Charaton river is seventy-five yards wide at its mouth, and navigable, at high water, one hundred and fifty miles. Half a mile from its confluence with the Missouri, it receives the Little Charaton, also a considerable stream, and navigable for many miles. The Charaton originates near the De Moyen[123] river of the Mississippi, and traverses a country which is of great importance, both on account of the fertility of its soil, and its inexhaustible mines of coal. The Western Engineer, being the first steam-boat that had ever ascended the Missouri, above Charaton, great numbers of the settlers were attracted to the banks of the river, on both sides, to witness our progress. So numerous were the obstacles to be encountered, that many were of opinion our progress {91} would soon be arrested. It sometimes happened, that mistaking the channel, we ran our boat aground in shoal places, and in some instances it was necessary to fall back, in order to extricate ourselves from these difficulties. In this way much time was consumed.
The expansions of the Missouri bottom above Franklin have, since their settlement, received distinctive names. We pass on the south the Chenai au Barre, Tabeau, Tite-saw, and Miami bottoms; on the north, those of Charaton, Sugar-tree, and Grand river. These are wild and fertile[pg160] plains, usually covered with heavy forests of cotton-wood, sycamore, ash, and sugar-maple, and partly encircled by the bluffs, rising abruptly, about to the elevation of the highest trees, thence sloping gradually to the prairies, the region of the Gramina, and the Cyperacæa. Eighteen miles above Charaton, is the entrance of Grand river an important tributary to the Missouri from the north. This river is one hundred and fifty yards wide at its mouth, and is navigable for boats of small burthen, about two hundred miles. Its waters are transparent, except in times of high floods, and its current less rapid than that of the Missouri. There are no settlements on its banks, except at the mouth, where is a trading house, and the residence of a single family. The lands are, however, of a good quality, and the adequate supply of timber, and numerous springs of water, will ensure their speedy settlement. The Sauks, Foxes, and Ioways, hunt in the plains towards the sources of Grand river, where elk and deer are still numerous, and the latter dispose of their pelfries to the traders on the Missouri.[124]
The navigation of the Missouri, for a few miles above and below the mouth of Grand river, is supposed to be more difficult than at almost any other place, owing to the rapidity of the current, and the numerous sand-bars and snags. Two miles above the confluence is the channel called Grand river {92} Cut-Off, so thickly set with snags as to be almost impassable. The distance by the Cut-Off to the head of the island is three-fourths of a mile; by the course of the river to the same point it is six miles.[pg161][125] We followed the old channel, which is much obstructed by trunks of trees and sand-bars, and after a few hours succeeded in ascending this dangerous pass. Compact limestone, and argillaceous sandstone, occur frequently along the Missouri, above the mouth of Grand river, and indications of coal are often met with. In a country affording but an insufficient supply of timber for the consumption of a dense population, these extensive beds of fossil coal will be considered of great value, and the necessities of the inhabitants will lead to their early exploration. Whenever the dominion of man is sufficiently established in these vast plains to prevent the annual ravages of fires, trees will spring up; but we may expect that before forests originating in this manner can arrive at maturity, the population along the banks of the Missouri will become so dense, as to require the greater part of the soil for the purposes of culture.
The beds of coal in this district lie horizontally, varying much in thickness, and occurring often at an elevation of a few feet above the surface of the water in the Missouri.[126]
On the first of August we arrived at Fort Osage, one hundred and five miles above the mouth of Grand river. Here Mr. Say and his party had been some days encamped, having arrived on the 24th of July from their equestrian journey across the country from Franklin. After leaving that place on the 19th, they passed through a fine bottom on the left side of the river, closely covered with forests of oaks, elms, hackberry, walnut, the mulberry, the gleditschia, the guilandina, and the other trees common on[pg162] the Missouri, for twelve miles, when they arrived at Arrow rock, where is a ferry by which they crossed {93} the Missouri. In this walk they passed a field of corn, containing seven hundred acres. The ferry boat used at Arrow rock is one peculiarly adapted to the navigation of a rapid stream. It consists of two canoes, on which rests a platform, with a slight railing to prevent cattle from falling off.
Arrow rock is so called from its having been formerly resorted to, by the neighbouring Indians, for the stone used to point their arrows. It is a beautiful situation, and rises to considerable elevation above the water.[127] From its summit is a pleasing view of the river, and near the base is a remarkable eddy, which, as they were crossing, whirled their ferry-boat entirely round. On the second day they left their encampment at an early hour, and travelled forward through plains where very few trees were to be seen. They turned off from the Osage trace, in which they had been travelling, and went eight miles to visit the salt-works, and some remarkable diggings, on the saline fork of the Le Mine. Here, at one establishment, one hundred bushels of salt are manufactured per week; eight men are employed, and one hundred and eighty gallons of water are evaporated to produce a bushel of salt.[128]
Two miles from the confluence of the Camp Fork with the Saline, are the salt-works, and the residence of Mr. Lockhart, who received the detachment with much hospitality.
His works were not then in operation, but were sufficiently extensive for the manufacture of five hundred bushels of salt per week. Near his house are the diggings so often mentioned in this region as objects of curiosity. These are irregular, but very numerous excavations of little depth, but evidently the result of the united labours of many persons who were possessed of instruments of iron and steel, as no others could have penetrated, and removed the compact rocky soil, of which the points and brows of the hills are composed. These excavations occur frequently {94} in an extent of two or three miles; and from the amount of labour which appears to have been expended on them, it has been thought by some, that several hundred men must have been occupied two or three years in digging them; but this is, doubtless, much overrated. Whoever were the labourers; it is probable their search was for the precious metals, though at present no indications of any metallic ores, except of a little iron, are perceptible about the diggings. Mr. Lockhart had sunk a shaft to the depth of twenty-two feet, but the appearances continued the same as at the surface.[129]
After travelling forty miles from Arrow rock, for great part of the way through open plains, where the high grass[pg164] and weeds rendered their progress difficult and laborious, they pitched their tent, on the evening of July 21st, on a branch of the Le Mine. Here they saw four Mississippi kites. The forks of the tail of this bird are so much elongated as to resemble some fortuitous appendage, for which, at first sight, they are often mistaken. Sandhill cranes, and flocks of prairie hens were also seen, but were so shy as not to be taken without much difficulty.