The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-09-18
THE ARKANSAS Valley!
IT'S CAPABILITIES, FERTILITY
AND DEVELOPMENT.

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 in
other states, and who may contemplate
coming west to make a home, a prac-
teal 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- be
found, probably, upon the American
continent. Certain it is that il offers
the greatest inducements for home
seekers of any yet remaining in, or he
longing to, the public domain.
THE ARKANSAS RIVER
l. little less than 1000 miles in length,
being one of the longest and swiftest
running streams upon The continent.
Rising in Colorado territory, latitude
one hundred and six and onc-half de-
grees west ofGrcenwicl, and longitude
thirty-ninc 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, surgcs and sparklcs at
the base of Mount Lincoln and rushes
out through a 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, il flows through the
gorges and valleys of the mountains,
Is deep and impetuously strong, but
entering upon the broad plain pasture
east of the mountains its bed widcns
and its flow from thence to the gulf is
quiet, yet swift. In Colorado il re-
ceives several tributaries, most Of them
rising in the mountains, among which
are Fontaine, Ca Bouie, Grccnhorn,
Huerfano, Apishpa, Tinpas, Purgato-
ric, Little and Big Sandy, etc. 1t en-
tiers Kansas seventy-five miles north Of
the south line of the state, runs due
ecast 40 miles, DIVORCES seventy-fivc
miles northeast, then angles to the
southeast, forming what is known as
the Great Bend, thence little south
of east through Kansas, the Indian
territory and the state of Arkansas,
emptying into the Mississippi midway
between Memphis and Vicksburg. 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-
lnarkable 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
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, as also
the subsoil of the adjacent lands. The
superabundant 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 il 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 fourinchcs 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 ! 500 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, lIar-
vey, Sedgwick, Sumner and Cowley.
These counties embrace the finest, rich
est and best watcrcd lands to be found
In the whole 1000 miles trayerscd 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 a
marked feature of this soil that il con-
tains much larger proportion of min
oral 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 a murky soil,
there appears to be in places in this
valley too much sand, but the expert
ence of our farmers is directly the OPP
posite. Read what the editor of the
american Agriculturalist, who visited
this valley in April of this year, has to
say:
"The soil is deep black loan, rest
ing on lighter colorcd subsoil 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
fculty experienced in crossing with
horses and wagons or stock, any water
courses or beds of streams. Teams
may be driven across springs or creek
bottoms fcarlessly, without danger of
miring. This porosity of the soil,
while il renders il capable of being
plowed or worked immediately after
the heaviest rains. at the same time
keeps it constantly moist from evapo-
ration below, and protects it from
drouth. Within six hours of the ccs- I
lation of rain i'm which l Judge at I
least three inches of water fell, saw
Farmers breaking sod and cultivating ;
The young corn. The crops of corn, {
bats, rye, spring and fall wheat, pota- l
.ocs and garden vegetables. which |