1864 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



Mf 



and cut worms, hence we never kill them. This 

 spring we hear great complaint of them in the 

 corn field, but found them to disappear as soon as 

 we put the cultivator to wo»k. We must have 

 more testimony against them before we can make 

 any attempt on their life. It is a little provoking 

 to liave them run through the flower beds or gar- 

 den, but the grubs are still more provoking and 

 we prefer the lesser evil. — Ed. 



4*. 



The Boyhood Home of the Hero Baker 



2b the Editors of the Alton Tdegraph : 



Stood you ever, Mr. Editor, on Mt. Eminence ? 

 It is a glorious spot ! — that boyhood home of the 

 hero of Ball's Bluff. Eminence ! — 'tis well named 

 — the highest point of land between the "Great 

 American bottom" and the mouth of the Illinois 

 river. 



Piled here, stratum upon stratum, the giant 

 cliffs lift their massive forms high into the blue 

 air. And from this eminence how vast, how beau- 

 tiful, how grand the panorama spread out before ! 

 With one sweep of the eye, you take in almost the 

 entire combination of nature's beauties and na- 

 ture's grandeurs — the mighty river, the beautiful 

 lake, the broad prairie, the waving forest, the tow- 

 ering clifli the lofty mountain — distance intermin- 

 able, and the blue vault bending over all. But let 

 us analyze this scene, Mr. Editor, and examine its 

 component parts. Mount Emiuence forms a part 

 of the north bank of the Mississippi river some 

 ten or more miles above the city of Alton; on its 

 summit we are told, you stand four hundred feet 

 above the great river. 



From the water upward half this distance is 

 composed of an irregular facade of cliff lime stone, 

 here and there cut into columns, truncated cones, 

 pilasters and bastions. From the top of the rocks 

 to the summit the friable earth has an inclination 

 of a few degrees. Turning to the west and looking 

 up the river you see the village of Elsah at the wa- 

 ter's edge. With the mighty hills hanging over it, 

 here stooping gracefully to the water line, there 

 broken into massive cliffs — portions of the hills 

 densely and portions sparsely covered with forest 

 trees, and carpeted with green grass. And yet 

 further west you see the confluence of the Illinois 

 with the Mississippi. 



From this point the great river sweeps round 

 and bears to the southwest for miles upon miles, 

 until it doubles a promontory almost at the far- 

 thest ken of the eye, and thence resuming its 

 northern course, is lost to the gazer. Turning to 

 the east and looking down the river, you view the 

 cliffs overhanging the city of Alton. On your 

 right hand and on your left in the river, are beau- 

 tiful islands — one heart shaped, opposite Elsah, so 

 thickly covered with trees and slirubbery that you 

 can see no land, but simply one dense mass of foli- 

 age extending to the very water, and up the vista 

 between it and the main shore, you look into the 

 very parlor of beauty. But now let ua turn and 

 front to the south, and what a pictui"e we have 

 there ! 



Looking down four hundred feet the eye falls 

 upon a perfectly level plain — its western and south- 

 western portions for many miles a magnificent 

 prairie — its eastern portion one vast, unbroken 



forest — ^its central portion dotted with isolated 

 trees — patches of prairie and a large, winding lake, 

 the view of which is broken by occasional clumps 

 of trees. In the foreground immediately in front 

 of you, nestling amid shrubbery and fruit trees, is 

 gathered the ancient French village Portage de 

 Sioux. Radiating from this to the west, south and 

 east, are many fine farms with their dwellings, or- 

 chards and out buildings. And now peering on- 

 ward and onward through the hazy atmosphere, 

 as far to the south as the eye can reach, we behold 

 lofty ranges of hills — one succeeding another, and 

 still receding until at last we are in doubt as to 

 whether we are looking upon a mountain range, or 

 gazing into misty air. And breaking through a 

 deep gorge in one of these mountain ranges, the 

 mighty Missouri river, with its turbid flood, comes 

 dashing on until it approaches near you, when, ab- 

 ruptly turning to the east, the two great floods — 

 Mississippi and Missouri— flow side by side for 

 manv miles. 



I have been thus minute, Mr. Editor, (and yet 

 have only partially painted the picture), because 

 this is said to be the finest scene to be witnessed 

 from any portion of the State of Illinois, if not 

 from any portion of the entire Mississippi valley ; 

 and farther that we may comprehend the influence 

 thrown around the early life of the lamented Gen. 

 Baker. More than thirty years ago the first ad- 

 vancing wave of civilization broke upon Mt. Emi- 

 nence, but its impression was so slight, its stay so 

 short, that its marks and traces have also passed, 

 and nature again asserts her almost uncombatted 

 sway. As a part of this pioneer wave came the 

 father of yoimg Baker (an Irish emigrant) and his * 

 family. He opened a store and around him was 

 built a village. 



Through three deep ravines and over these great 

 hills, looking out upon these mighty rivers and far 

 spreading prairies, and magnificent forests, and 

 beautifuflake, and mountain ranges, and through 

 the blue air into limitless space. Master Baker 

 spent those gleesome hours of boyhood, when viv- 

 id impressions are indelible, and stamp the char- 

 acter for all time ; aye, for eternity too. With 

 such impressions and glorious surroundings, how- 

 ever low the mental organization of that boy, 

 but whose thoughts and aims and actions, on at- 

 taining manhood, would not be of a lofty and en^f 

 nobling character, carrying him forward to the 

 front rank of his compeers. From this schooling 

 we would expect to find a character imbued with 

 patriotism, a firm and steady man, leading forward 

 the front ranks of brothers in arms upon the bat 

 tie fields of Mexico, taking the van of the emigrant 

 train in scaling the Rocky Mountains iu quest of 

 adventure, and from the broad Pacific coming back 

 the champion of Freedom — the representative of a 

 mighty nation — the upholder of a noble Constitu- 

 tion. And should treachery raise its hideous head 

 we should expect him to strike it down, or in the 

 effort himself be stricken down. And how appo- 

 site that the life commenced on the frowning 

 bluffs of the Mississippi should terminate upon a 

 lofty bluff for the protection of the nation's life. 



But time has passed and the second wave of 

 civilization has reached Mount Eminence, and we 

 find there now the grape and the peach, the well 

 filled library, the charm of social refinement, and 

 believe that ere long Mr. Starr, its present propri- 

 etor, will make of the Mount an Eden. 



General Yiewxb. 





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