OCR Text |
Show I 104 smne oak and hickory woods, n1ixed with some short leaved pine, interspersed with ~leasant strea~s c~nd fountains of water. 'fhe oppos~te, or left stde Is a continuation of thick cane; tl!e nver or ~o.w lands 10 or 12 miles wide. Afte_r leavmg the pra~ne, the cane continues for about 40tntles; you then arnvcat another prairie, called Little prairie, .left side, about 5 I?iles. in length, and from 2 to 3 In breadth; _opposite s.tde ~ continues cane as before; low lands :vtde, well t.tmbered, very rich, and overflow but httle; t~1e nver still widening. Back ·of the low groun~s, IS a well tin1bered, rich upland countrY:;. gently rolhng and w~ll watered· from the Little pratne, both banks cane for 10 or 12 miles, v:hen the oak at~d pine woods c~me bluff to the river for about 5 mtles; left hand stde, cane as before; then the smne on both ~ides, for from 10 to 20 miles wide, for about 15 1n1les, when the cedar begins on both sides, and is the pri~1cipa~ growth on the wide, rich river bott01n for 40 miles; mall ~he world there is scarcely to be found a more beauhf~l growth of cedar tin1ber; they,_ like the cedars of Lt· banus, are large, lofty and strmght. . . You now arrive at the mouth of the Ltttle nver of the rio-ht · this river is about 150 yards wide: the b ' • water clear as chrystal; the bottom of the nver sto~y, and is boatable, at high water, up to the .great prames ncar 200 miles bv the course of the nver; the low grounds generally fron1 10 to 15 miles wi~e, a~ound· ing with the n1ost luxuriant growth of nch ~Imber, but subject to partial inundation at particular ramy se~· sons. After leaving this river, both banks of Red ri· ver are cane as before, fdr about 20 miles, whe~ y~u come to the round prairie, right side, about 5 miles In circumference. At this place Red river is forda_ble at low water; a hard stony bottom, and is the fir~t place from its mouth where it can be forded. Tlus round prairie is hio-h and pleasant; surrounded by handsome oak and hickory uplands ; left side cane as before, and then the same both sides for 20 1111' le s, to 105 the long prairie, ]eft side, 40 miles long; opposite side' cane as before; near the middle of this prairie, there is a lake of about 5 miles in circumference in an oval form, neither tree nor shrub near it, no; stream of water running either in or out of it; it is very deep and the water so limpid that a fish 1nav be seen 15 feet from the surface. By the ~ide or"'this lake the Cadr doquies have lived from time immerrtorial. About one mile from .t he lake is the hill on which ' they say , the great sptnt placed one Caddo family, who were saved when, by a general deluge, all the world were drowned; from "vhich family all the Indians have originated. For this little n,1tu ral eminence all the Indian tribes, as well as the Caddoquies for a great distance, pay a devout and sacred homage. Here the French, for many years before Louisiana was ceded to Spain, had erected a small furt; kept some soldiers to guard a factory they had here established for the Indian trade, and several French families were settled in the vicinity built a flour mill, and cultivated wheat successfully 'ror seve~ al years; a?d it is only a few years ago that the mill Irons and mill stones were brought down~ it is about 25 years since those French families moved down and 14 Y.ears since the Caddoquies left it. Here is an~ther f?rdmg ~lace when the river is low. On the opposite Side a pomt of high oak, hickory, and pine land comes bluff to the river for about a mile; after which, thick cane t~ the upper end of the prairie; then the same on ~oth sides for about 12 miles; then prairie on the left side f?r 20 miles, opposite side cane ; then the same for 30 miles, then an oak high bluff three tniles, cane again for about the same distance, on both sides; then for about o~e league, left side, is a beautiful grove of pac~ns, ~nt~rmixed with no other growth; after which, 2ca0n e b.,o th sides for 40 miles '· then prairie , left side ' for . mi es, at~d from one to two miles only in depth; abou~ the mtddle of which comes in a bayau of clear runnmg water, about SO feet wide; then _cane again 14 |