The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-09-04
THE ARKANSAS Valley!
IT'S CAPABILITIES, FERTILITY
AND DEVELOPMENT
Lands and Homes for the Millions

In This article we shall attempt Civ
ing the readers of the EAGLE living il
other states. and who may contemplat,
coming west to make home, prac
teal idea of the more striking charac
tcristics of the great Arkansas river
aud its valley, for within the bound,
of this valley are found the riches,
lands. the most flourishing towns and
the most prosperous people TO be
found. probably. upon the American
continent. Certain il j. that il offers
the greatest inducements for home
seekers of any Yet remaining in. or be.
longing to. the public domain.
THE ARKANSAS RIVER
j. little less than 1000 miles in length
being one of the longest and swiftes,
running streams upon the continent
Rising in Colorado territory, latitude
one hundred and six and onc-half de.
grees west of Greenwich, and longitude
thirty-nne and one-half degrees north,
receiving its waters from rivulets and
springs that are fed by the melting OF
the eternal SHOWS of the snowy range
which rears its rugged, lofty and snow
crowned peaks $50 miles west of. and
5000 feet above the base of the Rocky
mountains. il flows completely around
the south peak, surges and sparkles at
the base of Mount Lincoln and rushes
ont through canyon in Pixies Peak
range into the valley of Eastern Colo
RADIO and on eastward. Within ten
miles of its head rise the Grand and
Platte rivers. Bearing the SHOWS of
one-half Colorado, ii flows through the
gorge. and valleys of the mountains,
is deep and impetuously strong, but
entering upon the broad plain pasture
east of the mountains its bed widens
and its flow from thence TO the gulf is
quiet, We. swift. In Colorado it re-
ceiyes several tributaries, most Of them
rising in the mountains, among which
are Fontaine, Ca Bouie, Greenhorn.
Huerfano, Apishpa, Tinpas, Purgato-
rie, Little and Big Sandy, etc. Ii en-
tiers Kansas seventy-fivc miles north of
the south line Of the state, runs due
eeast 40 miles, DIVORCES seventy-five
miles northeast, then angles to the
southeast, forming what is known as
the Great Bend, thence a little south
of east through Kansas, the Indian
territory and the state of Arkansas.
emptying into the Mississippi midway
between Memphis and Nicksburg. The
Arkansas j. a broad and shallow
stream, with many islands, low but
well defined banks, varying from four
10 ten feet in height. The most re-
Inarkable features are that although
draining country. before reaching
Kansas, larger than all New England,
SHOWS in June, July and August of
many thousand square miles, il never
overllows its banks. but its waters are
curiously kept within the bed of the
stream, working a great benefit to the
soil Of the valley for miles upon each
side. The fact is the bed of the stream
throughout its source in Kansas is
composed of sand and gravel, as also
the subsoil of the adjacent lands. The
superintendent water spreads itself
through this subsoil. instead of over
flowing the country, az would be the /
case if the subsoil of the wide valleys /
was clay. So completely does the /
porus subsoil drink up this water that /
most of the year it is easily fordable /
with teams. and there has been times |
when, in the western portion of the |
state, the river bed would go dry, al
though water could be obtained three |
or four inches below the surface, where
in reality the river was flowing in the
gravel. The river at Wichita is about
] 800 feet wide, at Hutchinson, forty
miles further up, il is l,600 feet wide.
THE VALLt.Y AND SOIL.
This description will be more par
ticularly confined to the valley lying
between the Great Bend and where the /
river enters the Indian territory. In
this area are included more particular
The counties of Raymond, Reno, Har-
II. IL and Tnu-1a,-
These counties embrace the finest. rich
est and best watered lands TO he found
in The whole 1000 miles traycrsed by
the Arkansas. This portion of the
valley is from five to twenty miles wide.
The soil is chiefly sandy loan, made
NJ of such mineral elements as have
been washed from the Rocky noun
aims by the attritiou of ages. Ii is
marked feature of this soil that it con-
aims much larger proportion of min
rial matter than the prairie soils of IL
inois aud Iowa. which are chiefly
vegetable mould. For this reason our
ALLEY will improve-by cultivation.
70 those accustomed TO a murky soil,
here appears to be in places in this
alley too much sand. but the expert /,
nee of our farmers is directly the OPP
,osite. Read what the editor of the
imertcaa IgricWitWdiist, who visited
his valley in April of this year, has to ,
ay:
"Thc soil is deep black loan. rest :
n" on lighter colored subsoil con-
listing of loan. clay and gravel. both I
oil and subsoil being SO porus that /;
urfacc water readily passes through '
hem. and in no ease is there any diff I
Guilty experienced in crossing with |
orses and wagons or stock, any water ]
curses or beds of streams. Teams
lay be driven across springs or creek J
ottoms fcarlossly. without danger of
hiring. This porosity of the soil. a
lille il renders il capable of being a
lowed or worked immediately after !
he heaviest rains. al the same time
eeps il constantly moist from eyapo- e
alton below. and protects it from o
routh Within six hours of the ces- c
alton of a rain in which | judge AT e
,ast three inches of water fell. | saw n
lrmers breaking sod and cultivating a
he Young corn. The crops of corn, Il
ats. rye. spring and fall wheat, pota- T.
pes and garden vegetables. which | q
aw growing. both on new and old n
reakings. in various localities in the p
alley. are equal TO any that | have c
yer seen elsewhere. during many I;
ears experience. know of no part W
the country possessing more at N
'actiye soil for the farmer than this" "