412 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



and orchards. The only thing lacking to make this lovely 

 land very desirable, is timber which is here, as every- 

 where, too scarce. The Vermillion, however affords ex- 

 cellent mill sites, and abounds in coal of good quality. 

 The coal is in three beds, the lower one in the bed of the 

 stream. The banks are high bluffs of clay, coal and lime- 

 stone. Vermillionville is one of those many towns in the 

 west where people have learned by sad experience that 

 they cannot live upon a little "7 by 9" town lot. Though 

 many have moved out, there are some enterprising citi- 

 zens left, one of whom is the new postmaster, Dr. Bul- 

 lock. 1 



The nature of the soil along the Vermillion, is from 1 

 to 3 ft. black loam, then several feet clay, then sand, in 

 which is found water. Natural curiosities in such a 

 country are scarce, but near the mouth of the Vermillion 

 are two — one, the "Deerpark," is a chasm in the rocks 

 several hundred feet deep, a few rods in width and half 

 a mile long, having an opening next the stream, into 

 which deer used to wander after a "salt lick," and fall 

 an easy prey to the Indians. The other is the celebrated 

 "starved rock" on the Illinois, noted in history as the 

 spot where a small tribe of Indians were driven by an- 

 other tribe and besieged till starvation alone conquered 

 the bravest of the red braves. From the Vermillion I 

 passed over a dozen miles of beautiful country to Gran- 

 ville, a fine little town in Putnam co. beautified by a hand- 

 some church and a very excellent school. Spent the night 

 with a Mr. Ware from Massachusetts, 2 who with his 

 brother have set their neighbors an example in farming 

 and improved stock worthy of imitation. 



During this day's ride I passed a "long ditch" in the 

 woods at Cedar point, which I was informed, was "the 



1 Dr. James T. Bullock came to Illinois in 1836, and was a suc- 

 cessful physician at Vermillionville for forty years. He died in 

 1875. History of La Salle County, Illinois . . ., 2:103 (Inter-State 

 Publishing Co., Chicago, 1886). 



1 Probably Ralph Ware, contributor from Granville to the agri- 

 cultural reports of the Patent Office. 



