Life in Prairie Land

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. The following work was commenced with the intention of writing one or two brief sketches descriptive of Life at the West. And until some hundred and fifty pages were written, I never contemplated the possibility of extending them to a volume. At that point, I was so far from having said all I felt, that Ivery willingly re signed myself to the current of my feelings and wrote on. To those who read the volume first, and after ward, in some idle moment, turn back to the preface, I need not say that I have been impelled in every step by love of my theme. That will have been apparent enough to them, without any such declaration. I have loved the West, and it still claims my preference over all other portions of the earth. Its magnitude, its fertili ty, the kindliness of its climate, the variety and excellence of its productions are unrivaled in our own country, if not on the globe.