The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-09-06
The Germania Colony IN Kansas


From the Topeka Blade
The German people all over me EASIci,n
and Northern States of our country ana III
Canada are taking a lively Interest IN IN, nc
colonization enterprise of the AtchiHon, ~
neka and Santa Fe Railroad Company in me
Great Arkansas Valley, and Mr.. {. Il. Schmidt
the General German agent OF the company
! has found it necessary to employ extra hclp
to assist him in satisfying the popular clamor
for "partCulars" on the subject From inc
dimensions of the correspondence in the Ger
man Department of the Land once, ana 'IlG
decided business-tOnc OF the lelteIS rcCcNtu
there, we are led to judge that EHth"oG"' inc
central point of the colony, Is ucstlheu 10 oc
The German town of Kansas; Tor not FARMERS
and stOckrascrS only, but ar'lAahs prolcaHi"'''
al and business men are taking steps 10 lueh,
tifv themselves with the movement and
wcu they may for the surrounding country
has all the attributes that warrant the growth
and prosperity of large commercial ana IN
dustrial community. Our state il TO be con
graduated upon the acquisition OF Il class OF
citizens who, az n rule have proven highly
instrumental in the development OF the natu,
raj resources Of any region which they have
made their home.
The "Gcrmania Colony" is made up of
lands belonging to the counties OF Barton,
Rice, Stafford and Reno. II extends for 30
miles north and south and twelve miles east
and west containing in all 800 sections OF
land, or 23O 400 acres, OF which l09, 100 acres
belong to the railroad company. The remain.
inc l2OGiO acres are Government land and
subject TO demonstrating and prc-emptlon.
You may travel from the mouth of the Ar
kansas, in the sunny south, back to its snow
hid birth place, amid the glaciers OF Mount
Lincoln, and nowhere along those 2O0O miles
will YOU find body of land, that In richer
measure possesses all the desirable attributes
for the various branches OF farm industry,
and the rapaCity with which the government
land hcrcabouts is taken up, goes to show that
this peculiarly is amply appreciated. Inc
stOckman seeks cheap lands, with plenty OF
healthy water; he finds it in that portion OF
The colony, which extends south of the All
kansas river, at prices ranging from $50 to
S3 50 per acre, with luxurant pasture and an
OF clear creeks and springs. The
agricuIturist knows what that black mellow
soil, from five to tenn feet deep, can produce,
and he selects his quarter section from the
lands living north of the river, or in the bot
tom along both its banks. Large crops of
corn and oats have been grown here for years,
and all sorts of gardentruck does finely.
Melons, pumpkins, squashes, onions, and
roots of all and every kind, attain fabulous
The immense herds of buffalo which have
remained here for centuries have trampcd
the green sod hard and tough. The rain
water, consequently, instead of penetrating
the soil. runs quickly off through the various
creek beds into the Arkansas river This cir
cumstancc explains the general dry and parch-
ed appearance of the wild land along the Ar
kansas Valley But let us break that thin
crust of DRY sod, and what do we find but Il
mellow, moist alluvial soil, which becomes
moistcr with every inch we dig down. This
remarkable phenomenon is easily accounted
for, when the facts are understood. The bed
of the river, at least throughout It's course in
Colorado and Kansas l. composed of sand
and gravel and the sub soil Of the adjacent
lands consisting of the same material, the SUI
pcrabundant waters spread themselves
through this ,ubsoil, instead of overlooking
the surface OF the country. as would be the
ease if the Subsoil was composed Of clay. SO
does the porous sub-,oil drink up
the river. that last summer, following win
ter of an extraordinarily hight fall OF Nno" IN
the mountains, the bcd OF the river was, IN
places, absolutely dry, although water rould
be obtained short distance from the surface,
where in reality The river was hoWln@ IN the
gravel.
The Arkansas river divides the colony in
two nearly equal parts, d northern nhd south
I'm. TIE town OF Ellinwood Is situated upon
1 section on the north bank OF The river; It's
distance from AtchiSon Is ?19 miles and rom
irdnada, the present western tcrmInu, OF
il" \. T. 4 : F railroad, ?2G miles. The
'Nact geographical ccutr" of The state has
,ccn located about five miles north from th.
Joint. At ElIinwuod we find ourselves about
900 feet above sea level, and this circum-
tauco, in connection with the natural system
i drainage of the land, accounts tor the re-
purity and dryncss of the atmos- |
here. Both banks of the river are lined
parsley with cottonwood timber To the |
orthward rs far as the Smokey Hin river, |
istancc OF thirty-,iX miles, the country rises /
at the rate of from five To ten feet q
ale, with occasional gentle rolls, and viewed !
rom the railway station, the horizon To the
rest and north seems to Ice formed by respect. /
Bile bluffs, tins, however, is a deception, caus.
d hy the continuous rise of the landscape: /.
he traveller never reaches the bluff