IOWA. 



POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



1. Divisions. This State is divided into 34 counties.* 



Population at different Periods. 



1810 Whites, Slaves, Total, 1,052 



1320 " 13,552 " 1,167 " 14,273 



1830 " 25,671 " 4,570 30,388 



1837 " 54,000 " 14,000 68,200 



2. Towns. Little Rock., on tlie south bank of the Arkansas, is the seat of government. It 

 received its name by antiphrasis from the prodigious masses of rock in its neighborhood ; and 

 It has a healthy and pleasant situation. Population, 1,500. The other principal towns are Jlr- 

 kansas, an ancient French settlement, the inhabitants of which are mostly descendants of French 

 and Indians. Population, 100. Batesville., on White River, Helena., on the Mississippi, 

 Ecore Fabre, on the Washita, Lagrange and Fulton, on lied River, are also petty villages. 



3. Agriculture. Cotton is the staple article of cultivation ; but it becomes an uncertain 

 crop north of the river St. Francis. The rich lands produce fine maize and svveet potatoes. 

 Rye and barley will thrive in almost every part ; and wheat does well in the high country. 

 Figs are raised, but with difficulty ; the tree being frequently killed by the frost. Peaches are 

 raised in great excellence and abundance ; and various kinds of fruit are cultivated with suc- 

 cess. 



4. Government. Arkansas, which originally formed a part of Louisiana, and was subse- 

 quently included in the Territory of Missouri, was detached from the latter with a separate 

 government in 1819, and became a State in 1836. The Governor is chosen by the people, 

 and holds office for 4 years. The legislature, styled the General Assembly, consists of a 

 Senate, elected for the same term, and a House of Representatives, for 2 years. Suflrage is 

 universal for the whites. The State sends one representative to Congress. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. IOWA. 



1. Boundaries and Extent. The Territory of Iowa lies between the Missouri and Missis- 

 sippi rivers, being bounded on the S. by Missouri, on the E. by the Mississippi, separating it 

 from Wisconsin and Illinois, on the N. by the Hudson's Bay Company's Territories, and on 

 the W. by the White Earth and Missouri rivers. It extends from 40° 30' to 49° N. lat., and 

 from 90° to 102° W. long., and is above 600 miles in length, by from 200 to 300 in breadth, 

 having an area of about 170,000 square miles. The greater part of the Territory is stili oc- 

 cupied by Indian tribes, and a large proportion of its surface has not been explored by whites, 

 except by trappers and traders. 



2. Face of the Country, ^c. The central portion is traversed by a broad ridge, presenting 

 few irregularities of surface, and attaining no great elevation above the surrounding level, al- 

 though it forms the water-shed between the Mississippi and the Missouri. It is called by the 

 Canadians Coteau des Prairies, or Hill of the Prairies, and in many parts is very rugged ; 

 the height is estimated at about 2,000 feet ; but the general elevation of the country makes 

 about half that amount. In the south the country is nearly level, or diversifipd only by gentle 

 swells, and deep depressions cut out by the action of water. The soil of this portion is ex- 

 tremely fertile, resembling the best parts of Missouri and Illinois ; the prairie prevails except 

 on the river borders. The lead region of Missouri and Wisconsin is continued through this 

 part of the Territory. In the north there are extensive patches of sandy and rocky land, and 

 the soil is generally of inferior quality, and much of it is unsuitable for cultivation. 



3. Rivers. Besides the great limitary streams, this Territory contains several large and 

 navigable rivers. The Red River flows north, and is the southernmost stream that reaches 



* Arkansas Hot Springs Mississippi Searcy 



Carroll Independence Monroe Scntt 



Chicot Izard Phillips Sevier 



Conway Jackson Pike St. Francis 



Clark Jefferson Pope Union 



Crawford Johnson Pulaski Van Buren 



Crittenden Lafayette Randolph Washington 



Greene Lawrence Saline White 



Hempstead Miller 



