The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-05-29
Correspondence of The EAGLE.
FROM MEDICINE LODGE.
A Farming as Well as Stock Coun-
try---No Danger From Indians.
MEDICINE LODGE. KANSAS.

,
EDITOR EAGLE: As your columns
are open to communication from all
portions of the country around you,
take the liberty of sending few items
from this county,
AS is the case with all new countries,
at the time of their first settlement,
and when there is nothing but the re-
rorts from those who have only trav-
eled over the country, or oftcner those
who have never seen it themselves,
from which the emigrant can gain real
information. Barbour county has been
the loser by the wrong ideas and mis-
taken impressions which have gained
ground in Eastern Kansas. and even in
the city of Wichita. One Of these
which allude TO is the idea that this
county was poorly adapted to farming
purposes, being too broken and hillv.
The way in which this belief originated
was this: The point first located in
Barbour county was that known as
Gritiin's rancho, on the Medicine Lodge
river, and about twenty miles above
the town of Medicine Lodge. To that
point all who ever came on the Medi-
cine Lodge river came, and the cOun-
try in that vicinity, and more espec-
tally west of there, on Mule creek, in
COmanche county, was the the only
country which they saw. Excepting
the bottom lands. which are very fine
but narrow, the country is rough
the highlands being succession of
hills, with some timber in the ravines
and canons. This country has been
called Barbour county, and known
only as such, and the Medicine Lodge
valley.
AT the town of Medicine Lodge, the
bottoms widen out to be from one to
two miles in width, and the higher
prairie is smoother and susceptible of
making good farms. The eastern half
of the county is smooth enough to
make excellent farms, and the soil is
decidedly good think. as good as |
ever saw. II is uniformly of a reddish
color, similar to the best soil i'll Wilson
and Montgomery counties in this state,
and about Springfield, Mo. The depth
and general appearance of the soil is
such as to satisfy all that it is very rich,
and even those who have been accus-
toned only to black soils, and who
think that color indispensable that the
soil be rich, soon yield the point in
favor of the soil in this region. The
inducement for people to come over
the beautiful lands of Sedgwick and
Reno counties to Barbour, is, that here
timber may be had for fuel without
cost Men are taking prairie claims,
without timber or water, believing
that in few years they will have bet
ter farms than those made waste by
creek and timber. Medicine Lodge is
now the county seat of this county,
and having the best location that any
town can get, near the center of the
county, besides the command of more
territory than any other point, its flu
turc prospects are assured. see that
local papers have almost universally
cOntradicted the report of Indian
trouble on the Medicine Lodge river.
People here have no fears whatever of
danger. Settlers are coming in every
day, and blowing and planting is going
on at rapid rate. BARBOUR.
Z. S.-Heavy rain on the 18th inst,
with wind-blew the battlement off
Jordan Il Bemis' store, and blew down
one frame house which was partly
completed.