118 NOTES ON THE NORTHWEST. 



already said, commences near Lyons, continues througli this 

 county, and as far north as the settled parts of the territory. 

 At the neighborhood of Dubuque, it extends six or seven 

 miles. Much of the land near the river is unsuited to culti- 

 vation, in consequence of this unevenness of surface. There 

 is, however, much excellent farming land in this and in Clay- 

 ton county. Some of the Turkey River country is very 

 handsome. 



Van Buren county, situated on the Des Moines River, 

 back of Lee, is the best interior county, and by many is con- 

 sidered the best county in the Territory. It is the most 

 populous. The lands generally upon this river have been 

 already mentioned as exceedingly fertile and beautiful. 

 There is an abundance of good coal here. Keosaqua is the 

 capital town, situated in the bend, which the Lidians call 

 Keosaqua (or Kebesaqua, as Gen. Pike and Major Marston 

 have it) peninsula.* There are several other towns in this 

 county, populous and thriving. The other interior counties 

 of the old purchase, Henry, Jefferson, Washington, Johnson, 

 Cedar, Linn, Jones and Delaware, are of as good land as the 

 front tier. Linn county has been said to excel all the others, 

 in the more just proportion of timber and prairie land, and in 

 the greater depth of its soil. These counties contain no towns 

 of consequence, with the exception of Iowa city, the seat of 

 government for the Territory, which is situated in Johnson 

 county. This young city is situated on a very beautiful 

 plateau on the left bank of Iowa River, about eighty miles 

 from its mouth, by the windings of the stream, though not 

 much more than half that distance in a direct line, and at the 

 head of navigation on that river. Small steamboats go up to 



* The writer considers the true name to be Kebe-saki, or Kebe-osaki, 

 the last part of the word meaning island, and the same which is used to 

 designate the tribe, commonly called Sac. 



