COUNCIL GROVE. 43 



river. This stream is bordered by the most 

 fertile bottoms and beautiful upland prairies, 

 well adapted to cultivation : such indeed is 

 the general character of the countr}^ from 

 thence to Lidependence. All who have tra- 

 versed these delightful regions, look forward 

 \^dth anxiety to the day when the Indian title 

 to the land shall be extinguished, and flour- 

 ishing 'white' settlements dispel the gloom 

 wliich at present prevails over this uninhabit- 

 ed region. Much of this proHfic country now 

 belongs to the Shawnees and other Indians 

 of the border, though some portion of it has 

 never been allotted to any tribe. 



Frequent attempts have been made by 

 travellers to invest the Council Grove with a 

 romantic sort of interest, of wliich the follow- 

 ing fabulous vagaiy, which I find in a letter 

 that went the rounds of our journals, is an 

 amusing sample : " Here the Pawnee, Arapa- 

 ho, Comanche, Loup and Eutaw Indians, all 

 of whom were at war with each other, meet 

 and smoke the pipe once a year." Now it is 

 more tlian probable that not a soul of most of 

 tlie tribes mentioned above ever saw the 

 Council Grove. Whatever may be the inte- 

 rest attached to tliis place, however, nri nr^. 



comit of its historical or fanciful associations, 

 one thing is very certain, — that tlie no\-ice' 

 even here, is sure to imaguie himself m the 

 midst of lurking savages. These visionary 

 fears are always a som-ce of no little merri- 

 ment to the veteran of the field, who does not 



hesitate to travel, with a single wagon and a 



