TOPOGRAPHY. 131 



country on the banks of this river, which drew so much the 

 admiration of travellers to the country in former times. 

 The town of Peoria is situated on the river, at or near the 

 site of old Fort Crevecoeur, at the foot of the Lake Peoria, 

 a little more than 200 miles from the mouth of the river. 

 This fort was built by La Sale, as a point d'appui for prose- 

 cuting the discovery of the Missisippi. It is the county 

 seat, and a place of much business. 



Fulton, Schuyler, Brown and Pike, the last extending 

 to the Missisippi, and already described, cover the most 

 valuable, fertile, and beautiful tract, in the State, except 

 some part of the land upon Rock River : in two important 

 conditions having advantage over the last, being some two to 

 three degrees farther south, which gives them a more propi- 

 tious climate for agriculture, and a more genial ; and also 

 having an open navigation generally through the year, while 

 Rock River is locked up through the winter, and has but a 

 difficult navigation at any time. Fulton is in the first class 

 of counties for population. Spoon River waters this county, 

 and enters the Illinois about forty miles below Peoria. 



Schuyler is below Fulton : not varying much from it in 

 soil, in which particular both are highly favored. Schuyler 

 is less populous than Fulton. It has Crooked Creek passing 

 nearly centrally through it. Rushville is the county seat, a 

 place of some business. Brown county is less populous than 

 Schuyler. The latter contains about 10,000 inhabitants, the 

 other, two-thirds of that number. 



For some miles above the point of junction, the two rivers 

 approach very near together, and pursue an almost parallel 

 course. The narrow peninsula is formed into the county of 

 Calhoun. 



Knox, Kane, Warren, are populous interior counties. 



