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Salem, Wheatland, and Brighton ; being about twenty-five miles in length east 

 and west on the south line, and about nineteen miles on the north line by twelve 

 miles in width. It is bounded on the south by Illinois, on the east by Lake 

 Michigan, on the north by Racine count}^, and on the west by the county of 

 Walworth. If I am not mistaken the first settlement was made in 1836, by the 

 Oswego Emigration Company; the population in 1850 was nearly 11,000 — the 

 exact number I do not now recollect. The face of the country is sufficiently un- 

 dulating to give a good drainage to the surface water, but not hilly. The eastern 

 part of the county is mostly prairie, interspersed occasionally with small groves 

 of timber. In the vicinity of Pike Creek and bordering on the Lake, there is 

 quite a large tract of heavy timber, tall and thrifty, consisting of different kinds 

 of oak, hickory, maple, black walnut, elm, bas.swood, black and white ash, iron 

 wood, &c. The western portion of the county consists more of oak openings or 

 barrens, as it is generally called, interspersed with several beautiful lakes, which 

 abound with fish of various kinds. Our county is watered by Fox River, the 

 two branches of the Aux Plains, and the two branches of Pike Creek, with some 

 few smaller streams which afford water the most of the year. I am unable to 

 state the number of acres of tillable land, but from my limited knowledge of the 

 county at large, I can say that there is but a very small proportion of the county 

 unfit for tillage, and I scarceh' know of any but may be made good tillable land 

 by a little drainage. 



I hardly know how to describe the soil, not being a scientific man. The sur- 

 face soil of the prairie is black, having the appearance of being formed of char- 

 coal and ashes from the burning of tlie luxuriant and heavy growth of grass with 

 which it abounds, together with the decayed vegetable matter which occasionally 

 escapes the devouring element. The surface soil varies in depth from four to six 

 or eight inches, when it seems to change to that of a lighter color, and more 

 compact, and resembles a species of clay mixed with fine sand and limestone 

 pebbles, and after being ploughed a few years to the depth of eight inches or 

 more, it becomes of a chocolate color ; and the greater the depth of ploughing, 

 the more abundant are the crops of all kinds. 



This county is well adapted to the growing of all kinds of crops which are 

 grown in the western country. Wheat has hitherto been the staple commodity, 

 but has partially failed for the last three years; the average yield was about twenty 

 bushels per acre. Corn, oats, barley, and the different grasses, flourish when the 

 ground has been properly prepared. Clover and Timothy yield an abundant crop 

 on land which has been thoroughly subdued, and manured before, or at the time 

 of seeding; but whenever an attempt has been made to grow tame grass of any 

 kind, except Red top. on land which has not been well subdued, it has proved a 

 failuie — hence the idea which [)revails in many places at the East, an<I in some 



