TOPOGRAPHY. 119 



the city two or llirce times a year. There is here a fine 

 capitol, erected at a cost of over $100,000, and paid for by 

 the sales of lots on the section given by Congress for that 

 purpose. 



In JefTerson county is the town of Fairfield, in which the 

 Land Ollice for the Dcs Moines Land District is situated. 

 In Henry county is Mount Pleasant, a handsome town upon 

 the prairie. Tliis county lias also several villages, among 

 which is Salem, a settlement of Quakers. 



The other counties, formed out of the late Indian purchase, 

 Davis, Appenoose, Wapello, Monroe, Keokuk, Mahaska, 

 Poweshcck, Tama, Marion, Lucas, Polk, Dallas, Jasper, 

 Wayne, Clark, Story, are of a character similar to those of 

 the older settlements. The soil throus^hout has but little 

 variation ; and with the exception of a few swamps, and a 

 very small number of sand spots of little extent, the whole 

 country is susceptible, by the mere upturning of the plough, 

 with the most careless after-tillage, of being made one garden. 



Wapello, Mahaska, Marion and Polk, are situated upon 

 the Des ]\Ioincs River, which is already described as contain- 

 ing some of the most fertile and beautiful land in Iowa. 



Wisconsin is divided into twenty-four counties. Upon 

 the lake are Racine, Milwakie, Washington, Sheboyegan, 

 Manitowoc, and Brown. Grant, Crawford and St. Croix, are 

 on the Missisippi. The other counties are Iowa, Green, 

 Walworth, Rock, Jetrerson, Dane, Dodge, Portage, Fond du 

 Lac, Marquette, Calumet, Winnebago, Sauk, Richland and 

 La Pointe. 



Grant county is in the southwest comer of the Territory, 

 situated in a bend of the Missisippi, which washes it west 

 and south, and having the Wisconsin on the north, it is 

 bounded by a water line throughout, except upon the eastern 

 side. Lying within the mineral tract, it lias a very valuable 



