FUNCTION CITY. It

in this young country, and also the size of that mag-
nificent stream, the Kaw or Kansas.

Ogden, the next stopping place, is a point of some
historical interest in the annals of the State, the first
Territorial Legislature of Kansas having been convened
here by Governor Reeder, and the stone building in
which it was held still remains.

Now we round a curve in the track, and in front of us,
on the summit of a lofty plateau on the north bank of
the river, may be seen the stars and stripes floating from
a flagstaff on Fort Riley. This post was established in
the spring of 1852, and was first known as Camp
Center, it being very nearly the geographical center of
the United States.

Two miles farther on, we stop at Junction City. This
is a substantially built town, located at the junction of
the Smoky Hill and Republican rivers, which form the
Kansas river, and has a population of between three
and four thousand. The superior class of buildings
here is owing to the great abundance of building
material in the immediate vicinity; in fact, good stone
and clay appear to be plentiful everywhere in this
wonderful country.

The valley of the Republican, which stretches far to
the northward and contains thousands of acres of the
richest farms, is made tributary to the Kansas Pacific
Railway by its Junction City and Fort Kearney branch,
which connects here with the main line.

Twenty miles north of Junction City is located the
Powys Welsh Colony, and 16 miles north-east of the