410 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



show that emigrants do not always better their situation, 

 when they leave substantial comfort in the east to pursue 

 a vision of acquiring numberless acres of wild land in the 

 west, however rich the soil of those acres may be. 



Ten miles north of Ottawa, is "Indian creek," now oc- 

 cupied by a flourishing settlement, where, in 1832, the 

 few inhabitants then there were the victims of the "Black 

 Hawk war." Here is a body of good timber, which is the 

 nearest timber to that town. The space between this set- 

 tlement and Ottawa, being unoccupied prairie. Four 

 miles above Ottawa, there is about 20 feet fall over a 

 rocky bed of the Fox river, partially occupied by a saw- 

 mill and flouring mill of five run of stones, and a woolen 

 manufactory of 4 satinet, and three broad looms, &c. As 

 such manufacturing establishments are as yet so rare, 

 although so much needed, I like to note all that come in 

 my way. Here too, appears to be the northern boundary 

 of the great coal field of Illinois. The abundance of coal 

 that exists in the Illinois river valley is of immense im- 

 portance, and more so on account of the scarcity of wood 

 — coal at Ottawa is worth about 5c. a bushel, but it is 

 not of first rate quality, being dug near the surface of 

 the ground in the river bottom. By the bye, I wish you 

 to notice that this phrase "river bottom," does not mean 

 the bottom of the river, but what Eastern readers under- 

 stand as "interval." 



Ottawa is situated on the Illinois at the mouth of Fox 

 river, and head of steam navigation in high water, and 

 having been settled and built up during the canal fever, 

 also contains many "hangers on," and from present ap- 

 pearances in the legislature, they are destined to hang on 

 some time longer, before the canal is completed. And I 

 would also here caution many of your down east readers, 

 who have purchased land along the line of this canal at 

 high prices under the expectancy of its early completion, 

 that they are also "hanging on" to a very brittle prospect 

 — and for my own part, until I see some vigorous meas- 

 ures taken to complete this important work, which when 



