The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1860-05-19
THE COTTONWOOD VALLEY.

The Valley of the Cottonwood River is
one of the finest in Kansas. Stretching for
eighty miles along the eastern base of the
Great Divide. it possesses all the fertility
which its immense drainage could afford.
Like all the large streams which traverse
the borders of the Great Plains, the Cotton
wood (Which is the Neosho proper) has its
broad, fertile bottoms, well wooded along
and in the vicinity of the stream, with gen
tly ascending prairie for miles back, equally
well adapted to cultivation and grazing
| The appearances of the country is very sim
liar along its whole course. The rich delta
of land encompassed by the two streams
below Emporia is no more attractive or
beautiful than others lying in the bends of
the Cottonwood to its very source. The
average width of the bottoms is from one
to three miles-the stream angling across it
every two or three miles, but generally
bearing upon its south side, where also the
bluffs are higher and approach nearer.
My journey up was by the main road on
the north side of the river to Cottonwood
Falls, twenty miles west from Emporia,
where l crossed and remained in the town
over night. Under the proprietorship and
energetic efforts of Messrs. Isaac Alexander
and L. D. Hinkley. dam, a saw and grist
mill, and several new houses have recently
been commenced at this point. The site is
a very favorable one, and there will doubt
less be the largest town above Emporia.-
4 The South Fork, a considerable stream
coming in from the southwest and empty
ing into the Cottonwood four miles below
Cottonwood Falls, contains about thirty-fve
settlers. A town called Bazaar is just being
laid out some seven or eight miles above its
mouth.
Above the Falls the country is higher and
more broken for several miles on both sides of
the stream. Taking the Indian traiP'
road up the south side of the river, at a
distance of four miles l reached an altitude
of over two hundred feet, overlooking Dia-
mond Spring creek from the north, Middle
creek from the northwest, and Upper Cot
tonwood from the south west. Between
|
highest ground I traversed. High bluffs
were also visible on the south. Above the
mouth of Middle creek. the bottom on the
north side of the Cottonwood widens to a
depth of from two to three miles, and con-
tinues so around the Big Bend, distance
of half a days drive. Much of this rich
bottom remains untaken and / was told
there were vacant claims upon the stream
comprising considerable timber. was
surprised to find so good farms along this
part of my journey. Mrs. Shaft, ten miles
above the Falls, has field of some $50
acres; and five miles above that Messrs.
Riley Simmons and Jown W. Hawkins Eave
each under cultivation similar amount.
!! To Mr.. Hawkins am indebted for convey
) anee and two days time which he spent in
rambling over the prairies and showing me
the country. We followed the valley ten
miles father up TO Doyles creek, out which
the main Pixies Peak road now runs. Il
is stream twenty FIVE or thirty miles long,
skirted with heavy bodies of timber and
bounded by broad. rich bottoms of prairie
on either side No claims are yet taken on
that creek. except one or two at its mouth.
The land is all surveyed and open for settle
ment and pre-emption The whole face of
the country west OF Chase county. as far as
we went--some fifteen miles-is more level.
and apparently contains better soil as a
! body than that east of it. The bottoms are
broader, aud the upland, instead of being
high and stony. is but gently undulating,