278 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



« 



Much of the largest part of Caldwell county is drained by the 

 waters of Grand river. The soil is very rich and lies gently rolling. 

 The county is about one-third timber and two-thirds prairie. The tim- 

 ber is the different kinds of oaks, red and white elm, scaly-bark and 

 white hickory, hackberry, wild cherry, black walnut, honey locusts^ 

 white maple and sugar maple, black haw, sumach and hazel in great 

 abundance. 



Many kinds of fruit trees, such as the apple, peach, pear, wild 

 crab-apple and the grape, grow and do remarkably well here; also the 

 wild plum and many kinds of berries, as blackberries, raspberries 

 gooseberries, dewberries, black haws and large red haws. These all 

 grow in great perfection here, as the soil is very rich in the mineral 

 elements required for the growth of plants, and when the seasons are 

 favorable we raise good crops of every kind that grows in this latitude. 



There is a great abundance of stone suitable for building purposes 

 in this county, and according to Professor Swallow's geological report,, 

 this county is underlaid with coal which can be easily reached in many 

 places in the county. They are now getting out coal at Hamilton,. 

 Kingston and Cowgill. Three miles east of Cowgill, at Wm. Sanders', 

 it is supposed that the six-foot vein of coal in the lower coal series can 

 be reached in about 2.75 feet. This we learn by the position of .the 

 strata above the coal, as mentioned in Professor Swallow's geological 

 report, page 135, made by Professor Hawn, Professor Swallow's assist- 

 ant. This coal is situate on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul rail- 

 road. When this coal is developed it will be worth hundreds of 

 thousands of dollars to Kansas City and surrounding country, and 

 why capitalists have let this great wealth lie dormant a,nd undeveloped 

 up to this time is strange to me. It certainly will be noticed soon. 



Shoal creek runs through Caldwell county from west to east, afford- 

 ing great water-power for mills or factories. There are several other 

 smaller creeks that run into Shoal that afford plenty of water for stock 

 all the year. Growing near these creeks is plenty of timber for our 

 use for posts, fuel, rails, etc. Caldwell county is 24 miles long from 

 east to west, and is 18 miles wide from north to south. There are 5(> 

 miles of railroad in the county, viz. : the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad 

 runs 24 miles through the north part of the county to Kansas City ; 

 the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad also runs 24 miles through 

 the south part of the county ; there are eight miles of railroad from 

 Kingston, the county seat, to Hamilton ; all these railroads give the 

 people a good market for their produce. Caldwell county is entirely 

 out of debt. The creeks are all well bridged, and the public roads are 

 all being improved with improved road machinery as fast as possible. 



