms it is confined to Kansas and Nebraska, the
principle of the bill is equally applicable to all our present
territory, and to all which may hereafter be acquired. And
this was the undoubted aim of the whole movement. It was
no less a scheme than this; to gain for the slave power the
control of all the unoccupied territory which we now possess,
and of all which we may obtain, whether the Sandwich
199 
JOURNEY THROUGH  KANSAS.
Islands, iexico, the West India islands, or Central America.
The Nebraska bill was but the entering wedge to this vast
iniquity. It has been said that the slaveholders care little
for the possession of Kansas; that they are interested mainly
in the establishment of the principle, and its future application to more valuable acquisitions. This, in one sense,
may be true. They may value Cuba more than Kansas, yet
it should be remembered that they are perfectly aware that
the possession of Kansas is essential to the prosecution of
their plan. It is the strong outwork which must, from
necessity, be carried, before any other step can be taken.
At the frontier of Kansas the aggressive march of the slave
power is at present arrested, and as a fortress of freedom it
is now invested by southern forces.  It is the Crimea and
Sevastopol in this western war of liberty and slavery; and
far more important issues hang on the event than on the
fate of the Russian fortress.
Situated as Kansas now is, it is the key of that whole
great West beyond our present States. If secured for free
institutions, the same causes by which it will be saved, will
not only arrest the northward march of slavery, but it will
also carry the dominion of freedom southward, and interpose
a complete barrier to the extension of the slave power westward, and a Territory equal to the present States will thus
be secured as the inheritance of freemen. Nor will the
influence find its boundary here. A public sentiment, strong
enough and active enough to obtain such a result, would
also prevent the annexation of any territory hereafter to be
placed under the curse of slavery.  To secure Kansas, is to
change the whole policy of the government in reference to
200 
JOURNEY  THROUGH  KANSAS.
slavery, from that of nurture and enlargement to one of
discouragement and repression. Instead of marching forth
to seize, on all sides, the fairest of our possessions, it would
be hemmed in by the closing round it of freedom's hosts, and
driven in upon itself. Left to its own unaided resources, it
would be a helpless monster smitten with famine, gnashing
its teeth upon itself, and perishing for lack of spoil.
On the other hand, if Kansas is won by the slave power,
flushed with this victory, arrogant and unscrupulous, it will
rush into fresh outrage and victory against a beaten and
dispirited north, and the slaveholders will soon control
directly, or indirectly, the whole Pacific slope, and the whole
,iississippi valley, except its extreme northern portion, if,
indeed, we may be allowed to except even that; for with the
enormous political ascendency which the south would then
have, she could wield and mould the north according to her
will, as the past has shown in the most mortifying manner.
She would add, at her pleasure, Mexico and Cuba, and gain,
also, control of Central America.
All this she will be able to accomplish, if Kansas shall
be won, in spite of any combination or re-construction of
parties which is likely to occur. There is, as yet, no public
sentiment in the north which can be relied upon, to prevent
the sacrifice of the interests of freedom, when demanded by
the exigency of a party. This public sentiment requires to
be invigorated and made courageous, by just such a victory
as the winning of Kansas would supply. Nor would this
great issue be suitably met, by the mere repeal of the
Nebraska bill, or the striking out of its iniquitous clause.
A great opportunity of gaining for freedom perpetual ascen
201 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
dency in the country would then be lost. Let the fraud
remain as a brand upon the southern brow, and as an
everlasting memorial against the slave power. Let the
north now win back its own, and then sit down on the
southern frontier, freed from compromises and restrictions
of all kinds, ready to go forth from this heart of the
Continent, and plant its institutions on every foot of American soil. A prompt and large northern emigration would
secure the whole.
202 
CHAPTER XXVII.
A WARNING VOICE.
THIE impression is now widely, almost universally spread
through the free States, that Kansas is already virtually
won for freedom. Schemes for its salvation have been so
largely discussed, that they are regarded by many as already
accomplished. The plans of emigration societies have been
so constantly before the public, their every movement has
been so carefully noted and exulted over, that most are not
aware how far the execution lags behind the promise.
Again, inasmuch as the late political triumphs have been
achieved under an "Anti-Nebraska" banner, thousands
suppose that through these Kansas has been secured. Then,
too, an opinion is generally entertained that slaveholders
themselves regard the question as one determined already
against them, and that to this decision they must submit as
best they may. Doubtless there are many important circumstances in the case, that favor the establishment of free institutions in Kansas. These have been already mentioned in
a previous chapter. They are numerous enough to place a
complete victory within the reach of the free States. If
they fail, it will be from lack of sufficient interest in the
subject to induce prompt and energetic action. It will be 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
because they neglect to avail themselves of the advantages
which seem to have been specially granted them in the providence of God. Against such effort as the north could easily
make, and would not fail to make, if thoroughly aroused,
the slave power can offer no effectual resistance.  It would
be compelled into quiet submission; while by the moral
effect of such a triumph, every neutral mind would be
inclined toward the victorious party, and anti-slavery feeling would be strengthened within the slave States themselves. There are a thousand interests and feelings already
there, antagonistic to slavery, and these would show themselves in active effort, if time and circumstance should favor.
The commercial interests especially, if not overawed, will ere
long present in Alissouri a powerful antagonism to slavery.
A triumph then may be readily achieved-but it is not
therefore, certain that it will be won.
It is at least prudent to study with care, the actual dangers which beset this cause-the real obstacles which are yet
unsurmounted. In the first place, the efforts of the Emigration Societies have been met with a certain lack of enthusiasm which gives no high promise for the future, and indicates
that the tone of that portion of the press, favorable to the
enterprise, is yet quite in advance of the general public sentiment. Mien and means have been somewhat sparingly
offered to these Societies, and few from the east have as yet
gone forward on their individual responsibility. The thousands which the public were led to expect, and which the
slaveholders feared, have dwindled to hundreds, and the
public has not been sufficiently prompt and liberal toward
the Societies, to enable them to provide even for these, in an
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JOURNEY THIROUGH KANSAS.
entirely satisfactory manner-according to the earnest desire
of the officers and agents who have the immediate direction
of affairs.  For these reasons, even at the New England Settlement, the -various instrumentalities, such as saw-mills,
etc., could not be put in motion sufficiently early to insure
the comfort of all for the winter, notwithstanding the energy
and activity of the resident agents.  The friends of the
cause in New England should not have permitted this;  nor
exposed thus the Colonization enterprise to the reaction
which is almost certain to come. I mention this not by way
of discouragement, but that the dangers ahead may be perceived in season to avoid them.   Untiring efforts should be
made, not only to prevent the eastern public from sinking
into indifference, but to prepare them for the future, and
stir the masses with enthusiasm and hope. The plans which
have been formed for the systematic settling of Kansas on a
large scale, have been wisely conceived. They are adapted
to the great ends in view. If successful, they will be fol lowed by far-reaching results, which will carry down bless ings to the generations to come. They ought not to be
permitted to languish for the lack of effort, or sympathy, or
money, or men.  Taking it all in all, this is the largest
idea now before the American mind.
Again, the political movement which, under an Anti Nebraska flag has just swept the country, can not be safely
relied upon for the salvation of Kansas. It is questionable,
to say the least, whether its leading sentiment will be one
opposed to slavery —when it has assumed the form and com pactness of a party. Political parties have hitherto used
the anti-slavery feeling of the country very much as a vessel
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
uses a steam-tug, when becalmed, or to get it well out of
harbor, and then it spreads its sails and commits itself to
other influences. The steam-tug should be converted into
an ocean steamer that can make a voyage on its own account.
The political party which is now likely to become the
dominant one, has quite other purposes lying nearer to its
heart than the abolition, or even repression of slavery. If
to secure these purposes, some anti-slavery work is necessary,
it may be done, if not, Kansas will be forgotten, or the
iniquity even be consummated. The sooner the people cease
to cheat themselves with the idea that in these shoutings over
political victories they hear deliverance for Kansas, the better. It may, or it may not be so, according as party exigencies shall demand. Let those who desire to plant free institutions in Kansas beware of leaning upon that which may
break and pierce them.   Moreover, the  slaveholders are
neither disheartened, as yet, nor indifferent nor inactive.
They are more hopeful now than when we were in the Territory. They are gathering assurance and determination.
They see the magnitude of the issue; and a Missourian has
lately expressed the opinion that to prevent Kansas from
becoming a free State, Missouri should pour half her population, "temporarily, at least," into the Territory.  This
language, however extravagant, is not to be regarded as
having no significance. It means that Missouri shall supply voters enough from her own soil to meet the question
when it arises, and that they will force their way to the
ballot-box with pistols and the bowie-knife. A fit illustration is offered, by an expedition fitted out a few days since,
as I was informed by one then on the spot, at Weston,
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
Alissouri, to control the election of delegates to Congress in
the Territory.
A convention of Missourians held a convention in MJissouri,
for the nomination of a delegate for Kansas, and then a body
of about three hundred armed men, went over into the
Territory on the day appointed to enforce their nomination
made on the other side of the river by residents in Miissouri.
They intend to overawe the settlers, by demanding a vote
for every fictitious claim which their tools or accomplices
have registered; and they openly declare, that if those who
have made these claims can not vote, though residing in
Miissouri, that all others shall be prevented by force and
arms. Doubtless they would, and will do these things, and
worse, if they dare; and they will dare, if the number of
anti-slavery settlers is small. Had the eastern emigration,
however, even approached its early promise, these proceedings would never have been heard of. Hence, inasmuch as
the territorial legislature is not to be convened, as is said,
until next spring or summer, the immense importance of
continuous efforts, during the winter, to secure a large and
early emigration in the spring. By this means the whole
question would be promptly met and settled, and the storms
and bluster on the frontier would subside into a calm, and
these threats would be heard of no more. The friends of
human freedom through the north, then, should be made to
understand that there is great and real danger in regard to
Kansas, and that success will require earnest work; and yet
success is, under God, perfectly certain, if their work is
well and promptly done.
These violent counsels and measures are the work of a
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
small minority of the people of MIissouri, but left to themselves, they may control the action of the State and the
destiny of Kansas.   It is said that there is a secret organization rapidly extending itself, whose sole purpose is to
secure Kansas for slavery, by numbers, fraud, or force. If
this is so, it will receive the earnest co-operation of the
prominent leaders among slaveholders, and of hundreds of
traitors to freedom in the free States also.  It remains to
be seen, whether the freemen of the north will suffer this
robbery of their rightful patrimony to be thus perpetuated.
The foregoing information, in regard to a "secret society,"
we received from a gentleman of our acquaintance who has
just returned from Kansas (November 23th), and since that
period we have found in a St. Louis paper the following
confirmation, by which it will be seen that a United States
Senator is at the head of this new scheme of iniquity.
By such proceedings let the north be warned, and also
aroused:
"Senator Atchison is at present engaged in the upper country,
organizing a secret society, to consist of five thousand persons, pledged to
repair into Kansas, on the day of the first election held there, to vote slavery
into that Territory. Of this we have authentic information, and in a
few days we shall expose the whole scheme; for while we wish to
see the people of Kansas determine the question of their own
domestic institutions, we can not and will not tolerate such an
unlawful and iniquitous rascality as that of'Drunken  Davy's,'
which proposes that a large body of men who are not, and do not
intend to become residents of that Territory, shall, by force and
violence, override the sense and wishes of its legitimate settlers."
208 
CHAPTER XXVIII.
CHRISTIAN OBLIGATION-CHRISTIAN
COLONIZATION.
IN considering the magnitude of the interests which are
at stake-the extent and value of the region to be lost or
won for freedom-by the action of this generation, the
question ought to present itself to every mind, What can I
do; what ought I to do; how can Kansas, Nebraska, and
that great adjoining West, be most effectually secured?
Especially should every Christian make this a subject of
prayerful inquiry.   A  great practical  question is here
presented to the Church, and especially to that portion of it
that professes a deep anxiety for the removal of slavery, or
even a desire to confine it within its present limits. Will
the friends of freedom be justified in leaving the settlement
of Kansas to the operation of the common causes which have
governed emigration elsewhere, or are they called upon, in
the emergency which has suddenly arisen, to improve, by
unusual measures, the opportunity which has been presented
in the providence of God? It is questionable whether the
opponents of the slave power have, in general, viewed this
Nebraska fraud in its proper light. It has been regarded
by most as a signal victory, achieved by the south over
18 
JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
northern interests and rights. If, however, the friends of
human rights are now true to God and their cause, it will
be seen that the south has smitten her own interests with a
fatal blow. The Alissouri compromise was slavery's northern
wall of defense. For although there was no express stipulation, that free institutions should not cross the line agreed
upon, there was an understood moral obligation, the force
of an implied compact, which would have arrested, during
its continuance, the progress of freedom at that bound.
Should we not be encouraged, when the south, in its folly,
has, with her own hands, and against all remonstrance,
torn this compact in pieces, and exposed herself and her
institutions in an open field? Ought we not to discern in
this the favoring providence of God, which thus offers to
free institutions an unlooked-for opportunity, and opens
before them an unexpected field? For if slavery may now
march northward, if it has the power, the whole south is, in
like manner, thrown open to freedom. Let us suppose tha.t
the Miissouri compromise shall stand perpetually repealed,
and the struggle is to go forward without territorial restrictions on either side; and add one other supposition, that the
north is true to herself. and with the comparative progress
of the north and the south as our guide, who can doubt as
to the ultimate result? Instead of mourning that the north
has been opened to slavery, let us rejoice that all restrictions
upon the progress of liberty are taken away, and that there
is not a foot of soil now on our continent, where she may not
set up her banner and plant her institutions. If northern
freemen were fully awake, and prepared for the performance
of their whole duty, this would be the appropriate feeling;
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JOURNEY THROUGHI KANSAS.
and instead of aggressions upon northern territory by slavery,
we should hear of the march of free institutions toward
the Gulf.
The best method of winning back this stolen inheritance
of the north, will perhaps appear, if we bestow a moment's
attention upon the different methods of emigration now
followed or proposed.  The discomforts and perils, the disadvantages of all kinds attending the common manner of
settling a new region are so great, and so manifest, that it
is surprising that it has not, ere this, been systematically
undertaken, when the superior advantages of Colonies are
perfectly obvious.  Too often the settler is for years cut off
from all the benefits and comforts of civilized life; from
religious privileges; from  schools, society,  and markets.
The older portions of the household drag out often a sickly
and sad existence, shut out from most of those little luxuries
and enjoyments which once rendered life joyous; while the
children grow up without education or culture of any kind,
rude proprietors, at last, of valuable tracts of land, where,
perhaps, the third generation may be educated.
Pioneer life, while producing such magnificent general
results, has caused suffering, and sickness, and death, in
thousands of individual homes, and entailed semi-barbarism
upon a portion of the survivors. But all, or most of these
evils may be easily avoided by the formation of Colonies and especially now, when so large a portion of the best of
our public lands may be reached, cheaply and quickly, by
steamboats and railways. It is not now an impracticable
thing to transplant a whole community, with all its various
members and occupations, so that nearly all the comforts
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
and benefits of an old society may be at once enjoyed in the
new position.   Churches, schools, professional men,  mer chants and mechanics of all kinds, may locate themselves
together, and commence the new life with all the operations
and relations of the old. The Christian will be connected
at once with the church and its ordinances, nor become, as
so many thousands of pioneers have, a lost sheep in the
wilderness, or left to bring scandal upon religion. The
individual will not be isolated and lost, nor will his influence be neutralized or his principles endangered by the
power of strange associations. He will not be thrown among
strangers. It will be a community either of old friends and
neighbors, or a company drawn together by common aims
and affinities; and thus supported by each other, a small
band, instead of losing, as so many individual pioneers have
done, their original characteristics and former good practices,
will send an influence outward, and stamp their image upon
others.
Every such homogeneous colony becomes a center of life,
and source of power. In no country ever opened to the
settler, could all this be more easily accomplished than in
Kansas and portions of Nebraska-but especially in Kansas.
Seven or eight days of easy travel by railways and steamboats, will suffice to transport a colony even from Massachusetts to this land; and then next spring, the valley of
the Kansas can be ascended by steamboat to Fort Riley,
(about one hundred and seventy-five miles), by the river.
In this short period, or a little more, a colony from almost
any point in the northern States can be located on some of
the most fertile lands of earth, where the fields are perfectly
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JOURNEY THROUGHl KANSAS.
prepared for the plow, and for the reception of any crop. and
where natural meadows and pastures stretch away on every
side, to furnish hay and grass for any amount of stock. If
then, these colonists possess some ready money-and without
means men can not be comfortable anywhere-what can prevent them from surrounding themselves, in a single season,
with most of the comforts of an eastern home, while even
the immediate future would open with richer promise than
ever before. To pioneer life, such as it has formerly been,
especially in timber countries-such as it presents itself to
most minds that have heard tales of frontier hardship and
suffering-colonization in such a country as Kansas, bears
not the remotest resemblance. Every man among the thousands that yearly build houses on new sites, and lay out new
grounds, does what is required of the settler of Kansas. He
locates upon a tract of land all ready for any purpose, and
then lays out his grounds, and erects his dwelling. With
such a colony, the whole machinery of society would at
once go on as usual, and each would find himself in the
midst of old neighbors and friends, or among new associates, of a spirit similar to his own, and surrounded by the
conveniences of older society-while life, as in all new
settlements, would have a larger and more genial development. The site of such a colony would at once become a
business center for the surrounding region, and the value of
lands would be rapidly increased. To these general advantages of colonization, the Emigration Societies propose to add
the aid of capital and associated influence, by which cheap
fares can be obtained for emigrants, along the lines of travel,
and to erect mills, and aid in all suitable ways, in the
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
establishment of a town, whiere numbers  may at once be
collected in an organized society.  They expect to be remunerated for capital expended, by the increased value of the
lands, which the Company itself retains.  These advantages
may all be secured by private association in a single colony.
But the highest possible exhibition of this scheme, and
by far the most effectual for the salvation of Kansas, would
be colonization by bands of Christians - " Christian colonization." Such a movement need not be isolated or exclusive
in its character or aims. Certainly, there would be nothing
objectionable, if Christians should agree to act as such, and
in organized capacity, in connection with the efforts of others,
for the purpose of establishing the Gospel and freedom on
the soil of Kansas. Nothing is more obvious, than if Emigrant Churches could be organized in sufficient numbers,
and planted in that Territory, so that they should become
the nuclei around which society there would form itself, that
Kansas, with God's blessing. would not only be a free State,
but a model State.  If the Christians who may make Kansas their home, instead of being scattered abroad, could
be settled in communities, from the first, and bound to each
other by Christian sympathies, neighborhood attachments,
and the ties of Church relationship, what a waste of influence would be prevented! what a power would be created
at these Christian centers. whose silent influence would flow
forth, shaping and blessing all things! This presents itself
in the light of a missionary effort on the large scale, and in
the most effective form. If Churches could thus be formed
at different points in our land, either connected with colonies
or forming a colony by themselves, to become in Kansas the
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
germs of towns and cities, and to plant the seeds of all
right things around them, how incalculable a benefit would
thus be conferred upon Kansas, and how far into the
future the movement would reach, in its influence upon
slavery and the destinies of that remote west, even to the
Pacific'  How cheaply this operation might be performed!
Every godly man or woman thus settling there, would be a
missionary of the most effective kind, and once there, a man
would not only sustain himself, but would be adding to the
general wealth of the country, while laying the foundations of
the kingdom of Christ.   Why might not such Churches be
organized in different parts of the country, and the different
missionary societies aid them in sustaining their pastors?
and why should not the same large-hearted benevolence,
which sends yearly hundreds of thousands of dollars into
foreign lands, contribute with more zeal and liberality still,
to such a cause, so intimately connected with the progress of
Christ's cause at home, and the interests of the country at
large? It presents, too, a noble opportunity to lay aside
denominational feelings, and unite in a common work for
God. If at any locality there are Christians of different
sects, who wish to emigrate to Kansas, why should they
not unite in an organization liberal enough to embrace all
evangelical Christians, and then go forth together, not to
establish a sectarian religion, but to save, by their joint
efforts, Kansas from slavery, and lay the broad foundations
of the Gospel under the society forming there? Such an
experiment might afford the opportunity for the exhibition
of a higher and nobler form of Christianity than now ex ists in the country. Separated from old associations-old
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JOURNEY THROUGH KANSAS.
barriers thrown down-theological differences laid aside and
forgotten, and drawn together by the power of new and
interesting relations, and in circumstances more favorable
for the cultivation of the affections-the idea of Christian
brotherhood might thus, perhaps, be more nearly realized
than it can be under the more rigid forms of older communities, and Churches more nearly conformed to primitive
models and primitive character, might manifest the power
of a fresher and more spiritual life.
If Kansas and Nebraska could be occupied by such
Churches, composed of men who, while laboring to shut out
slavery from the Territory, would not forget to exclude it
also from church fellowship and communion, and would,
moreover, see that a sound Christian literature were circulated in the families and communities about them-a literature not in alliance with popular and powerful sin-a work
would thereby be done, by which the whole country might
ultimately be saved from slavery, and over which men and
angels might rejoice together!
THE END.
216 
11 11,
.,', I 
I