The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-08-14
THE ARKANSAS VALLEY!
ITS CAPABILITIES, FERTILITY
AND DEVELOPMENT
Lands and Homes for the Millions.

Lands and Homes for the Millions.
In .his article we shall attempt Civ
ing the readers of the EAGLE living in
other states. and who may contemplate
coming west TO make a home, a prac-
tical idea of the more striking charac-
teristics of the great Arkansas river
and its valley, for within the bounds
of this valley are found the richest
lands. the most flourishing towns and
the most prosperous people TO he
found. probably, upon the American
continent. Certain it is that il offers
the greatest inducements for home
seekers of amy yet remaining in, or be-
longing Ia, the public domain.
THE ARKANSAS RIVER
l. little less than 1000 miles in length.
bc;n" one of the longest and swiftcst
running streams upon the continent.
Rising in Colorado territory, latitude
one hundred aud six and ouc-half de-
"rccs west orGrcenwich, and longitude
thir:y-ninc and onc-half degrees north,
receiving its waters from rivulcts and
springs that are fed by the melting OF
the eternal SHOWS of the snowy range
which rcars its rugged, lofty and snow
crowned peaks $50 miles west of. and
5000 feet above the base of the Rocky
mountains. it flows completely around
the south peak, surges and sparkles at
,bc base of Mount Lincoln and rushes
out through Il 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
onc-half Colorado, il flows through the
gorges and valleys Of the mountains,
is deep and impetmously 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. vet swift. In Colorado it re-
ceives several tributaries, most of them
rising in the mountains, among which
are Fontainc, Ca Bouie, Greenhorn,
IIucrfano. Apishpa, Tinpas, Purgato-
rie, Little and Big Sandy, etc. 1t en-
tiers Kansas scventy-fvc miles north Of
the south line of the state, runs due
ceast 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,
cmptying into the Mississippi midway
between Memphis and Nicksburg. The
Arkansas is broad and shallow
stream. with many islands, low but
well defined banks, varying from four
TO ten feet in height. The most re-
,narkable features are that although
draining a country, before reaching
Kansas, larger than all New England,
and although it carries the melting
SHOWS in June, July and August of
many thousand square miles, it never
oyerfiows its banks, but its waters are
curiously kept within the bed Of the
stream, working 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, as 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 1,600 feet wide.
THE VALLEY 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-
vey, Sedgwick, Sumner and Cowley.
These counties embrace the finest, rich
est and best watered lands to be found
in the whole 1000 miles traverscd by
the Arkansas. This portion OF the
valley is from five to twenty miles wide.
The soil is chiefly sandy loan, made
up of such mineral elements as have
been washed from the Rocky noun
tains by the attrition of ages. Ii is
marked feature Of this soil that it con-
tains much larger proportion OF min-
eral matter than the prairie soils OF IL
linois and Iowa, which are chiefly
vegetable mould For this reason our
valley will improve by cultivation.
To those accustomed to murky SOIL
there appears to be in places in this
valley too mucb sand hut the experi-
c,,., = a;ro.,,, Tho on
ehce vi our FARMERS 10 "'..' Va. "
posite. Read what the editor OF the
american Igricultwalist who visited
III valley IN Anr;l of This wear. has TO
say