The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1874-03-12
SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS.

The land of green meadows. clca
streams. fertile soil. hcalthful climate
and almost continual sunshine. South
western Kansas. properly speaking
consist of about fifteen counties. who's
territory j. watered and drained by tin
Great Arkansas River and its tributa
rics. the Little Arkansas. the two Wal
nuts. Pawnec. Minnesota. Medicine Lod
&c. Cimarron and their hundreds OF ri
buiaries. ii j. coI.ltrv 100 miles nortl
and south by $50 east and west. Bein:
but recently opened 10 settlements Il
the prc-cmptor and homesteadcr, til,
settlement of a portion of il. especiall,
of Sedgwick. Harvey. Reno. Barbour
Sumner. Cowlcy and Butler coun,ic
has been wonderfully rapid. To thi
country thousands of longing ewes ar,
turned, not only from the older states
but from some portions of Europe
These people who contemplate comm.
Ia the west. and TO this, the choices
portion of il. are anXiou, to know
more of The particulars, more of tn,
striking characteristics of the grea
river. is tributaries. and valleys. tina
have for decades past been set down
by the "eographer and writer as unin
habitablc. To newspapers of this val
ley, and 10 the letters of friends alone
can these people, vino desire TO come
among us. look ..ior information. TC
this end is this article complied.
1t is fact well known to the goy
ernmcnt. a. 10 all observing western
men. that the really valuable lands be.
longing to the general government are
now limited and that the rcinainin.
lands are rapidly being transferred Il
private hands-thc homesteadcr, pre-.
cnpior and settler of the west. Out.
side Of the Indian territory there re.
mains but a limited supply of rcall,
good agricultural lands in all the west
the choicest of which. for climate. soil
and health, are TO be found in the great
valley of the Arkansas, in the countic.
named above.
THE ARKANSAS RIVER
i. little less than 1900 miles in length
being one of the longest and swiftest
running streams upon the continent.
Rising in Colorado territory, longitude
one hundred and six and onc-half de.
grees west of Greenwich. and latitude
ihiriy-ninc and one-half degrees north,
receiving its waters from riyulets and
springs that are fed by the melting OF
the eternal SHOWS of the snowy range
which rcars 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 sparklcs at
the base of Mount Lincoln and rushes
ont through canyon in Pixies Peak
range INFO the VALLEY Of estcrn Colora-
do and on eastward. Ii enters Kansas
scyentv-fiyc mics north of the south
line of the state, runs due east 140 miles,
DIVORCES scvcniy-iiyc miles northeast,
then angles to the Southeast, forming
what is known as the Great Bend.
thence a little south Of east through:
Kansas, the Indian territory and The
state of Arkansas, cmptying into the
Mississippi midway between Memphis
and Nick,b burg Tho Arkansas is Il
broad and shallow stream, with many
islands, low bat. well defined banks,
varying from four TO ten feet in height
The most remarkable features arc that
although draining a country, before
reaching Kansas. larger than all New
England. and although il carries III,
melting SHOWS in June. july and Au-
gust of many thousand square miles, it
never overflow. its banks. but its wa
tiers are curiouslv 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 i'll Kan
sas is composed of sand aud gravel. as
also the subsoil of tho adjacent lands.
The superintendent wafer spreads it.
self through his sub>Oii. instead OF
OVERLOOKING the country. as would be
the case if the subsoil of the wide val
lcvs was clay. 50 completely does the
porus subSOll drink up this water that
most OF the year 1t is easily iordablc
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 he obtained three
or four inches below the surface. where
ia reality the river was flowing IN the
gravel. The river al Wichita is about
LOO feet wide, at Hutchinson, forty
mile, further mp, II is 900 feet wide.
THE VALLEY AND SOIL.
The richest and most desirable por-
tion Of the valley lies between the
Great Bend and the point where The
river enters in the Indian territory, in
which area are the counties of Reno,
Harvey, Nedgwick, sumner. Cowlcy
and Butler. TO describe perfectly the
lands. streams. towns aud productions
of these counties would require Il more
facilc aud forciblc pen than we WELD.
The valley proper or bottom is from
ten to twenty miles in width. The
higher lands upon either side are a kind
of second bottom. or low rolling prai-
rics. with Just enough undulation or
swell 10 carry oil the extra rain falls.
Tie soil of the valley proper, which is
also marked by gentle swclls, is chief
~ a sandy loan, made up of such min
cral elements as have been washed
from the Rocky mountains by the attri-
ton of a@cs. II j. "A marked feature of
this soil shat il contains much larger
proportion of mineral matter than the
prairie soils of Illinois and Iowa, which
ARE chiefly vegetable mould. For this
reason or valley will improve by cul-
tiyaiion. TO those accustomed To u
murky soil. there appears TO be in
places in this valley too much sand, but
the experience of our farmers is direct
IL the opposite. Read what the editor
OF the .lmcricGR .lN'icHltUgiSt. who vi
sitcd this valley in April of this year.
has TO say:
The soil i, deep black loan. rest
inc on a lighter colorcd subsoil con
Sistiu@ of loan. clay and gravel, both
soil and subsoil being So porus that
surface water readily passes through
them, and in lao ease is there any diff
Guilty experienced in crossing with
horses and wagons or stock. any water
courses or beds of streams. Teams may
be driven across springs or creek bot
toms icarlcSsly. without danger of mir
in@. This poroAity of the soil. while
il renders IL capable OF being plowcd or
worked immediately after the heaviest
rains, III the same line keeps l. con-
stantly moist from evaporation below,
and protects il from drouth. Within
six hours of the cessation OF a rain in
which Judge at least three inches of
water fell. | saw farmers breaking sod
and cultiYaiing the Young corn. The
crops of corn, oats. rye. spring and fall
wheat. potatoes and gardcn vegetables.
which | sax grow ING. both ON new and
old breakings. ia various localities in
the valley. are equal 10 any that have
ever seeu elsewhere, during many
years experience. know of no part
Of the country, possessing more at
tractiyc soil for the farmer than this. :"
STOCK.
This is the natural home for cattle.
From early spring until the middle of
October or the first of November the
herds of farmers aud stock raiscr's
wander lcisurcly through the green
nutritious grasses that brush their
sides in omen meadows that are bound