Excerpt from The Great Southwest, or Plain Guide for Emigrants and Capitalists: Embracing a Description on the States of Missouri and Kansas The great interest now being awakened with regard to Missouri and Kansas must be taken as a sufficient apology for the publication of this book. No other States, not excepting even Nevada, and California, have attracted so much attention, or become so much the theme of remark and inquiry as these. Geographically, they occupy a cen tral position in the habitable part of the continent, forming virtually the heart of the country. The climate, soil, and resources of these States are worthy of this honorable position. No part of the Union is more fertile or better watered, and but few are more salubrious. Thy go to the Gulf States or to the Pacific coast in quest of treasures that are hidden at our own doors - that are buried beneath our own feet? Why neglect the practical advantages Within our reach for the possible good afar off? Men need not go to Texas or Oregon for homes when thousands of acres of the richest and most productive land on the con tinent are lying idle in Missouri and Kansas. The eye of the 'speculator is unhappily adjusted only for viewing remote objects. Its range is telescopic, and hence the images of all near objects are blurred and indistinct. It is With the purpose of correcting such defects of vision that this book has been prepared. The author would place before his readers, in a clear, succinct manner, a correct and faithful description of home lands. They may lack the novelty and roma'nce pertaining to lands remote, but they possess practical advantages Which foreign regions do not possess. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.