Iowa Columbian Commission Archaeological, Committee on Hand Book of Iowa

Annotation

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. Of the thoughts and emotions Of those men, forming that day the vanguard Of our present Christian civilization in this central west, we have no record. Something Of the strange musings they indulged as they rode in their fragile vessels amidst their strange, weird surroundings, we are left to imagine. Gliding slowly down the great stream on that June day, the valley and the not far away hills that bound it were clothed in summer luxuriance. As they entered the Mississippi to their right, but little above them on the Wisconsin shore lay a beautiful prairie, reaching miles up the great stream and some three miles back from the river, but this they did not see. In front of them on the Iowa side Of the larger river were the high bluffs, but turning down the stream they were soon in a delightful river archipelago. The first Iowa prairie they beheld was that on which the town Of Guttenburg was built. In all this varying scenery they saw no sign of human form or habitation. It is said they rode on the river four davs before the first sign Of human inhabitant was seen. Then they beheld human footprints in the sand.