The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-07-24
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
inc the readers Of the EAGLE living in
other states. ard who may contemplate
comino west to make a home, "A prac-
tical idea of the more striking charac-
teristics of The great Arkansas river
and lis valley, for within the bounds
of This valley are found the richest
lands. the most lourishing towns and
the most prosperous people 10 be
found. probably, upon the American
continent. Certain il is that il offers
thc greatest inducements for home
seekers of amy Yet remaining in, or be-
longing TO. the public domain.
THE ARKANSAS RIVER
l. lille less than 1000 miles in length,
being one Of The longest and swiftcst
running streams upon the continent.
Rising in Colorado territory, latitude
ono hundred and six and one-half de-
crees west ofGrecnwich, and longitude
thi,i,-ninc and onc-haif 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 ilous completely around
the south peak. surgcs and sparklcs at
fine hasc 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 lis head rise the Grand and
Platte rivers. Rearing the SHOWS of
opc-halC Colorado. il flows through the
gorge, and valleys of the mountains,
is deep and impcimously strong, but
entering upon The broad plain pasture
east of the mountains lis bed widens
and It's flow from thence 10 the gulf Is
quiet. vet swift. la Colorado il re-
ceivcs several tributaries. most of them
rising in the mountains, among which
are Fontaine. Ga Bouic, Grcenhorn,
Iiueriano. Apishpa, Tinpas. Purgato-
RE. Little and Big sandy, etc. II ell
tiers Kansas scvcnty-fiyc miles north of
the south line of the state. runs due
eeast 40 miles, DIVORCES scventy-fye
miles northeast, then angles TO the
southeast, forming what is known as
the Great Bend, thence little south
of cast 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-
lnarkabe 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 August of
many thousand square miles, il never
overflows 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. a also
the subsoil of the adjacent lands. The
superintendent water spreads itself
through this subsoil, instead of over
flowin" 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 il 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 al Wichita is about
300 feet wide, al hutchinson. forty
iiiiltN iui ih'i hl'' ~ - ''''' 49, 49,
THE VALLEY AND SOIL.
This description Wilt 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, llar-
- 4 a "a
These counties embrace the finest, rich
est and best watcrcd lands TO be found
in the whole 2.G30 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 atirition Of ages. Ii is a
marked feature of this soil that ii con-
tains a much larger proporiion 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 much >znd, but the expert
encc of our farmers is directly the OPP
positc. Read what the editor OF the
.in,erican 1gricNltUrdIist, who visited
this valley in April of this year, has TO
saw:
The soil i, deep black loan. rest
in" on a lighter colorcd subsoll con-
sisting of loan. clay and gravel, both
soil and subsoil being SO porus that
surface water readily passes through
Them. and IN no case is there any diff
ticultv experienced in crossing with
horses and wagons or stock. any water
courses or beds of streams. Teams
may he driven across springs or creek
bottoms fcarlessly. without danger of
miring. This porosity of the sou,
while il renders il capable of being
plowed or worked Immediately after
The heaviest rains. ut the same time
keeps il constantly moist from crapo-
ration below. and protects II from
,lrouth. Within six hours of The ces-
sation of a rain in which | judge. al
least three inches of water fell. saw
farmers breaking sod and cultivatin@
The Young corn. The crops OF corn.
oats, rye. spring and fall wheat. pota-
toes and garden vegetables Whioh
saw growing. both on new ana oiu
breakings. in various LOCALITIES IN the
valley. are equal TO any mat nave
ever seen elsewhere, during man.
wears experience. know OF no part