SOURCE OE ST. Peter's river. 215 



localities lead has been found, and no doubt exists in great 

 abundance, and in the latter it is believed that rich and ex- 

 tensive beds of copper ore are of frequent occurrence. To 

 the westward of the Wisconsan Hills, the country assumes 

 an aspect somewhat similar to that mentioned in the for- 

 mer part of this article, though it does not deserve so high 

 a rank in an agricultural point of view. The soil is more 

 sandy and bibulous, the surface more broken, the forest 

 trees are less stately, and vegetation less luxuriant. 



On the west of the Mississippi above Prairie du Chien, 

 upland forests of considerable magnitude present them- 

 selves at the distance of six or eight miles from the river, 

 and continue in view for the distance of nearly one hund- 

 red miles above that place. Their extent westward, how- 

 ever, cannot be very great, for the prairie region, in which 

 the De Moyen has its sources, commences at the distance 

 of above one hundred miles from the Mississippi, and ex- 

 cludes all appearance of woodlands except in insulated 

 groves and narrow skirts bordering upon the water-courses. 



The growth of this section of the country comprises the 

 following trees, viz. the white, black, red and post oak, 

 hickory, walnut, sugar-tree, maple, linden, cotton-wood, 

 white, blue, and black ash, elm, hop-horn-beam, red cedar, 

 sassafras, willow, aspen, &c. in addition to which sycamore, 

 coffee-tree, mulberry, pecan, Spanish and willow oak, per- 

 simmon, honey-locusts, black and red haw, crab-apple, 

 plum, pawpaw, dog-wood, spice-wood, &c. are found in the 

 country below rock river. Gum, cherry, red birch, butter- 

 nut, or white walnut, red hickory, and slippery elm, are 

 occasionally to be met with. Yellow, pitch and white pine 

 of an excellent quality abound upon the Wisconsan Hills. 

 White birch, white cedar, spruce, juniper, &c. sometimes 

 appear in the woodlands above Prairie du Chien. The un- 



