The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-12-25
SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS.
THE ARKANS AS VALLEI.
The Land Of Sunshine, Streams ana
Natural Meadows.

THE ARKANSAS WALLET.
The Land Of Sunshine, Streams and
Natural Meadows.
Its Settlements, Towns and Pecp'e.
A Fertile Soil and Genial Climate.
The land of green meadows, clear
streams, fertile soil, healthtui climate.
and almost continual sunshine, South
western Kansas. properly speaking.
consists of about fifteen counties, whose
territory is watered and drained by the
Great Arkansas River and its tributa
rics, the Little Arkansas. the two Wall
nuts .Pawnec, Minnesota, Medicine LODI
&c, Cimarron and their hundreds Of ri
butaries. 1t is country 100 miles north
and south by $50 east and west. Being
but recently openedto settlements to
the pre-emptor and homestcader, the
settlement of a portion of it.fcspccially
OF Scdgwick, Harvey, Reno, barbour.
Sumner. Cowlcy and Batter counties
has been wonderfully rapid. To this
country thousands of lon9In" eyes are
turned, not only from the older states,
but from some portions OF Europe.
These people who contemplate coming
to the west, and 10 this, the choicest
portion of ii, are anxious 10 Know
more of the particulars, more Of the
striking characteristics Of the great
river, its tributaries, and valleys, that
have for decades past been set down
by the geographer and writer as uniil-
habitablc. TO newspapers of this val
lev. and to the letters Of friends alone,
can these people. who desire to come
among us, look for information. To
this end is this article compiled.
1t is a fact well known to the gov
ernment, as TO all observing western
men, that the really valuable lands be-
| longing to the general government are
now limited aud that the remaining
/ lands are rapidly being transferred 10
private hands-the homcstcader, pre-
| emptor and settler Of the west. Out
| side Of the Indian territory there re-
mains but a limited supply of really
good agricultural lands in all the west,
the choicest of which. for climate, soil,
and health. are to be found in the great
valley of the Arkansas, in the counties
named above.
! THE ARKANSAS RIVER
! is little less than 1000 miles in length,
being one of the longest and swif'test
running streams upon the continent.
Rising in Colorado territory, latitude
one hundred and six and one-half de-
grces west ofGrcenwich, and longitude
thirty-nine and onc-half degrees north.
receiving its waters from rivnlets 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
the base of Noun. Lincoln and rushes
out through canyon in Pixies Peak
range into the valley Of estern Colora-
do and on eastward. 1t enters Kansas
seventy-tive mics north of the south
/ line of the state, runs due east 40 miles,
DIVORCES scvcnty-tiye 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 Vicksburg. The Arkansas is a
broad and shallow stream, with many
islands. low but well defined banks,
varying from four to ten feet in height.
The most remarks lc features are that
although draining country, before
reaching Kansas. larger than all New
England, and although it carries the
melting SHOWS in June. July and Au-
gust OF many thousand square miles, it
never ovcrilows its banks, but its wa
tiers are curiousiy 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 Kan
sas is composed of sand aud gravel. as
also the subsoil of the adjacent lands.
The superabundant water spreads it.
self through his subsoil, instead of
Overlooking the country, as would be
the case if the subsoil of the wide val
lavs was clay. So completely does the
porus subsoil drink up this water that
most of the year it is easily fordablC
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, whcr,
in reality The river was flowing in the
gravel The river at Wichita is abou,
300 feet wide. at Hutchinson, fort,
miles further up, it is 500 feet wide
THE VALLEY AND SOIL.
The richest and most desirable por
ton of the valley lies between TIA,
Great Bend and the point where lht
river enters in the Indian territory, il
which area are the counties of Reno
Harvey. Sedgwick, Sumner, Cowlcl
: and Butler. To describe perfectly the
lands. streams, towns and production,
, of these counties would require a more
facilc and forciblc pen than we WELD
The valley proper or bottom is from
. ten to twenty miles in width. The
higher lands upon either side are "A kline
of second bottom, or low rolling prai
! ries, with Just enough undulation oil
swc.! 10 carry off the extra rain falls
J The soil of the valley proper, which il
also marked by gentle swells, is chief
" sandy lOam, made up of such min
cral elements as have been washed
from the Rocky mountains by the attri
ton OF ages. 1t is IA marked feature o
this soil that it contains much large
proportion of mineral matter than tn,
prairie soils of Illinois and Iowa, whicl
are chiefly vegetable mould. For this
reason our valley will improve by cul
: tivation. To those accustomed to
murkv soil. there appears to be il
places in this valley too much sand, bu
: the experience of our farmers is direct
: ly the opposite. Read what the edito
: of the american Igriculturist, who vi
7 sited this valley in April of this year
has TO say:
The soil is deep black loan, rest
ing on lighter colored subsoil con
: sistiug of loan, clay and gravel, boil
!, soil and subsoi being so porus tina
surface water readily passes through
l them, and in 10 case is there any diff
Guilty experienced in crossing will
horses and wagons or stock. any water
courses or beds of streams. Teams ma,
!, be driven across springs or creek bot
= toms fearlessly, without danger of mir
! ing. This porosity of the soil, Will
il renders it capable of being plowed o
: worked Immediately after the heayies
: rains. at the same Zine keeps is con
I stantly moist from evaporation below
c and protects il from drouth. Within
/ six hours of the cessation OF a rain i
which Judge at least three inches o
u water fell. | saw farmers breaking so
: and cultivating the Young corn. Tn
crops Of corn, oats. rye, spring and IA
G wheat. potatoes and garden vegetables
! which saw growing, both on new an
i old brcakings. in various localities il
the valley. are equal TO any that hav
ever seen elsewhere, during man
years experience. know of no par
:, of the country, possessing more al
:: tractive soil for the farmer than this.
STOCK.
G This is the natural home for cattl,
u Ern,n cnrly snrinr until the middle {