The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-07-31
THE ARKANSAS Valley!
ITS 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 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 it offers
the greatest inducements for home
seekers of any yet remaining in, or be-
longing to, the public domain.
THE ARKANSAS RIVER
Is 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 one-half de-
grces west ofGreenwich, and longitude
! thirty-nine 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, ii flows completely around
the south peak, surges and sparkles 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
onc-half Colorado, it flows through the
gorges and valleys of the mountains,
is deep and impetuomsly strong, but
entering upon the broad plain pasture
east of the mountains its bed widens
and its flow from thence to the gulf is
quiet, yet swift. In Colorado il re-
ceivcs several tributaries, most of them
rising in the mountains, among which
are Fontaine, Ca Bouie, Greenhorn,
iiuerfano, Apishpa, Tinpas, Purgato-
rie, Little and Big Sandy, etc. 1t en-
tiers Kansas seventy-five miles north of
the south line Of the state. runs due
eeast 40 miles, DIVORCES seventv-five
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 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-
lnarkable 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, as also
the subsoil of the adjacent lands. The
superintendent 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 four inches below the surface, where
in reality the river was flowing in the
gravel. The river at Wichita is about
l,500 feet wide, at Hutchinson, forty
miles further up, ii is !, 900 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, llar-
vey, Sedgwick, Sumner and Cowley.
These counties embrace the finest, rich
est and best watered lands TO be found
in the whole 1000 miles traverscd by
the Arkansas. This portion of the
valley is from five to twenty miles wide.
The soil is chiefly a 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 a much larger proportion of min
cral matter than the prairie soils of H.
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 sand, but the expert
encc of our farmers is directly the OPP
posite. Read what the editor of the
american Agriculturdlist, who visited
this valley in April of this year, has TO
say:
'The soil is deep black loan. rest
ing on lighter colored subsoil con-
sisting of loan. clay and gravel. both
soil and subsoil being so porus that
surface water readily passes through
them, and III no case is there any diff
iiculty 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 fearlessly, 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 il constantly moist from evapo-
ration below. and protects it from
drouth. Within six hours of the ces- /
sation of a rain in which | judge at /
least three inches of water fell. | saw
farmers breaking sod and cultivating !
the Young corn. The crops of corn, |
oats, rye. spring and fall wheat. pota- /
toes and garden vegetables, which
saw growing. both on new and old |
in various localities in the |
valley, are equal 10 any that | have /
ever seen elsewhere. during many
years experience. know of no part I
of the country possessing a more at /
trAriiYc soil for the farmer than this"