FORESTRY OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 7 
east third of the State as a good country; but beyond the first 100 
miles from the present border of the State of Missouri, he doubted if 
the country could be settled on account of the absence of wood. Within 
twenty years a fine body of forest extended along the Kansas River 
from its mouth to 135 miles west. In some localities, as at Topeka, 60 
miles west of the mouth of the river, the body of timber, comprising fine 
specimens of every tree known to the. latitude, was six miles wide. 
Colonel Fauntleroy, in urging in 1852 the establishment of the post 
since known as Fort Riley, at the point where the Republican and 
Smoky Hill unite to form the Kansas River, mentions the locality as 
desirable on account of the existence of one of the finest bodies of tim- 
ber in the West. The banks of the Neosho, from Council Grove to the 
present line of the Indian Territory, were heavily timbered. Large 
bodies of cottonwood were found at Lake Sibley and other points on 
the Republican. The Marais des Cygnes, and in fact nearly all the 
streams of Eastern Kansas, were well timbered. Even in the extreme 
northwestern portion of the State, nearly to the borders of the plains of » 
Colorado, fine groves existed on the small tributaries of the Republican, 
one of them being early named the Driftwood. After all the ravages 
of twenty years the amount of timber in the State is estimated at 
2,560,000 acres, or 4.92 per cent. of the whole area. 
Colorado had, at the time of the discovery of its mines, 25 years ago, 
a great body of pine, spruce, fir, and other trees covering its mountain 
sides. In 1870 it was estimated one-third, possibly one-half, of the trees 
in the settled portions of the Territory had been destroyed by fire and 
ceaseless slashing. Since that period railroads have penetrated the 
country, and have added to the destruction by consuming millions 
of ties. The original forest lands of Colorado are now being converted 
into deserts. 
Wyoming is a country of high plains and lofty mountains. In 1873 
it was estimated that there were 2,000,000 of acres of timber in North- 
western Wyoming. The business of cutting off the timber for railroad 
ties has been going on for many years. The consumption has been es- 
timated at 500,000 ties per annum. Charcoal burning and the demand 
for mining purposes have also diminished the native timber. The ele- 
vation of the country renders it liable to frost every month in the year 
except July, which enhances the difficulties surrounding artificial for- 
estry. mu 
The mountains of Montana were originally covered with forests of 
pine, spruce, fir, cedar, and balsam. These forests have been ravaged 
by fire, and it has been noticed that where timber is once destroyed on 
these mountains it is not followed by a second growth. 
Idaho presents great contrasts of surface and vegetation. The finest 
body of red cedar on the continent exists in this Territory, and, on the 
other hand, there are 16,000,000 acres of sage-brush lands, which are 
are, however, for the most part, susceptible of irrigation, and so offer a 
field for tree cultivation. 
