186 GEOLOGY OF ILLINOIS. 



a stream I have never seen before, not even excepting the liquid mud of 

 the Pecatonica, which latter stream has a decent current or flow, when 

 compared with Green river. And yet I would not convey the idea that 

 Henry county is an unhealthy county. The salubrious air of her broad 

 prairies quickly neutralizes any miasmatic influences thrown off by this 

 local nest of fevers. If Pandora's box itself were opened on one of our 

 broad, high prairies, the spirit of Health would drive thence the whole 

 brood of ills and woes and diseases as they swarmed forth. The Ed- 

 wards river flows across the southern part of the county, in almost the 

 same relative position that Green river occupies in the north. The sur- 

 face between the two, which is from twelve to fifteen miles wide, is a 

 high, dry, rolling prairie, under a good state of cultivation, the water- 

 shed of the two streams running not far from the middle of it. The 

 Edwards river has a bottom averaging perhaps a mile in width. This is 

 low, but not so wet or swampy as that of Green river. Both streams are 

 almost timberless ; the latter almost dries up in the summer season, but 

 when swollen with rains, it is a formidable body of water. The country 

 rises rapidly from the Edwards river bottom, assuming almost the form 

 of a low range of undulating bluffs along its south side. The southern 

 part of the county is of the same general character as that between 

 these two streams, except the south-east corner township of Kewanee, 

 w T hich is somewhat broken, and covered with timber where most broken. 

 Spring creek is a deep little prairie brook, which runs towards the north, 

 and falls into Green river twelve miles from the eastern line of the 

 county. These are the only streams of consequence in Henry county. 



In addition to the scattering timber about the north-west and south- 

 east corners of the county, in the townships, of Kewanee, Colona, and 

 Hanna, the broad expanse of prairie is diversified by a few beautiful 

 groves, many of them sadly marred by the settlers' axe. Among these 

 are White Oak Grove, south of the village of Andover ; Sugar Tree 

 Grove, east of Cambridge, the county seat; Hickory Grove, not far 

 from Galva ; Ued Oak Grove, in the township of Weller ; a small grove 

 near Council Hill ; and several small barren groves, w r hose names I do 

 not now recollect. These furnish a fair supply of timber for their imme- 

 diate neighborhood, but will become exhausted in process of time, unless 

 timber-growing receives more attention on our prairies. 



In an agricultural point of view, this county is hard to excel. Such 

 a large proportion of the surface is under cultivation, that its grain -pro- 

 ducing powers must be immense. Such being the case, wealth, and a 

 high state of prosperity, are found to characterize its citizens. 



Its groves; its rolling fertile prairie lauds; its remarkable marshes 

 along Green river, being a continuation of the famed Winnebago 





