The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-09-11
THE ARKANSAS Valley!
IT'S CAPABILITIES, FERTILITY
AND DEVELOPMENT.
Lands and Homes for the Millions.


AND DEVELOPMENT.
Lands and Homes for the Millions
In this article we shall attempt Civ
ing the readers Of the EAGLE living il
other states, and who may contemplat,
coming west to make home, a prac
tical idea of the more striking charac
tcristics Of the great Arkansas river
and its valley, for within the bounds
Of this valley arc found the richest
lands, the most Aourishing towns and
the most prosperous people to b,
found, probably, upon the American
continent. Certain it is that it offer.
the greatest inducements for home.
seekers Of any yet remaining in, or be-
longing to, the public domain
THE ARKANSAS RIVER
L. little less than 1900 miles in length
being one Of the longest and swiftesi
Rising in Colorado territory, latitude
one hundred and six and onc-half de-
grees west of Greenwich, and Longitude,
thirty-ninc and one-half degrees north.
receiving its waters from rivulets aud
springs that are fed by the melting o.
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 Rock,
mountains, il flows completely around
the south peak, surges and sparkles al
the base of Mount Lincoln and rushes
out through 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 tho
gorges and valleys of the mountains.
is deep and impeiuously strong, but
entering upon the broad plain pasture
east of the mountains its bed widens
and its flow from thence to the gulf j.
quiet, yet swift. In Colorado il re-
ceives several tributaries, most of them
rising in the mountains, among which
arc Fontainc, Ca Bouie, Greenhorn,
IIuerfano. Apishpa, Tinpas, Purgato-
rie, Little and Big Sandy, etc. II en-
tiers Kansas seventy-five miles north OF
the south line of the state, runs due
ccast l40 miles, DIVORCES scventy-fve
miles northeast, then angles TO the
southeast, forming what is known a.
the Great Bend, thence 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 broad and shallow
stream, with many islands, low but
well defined banks, varying from four
10 ten feet in height. The most re-
lnarkablc features are that although
draining a country, before reaching
Kansas, larger than all New England,
and although il 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 |
water spreads itself
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 wafer 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 four inches below the surface, where
In reality the river was flowing in the
gravel. The river at Wichita is about
| 500 feet wide, at Hutchinson, forty
miles further up, it is 500 feet wide.
THE VALLEY AND SOIL.
This description will be more par
Iicularly confined to the valley lying
between the Great Bend and where the
river enters the Indian territory. In
his area arc included more particular
he counties of Raymond. Reno, Ilar-
yey, Sedgwick, Sumner and Cowley.
These counties embrace the finest, rich
st and best watercd lands to be found
n the whole 1000 miles traversed by
he Arkansas. This portion of the
ALLEY is from five 10 twenty miles wide.
The soil is chiefly sandy loan. made .
10 Of such mineral elements as have
'cen washed from the Rocky noun
aims by the attrition Of ages. Ii is a ,
marked feature of this soil that il con- {
aims a much larger proportion of min c
raj matter than the prairie soils of IL .
inois and Iowa. which are chiefly ,
egetable mould. For this reason our 5
alley will improve by cultivation. I
o those accustomed 10 murky soil,
here appears TO be in places in this /
alley too much sand, but the expert c
nee Of our farmers is directly the OPP 1
osite. Read what the editor of the
Imcricaa Agricuitwdlist, who visited
Ms valley in April of this year, has to C
": f
The soil is a deep black loan. rest 5
Il on lighter colored subsoil con- Y
sting of loan. clay aud gravel, both f
Ill and subsoil being SO porus that a
lrface water readily passes through v
lem. and in no case is there any diff fl
guilty experienced in crossing with !:
orses and wagons or stock. any water r.
purses or beds of streams. Teams "
nv be driven across springs or creek u
,ttoms fcarlessly, without danger of '
iring. This porosity of the soil. a
lille il renders il capable of being a
owed or worked Immediately after n
e heaviest rains, at the same time L
,eps il constantly moist from evapo- e'
tion below, and protects II from OF
'outh. Within six hours of the ces el
tion Of rain in which judge AT e'
asst three inches of water fell. l saw n,
rmers breaking sod and cultivating al
e Young corn. The crops of corn. d'
is, rye. spring and fall wheat, pota- re