The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-04
LITTLE TRIP TO THE SOUTHWEST.
Butler Connty--Some of its Towns =
The Whitewater Valley-The
Railroad Prospects
Big CeuHtry.


Eldorado is a substantial town.
Good site, sloping nicely up from
the stream. Houses well built, and
stores we'll stocked. A magnificent
stone school house crowns the high
land at the west edge of the town,
and neat stone church is being fin
ished nearer the centre, by the
Presbyterians. To the right of these
a very fine $1,000 residence is being
built. The National bank is soon
to erect a large magnetism building,
and there are other structures under
way which show that EIdorado is
steadily progressing. 1t is almost
exactly in the center of the county,
the natural trading point for many
miles up and down the rich Walnut
valley, aud sure to be entered by
any railroad that goes southwest
from Lyon county. The haudsomest
business house is the new Times
building, occupied as store Oh the
ground floor, and by thenewspaper
office in the second story. Here we
found Bent Murdoch, with one of
the best equipped and best kept
country printing offices to be seen
in any State. Facing the street are
his editorial and private rooms. a
township had just been named after
him, and he was happy. After hav-,
ing also interviewed the Eagle at
Wichita, we concluded that the ''tri-
angle is really a big thing i'll the
newspaper line, and that it is on a
very solid basis at each point. The
Times is doing an excellent bust
mesa, and will continue 10.
We found tip top set of county
officers penned up in the stone court
house. County Clerk Blevins has
only one leg, but his head is level,
and he thoroughly understands the
duties of his Office. District clerk
and treasurer Ellis are competent
and courteous public servants, also,
as no doubt their fellow officers are.
Friday evening drew large au-
dience to hear some stirring tempe
rance speeches at the school house.
The Good Templars were in regalia.
They embraced (not huggcdD lots of
good looking young ladies. The
choir sang very well. No Eldorado
bachelor need leave home in quest |
of feminine beauty and intelligence.
Falls Hotel is a substantial and
well kept house. Mr.. Falls can keep
a hotel anywhere, and we cordially |
commend himself and his house to |
all who travel that way.
Westward again, bound to the |
Whitewater valley. The great ca
pacity of this section begins to show
plainly. 1t is all productive. The
uplands are hardly more than second
bottom. The entire stretch of land
from the Walnut TO the Arkansas,
may be said with almost literal
truth TO have a house and residents
upon every quarter section. What's
that? Acres of green grass, March
l4th, the first we've seen in -. Ell
dorado disappears. Wood and wa
ter vanish. Houses stand in all
with wells, but no fen
;es. a plowed line marks the farm
boundaries. The farmer plows and
sows regardless of fence or the yet
implanted or infant Usage orange.
The herd law is his protection. A
hedge law should be added.
And now passing over the sum-
nit of these gentle swelIs and roll
ng down grade again, glorious
'cene presents itself. North, south, J
vest, as far as the eye can distin-
suish the landscape, the broad val
ey of the Whitewater spreads out
n great wavy lines, heavily fringed
With the yet leafless timber, and
tretching its various branches out
t frequent intervals TO clasp the I
emily ascending land which feeds ]
nd is fed by the beautiful stream /
hat enriches and ornaments the !
uperb valley it traverses. No !
Tonder house stands on every 100 {
eres, no matter whether near by
r far from the river. And straight j
head, a clump Of roofs in grand
end of the river, denotes the only J
,wn in range Of our vision, the
tile but magnifcentiy situated city
f Towanda. This is the famous F
Id 'tMesd trading post and his (
,omy old log house is one of the I,
ozen better structures not very far z
ON it that constitute the present T
low of buildings. Ten miles east I
Eldorado, Plum Grove is u TO l5 p
,rth, Wichita over 90 west, Angus 2
ten south. The town site is a g
'lendid area of high land near the "
YER. There is space for a nations e
pltal. Three fine water powers s,
ar by, the best of magnesiaa lime
one cropping out on and near the H
nm site axeailant xyalis at fxvonfx, 10