Atwater, Caleb. Remarks Made on a Tour to Prairie Du Chien; Thence to Washington City, in 1829 . Columbus, OH: Isaac N. Whiting, 1831. [format: book], [genre: history; narrative; travelogue]. Permission: Illinois State University
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As soon as my strength enabled me to ride, I went to Galena, where I tarried a few days, visiting my friends there. Gaining health and strength, I fell into the company of a Mr. Gill, a merchant of St. Louis, and with him arranged every thing, to travel with him in a two horse wagon, across the country to his place of residence. This gentleman, was the brother of Mrs. Campbell, the lady of Major Wm. Campbell, whom I have already mentioned. Mr. Gill and his sister, were born and educated in Philadelphia, where heir respected relatives reside.

Considering the newness of the country, at Galena, and about it, I found the state of society excellent. I attended the Presbyterian church here on Sunday, and was highly gratified with the preacher, Mr. Kent, and his people of all ages and both sexes.

The professional men, the merchants, and indeed, the people generally, appeared to be moral in their habits, kind to each other and to strangers particularly so.

Major Campbell and his accomplished lady, accompanied Mr. Gill and myself, about fifteen miles on our way, when we left them, on our journey.

Travelling about, fifty miles a day, after crossing Rock river, we reached Edwardsville, twenty miles north of St. Louis, where we parted.

Before I proceed further in my personal narrative, I take the liberty, to remark briefly upon every thing I can, worthy of the readers notice, especially in the mineral country.

The climate of this region, is equal to that of any part of Italy, such is the purity of the air. When traveling along from Dodgeville to Gratiot's Grove, I saw with the naked eye, a wagon and team five miles from me. This purity of the atmosphere may be attributed to the total absence of marshy ground, and to the elevation of the country, which is in many parts of it, two thousand feet above the sea. We may fairly take into consideration, also, the absence of dense forests, all the way, from the western shore of Lake Michigan, to the Rocky Mountains in the west, and to the Frozen Ocean in the north. The prevalence too, of westwardly winds, or northern ones, passing over no large bodies of water, during all the year, except, a short time in the summer, and even then, the distance between this region, and the Gulph of Mexico, from whence the winds ascend the Mississippi, is so great, that even southerly winds, are not loaded with moisture, may fairly come into our estimate, of the causes of this singular purity of the air, in the mineral country.

It's latitude too, is favorable to purity of air, as well as of healthful climate. In all the country, every person I saw, was a picture of health, except one person, who had emigrated from Missouri, and had brought the ague along with her — she was an amiable daughter of Gen. Dodge. And I saw one or two persons, whose health, had been injured by working at a lead furnace, the smoke of which, is highly injurious to the lungs.

THE STREAMS of this region, run over pebbles of quartz, topaz, caruelian, agate and opal, they are copious, glide along briskly, and are cool enough for drinking in August. They all originate, either in pure springs, or cool, pellucid lakes. The fishes in them, are the finest fresh water ones, in the world.

ROCK RIVER, and its numerous tributaries, irrigate and I fertilize, I should suppose, about six millions of acres of territory. It's main branch, rises in four lakes, with only short out lets between them. The Pickatolica branch, rises entirely in springs, the head one, being only a few miles

south of the Wisconsin river. The four lakes, are nearly east of Dodgeville, and parallel with the heads of the Pickatolica branch. These streams descend, in a southern direction until they are sixty miles or more in length, when they turn around, towards Rock Island, just below which, they enter the Mississippi. There are other branches of this river, (Rock river) which originate in lakes, a degree and a half of latitude perhaps, south of the four lakes The heads of several of these branches, being in lakes, that are surrounded by high hills, they never rise very high nor sink very low, during the year. Like reservoirs on our Canal summits, these lakes keep the water, in them, until it is needed in a dry time.

Rock river, when I crossed it, on the first day of September, 1829, at Ogee's ferry, 90 miles, by water, from its mouth, was twenty rods wide, four feet deep, and run at the rate of five or six miles an hour. The Mississippi and Wisconsin, I have noticed already, and the other streams are all short ones, originating in springs, and running in deep ravines, with falls in them, in places, and they all run with great velocity, until they descend to the level of the Mississippi, which receives them, into its bosom.

Within the United States, I suspect, that for pure wholesome water; for the number and durability of the springs, no part of the Union is superior to the mineral country.

The fall in all the smaller streams, is so great, that sites for mills, and manufactories, exist every where, almost, throughout the whole region of the mines. Nearly every stream originates in a large spring of pure water, copious enough, and with fall enough within a few feet of the spot where it first appears, to carry a mill of any sort. The water, so near its source, does not freeze so as to prevent its being used for mills and manufactories, all the winter months.

The soil, except on the highest hills, at their very summits, and on the sharp edges of them, near some deep ravine, where some stream dashes rapidly along among the rocks in its bed, is a deep black loam, like the intervals along our large rivers. No lands can be more fertile, than those in the mineral country, producing potatoes, oats, Indian corn, and all the vegetables common in gardens, in the same latitude, in vast abundance.

That wheat will succeed here, equal in quality and quantity, to that of any other part of the United States, I cannot doubt.

There is grass enough now growing in the country, to supply all the domestic animals, the people may wish to raise. Finer meadows, of good grass, I never saw any where, than I saw along all the larger water courses.

Of fishes, of the finest flavor, the rivers, ponds, lakes and rivulets are literally full. The Pickatolica river, takes its name, from a fish, about the size of, and equal in its flavor, to the rock fish, caught in the Delaware, at Philadelphia.

The only difference between the Philadelphia rock fish, and the pickatolica of the Upper Mississippi, that I could perceive, was in the former having scales, while the latter has none.

The different species of cat fish, of pike, and of perch, are excellent. They are abundant in quantity too, and easily taken, in all the different modes of taking them.

The salmon trout of lake Michigan, has acquired a wide spread celebrity.

The surface of the country, is undulating sometimes gently, sometimes greatly, and in most places, is covered with a succession of flowers, from early spring, to late Autumn. One week, nay even one day, you see, far as your delighted eye can reach, flowers of a reddish hue — the blue — the white — the yellow, and of every intervening shade, indeed, follow in succession, day after day, and week after week, ever varying, ever new, and always delightful. Ascending any little eminence, my eye was always riveted for many minutes, on the vast, the charming, and the beautiful prospect before me — spread out immence, intersected by glittering streams, with here and there a grove of woods, and at all times, several mounds, some nearer, others further off — some of them, from their nearness, showed their dark green forests, while others, from their distance, showed their pale blue summits, in the very edge of the horison, resting on the earth, and touching the heavens above them. Generally too, I saw a cloudless sky, a naming sun by day, and brilliant heavens at night.

Sometimes I traveled, during four or five hours, either by day or by night, across some prairie, without seeing

even a bush, or a tree — above me, were the wide spread, and lofty heavens, while the prairie, with its grasses and flowers, extended in all directions around me, far beyond the reach of my vision.

In such a situation, man feels his own littleness, in the immensity of space, he feels alone too, in this loneliness, universal silence and repose.

I was delighted at the sight, even of a prairie wolf, and the chirping of a grass hopper, was music to my ear.

The trees of this region, are confined, mostly, to the streams, and to rough places; and oaks, black, white and red are the forest trees, in high grounds, at least, they are the principal ones, while, in wet places and low grounds the botany is richer. Along Sugar creek, a large brand of the Pickatolica river, extensive groves of the sugar maple, exist near its mouth, and for many miles upwards

On naked cliffs, I sometimes saw the red cedar tree.

Of flowering plants, among the millions of them, the helianthus offers the greatest variety, in all seasons of the year.

As I traveled south, after crossing Rock river, I fell in with new plants daily — some disappearing, and others appearing, as we moved rapidly onward.

The Rozin plant, has a tall, slender stalk, and grows in vast abundance, in the prairie, south of, and adjoining Springfield, in the Sangamon country. Its juice resembles, in appearance and smell, tar water, from which circumstance, it derives its name. I have already described it.

The mocasin flower, is a most beautiful plant, and I recommend it to the Philadelphia Horticulturists, as worthy of their attention. Judge Sawyer of Edwardville, Illinois, or Col. O'Fallon, of St. Louis, would, I doubt not, with pleasure transmit some of its seeds to them.

I recommend to my friend, Mr. Prince, of Long Island, a beautiful red flower, growing on a creeping vine, six feet in length, on the eastern bank of the Mississippi, just above Rock island. Mr. Davenport, the Post Master, would cheerfully forward some of its seeds.

From a careful examination, of all the works on botany for this flower, I found it correctly described, in a volume formerly belonging to Mr. Jefferson, now in Congress library.

The one described, in that volume, was found growing, just on the brink of the Nile, at its falls.

The artichoke, a helianthus, grows in almost every prairie in the West, but in Illinois, I have seen, ten thousand acres, thickly set with this plant, at one view. Four acres of them, will feed and fatten one hundred hogs, every year.

Of wild plums, there is a vast variety, though, the large striped ones, are the best. This tree grows in moist places, in bunches and groves.

There is a wild apple, of the size of a hen's egg, not very sour, which on being buried in the earth, turns a pale yellow, and is, by no means a bad substitute for the common apple. The tree, has no thorns on it, and it never grows more than six or seven feet in height.

Patches of hazle bushes, grow near the plum bushes.

The Pacawn-bearing walnut, though growing as high north, as latitude, 41° 30", I did not recognize above that latitude. I saw groves of it, on the waters of the Illinois river, and in the vicinity of Rock Island. In appearance, at a distance, of forty rods from you, it would be taken for the common black walnut, but on approaching it, its willow-shaped leaves, undeceive you. The tree grows to a great height, and its size is large. Its habitat, as a botanist would say, is near a stream of water, and in the very richest soil. It might be raised, in the vicinity of Philadelphia, and I beg leave to introduce it, to the attention of the Horticulturists, of that city.

The mounds, in the mineral country, are lofty piles of rocks, lying in horizontal strata, except such of them as have fallen down, from their original position, and lie in ruins, from the surface of earth, extending upwards to near the summits. Some of these mounds are three miles in circumference, at their bases, and three hundred feet in height. They serve as land marks, and may be seen thirty miles off.

These lofty elevations, serve as land marks, which being perfectly well known, to the people of this region, not only by name, but in appearance, on a first view; and one or more of them, always being in sight, no one ever loses his way, while traveling in the country of the lead mines.

These mounds are surrounded, except such parts of them as stand in perpendicular masses of rocks, by thick groves of timber trees; here in these groves, the lead is smelted, and the prairie country near them, supplies the ore for the furnaces.

The beasts of this region, are few in number, having been destroyed by the Indians, except the black wolf, the prairie wolf, and the muskrat. The black wolf, is confined to the groves, and the ravines along the streams — the musk rat lives about the rivers, but more still about the Four lakes and the ponds, south east of Rock river.

The prairie wolf, in size, color and disposition, is half way between the black wolf, and the grey fox. His food consists of almost every thing within his reach — grasses and birds, their eggs — pigs and poultry. He is the greatest thief on a small scale, in the world. He can live on grasshoppers, crickets and bugs — he can steal from a hen coop, or a barn yard, and when pinched with hunger, he will even venture into a kitchen, and steal a crust of bread. He is the Indian dog of the North west, and the Jackal of Asia. He often approached, within a few feet of me, at night, when I lay out in the prairie, and barked at me, with great earnestness. He is, for his size, the most mischievous animal in the world.

He is easily domesticated, and mixes with the common dog family, and the mixed breed propagates this new species of dog, which is easily recognized by its white eyes, and pointed, and erect ears. Besides this mixed breed, the Winebagoes, have a species of lap dog, which they fatten and feed upon, at their dog feasts. These dogs must have been derived from Canada, I should suppose, with which, all the Indians of the Upper Mississippi, keep up an intercourse still; and from whence, they receive large presents annually.

Having briefly described, what appears on the surface of the earth, in the mineral country; it remains, for me, as briefly to describe what is found beneath the surface.

This region, contains the richest lead mines, in the known world. When I was there, these mines had been worked but about three years, by comparatively, but a few persons, who were ignorant of the business they followed; and they labored under every disadvantage

almost; yet, they had manufactured, in that time, more than thirty millions of pounds of lead. This had been carried to the Atlantic Cities, and had reduced the price of lead, in all its forms, one half! In the mineral country, it was selling at the mines, for one cent, a pound — at Philadelphia, for three and a half cents, a pound.

Though I brought away from the mines, specimens of every sort of lead ore, accompanied by statements, showing where, and how procured — the quantity made at each smelting establishment, and other information relating to it, and all thrown too, into a tabular form; yet, in a popular little book, like this, it might not be interesting to the general reader, such as read what I am now writing, and I pass it by.

The lead region, in the United States, lies nearly parallel with the Atlantic Ocean, from north east, towards the south west. Or in other words, this region occupies the same space, that the Alleghanies do. It begins in the same latitude, these mountains do in the north, and ends in the came latitude. From the Wisconsin in the north, to Red river, of Arkansas in the south, and in breadth, from east to west, the lead region, occupies, about one hundred and fifty miles, of longitude. In some places, it lies very deep in the earth, and it lies the deepest, about half way between its extreme ends. At its northern and southern terminations, it ascends, to the very surface of the earth, and is there found, even on the surface, either, on the highest grounds, (except the mounds) or in ravines. On the little eminences, I could have filled our little wagon, often, as we passed over them, with beautiful specimens of the phosphate of lead.

The Mississippi passes through this region, from latitude 43 degrees 30 minutes north, to latitude 38 degrees, north.

On the western shore, of the Mississippi, opposite Rock Island, and extending north, one hundred miles, from indubitable appearances, every where, as I passed along, all that country must contain exhaustless lead mines.

From the vast region, where this mineral exists, extending through ten degrees of latitude; in width too, in places, three degrees of longitude — from its richness, (it being in many places, nearly pure lead) considering also, the ease

with which it is obtained, and its vast abundance, we may safely conclude, that we have lead ore enough, for all mankind, forever, within our own territory.