The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1874-06-18
SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS.


western Kansas. properly speaking,
consists of about fifteen counties, whose
territory is watered and drained by the
Arkansas River and its tributaries,
the Little Arkansas. the two Walnuts,
Pawnec, Ninnescah, Medicine Lodge,
Cimarron and their hundreds OF trl-
butaries. It's country 100 miles north
and south by 80 east and west. Being
but recently opened to settlements to
the prc-emptor and homesteader, the
settlement of portion of il. especially
of Sedgwick. Harvey, Reno, Barbour,
Sumner. Cowley and Butler counties
has been wonderfully rapid. To this
country thousands of longing eyes are
turned, not only from the older states,
but from some portions OF Europe.
These people who contemplate coming
to the west, and to this, the choicest
portion of it. are ANXIOUS to know
more of the particulars, more of the
striking characteristics of the great
river. its tributaries, and valleys, that
have for decades past been set down
by the geOgrapher and writer as unin-
habitable. To newspapers of this val
ley. and to the letters of friends alone,
can these people, who desire to come
among us, look for information. To
this end is this article compiled.
1t is fact well known to the gov
eminent, as TO all observing western
men. that the really valuable lands be-
longing to the general government are
now limited and that the remaining
lands are rapidly being transferred to
private hands-the homestcader, pre-
cmptor and settler of the west. Out
side Of the Indian territory there re-
mains but limited supply of really
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 counties
named above.
THE ARKANSAS RIVER
is little less than 1900 miles in length,
being one of the longest and swiftcst
running streams upon the continent.
Rising in Colorado territory, longitude
one hundred and six and One-half de-
grees west of Greenwich, and latitude
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, it flows completely around
the south peak, surges and sparkles at
the base of Mount Lincoln ard rushes
out through a canyon in Pixies Peak
range into the valley Of estcrn Colora-
do aud on eastward. 1t enters Kansas
seventy-five miles north of the south
line of the state, runs due east 40 miles,
DIVORCES seventy-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 Vicksburg. The Arkansas is a
broad and shallow stream. with many
islands, low but well defined banks,
varying from four to ten feet in height.
although draining country, before
reaching Kansas, larger than all New
England, and although it carries the
melting SHOWS in June. July and Au-
gust of many thousand square miles, it
never overfows its banks, but its wa
tiers 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 Kan
sas is composed of sand and gravel, as
also the subsoil of the adjacent lands.
The superabundant water spreads it.
self through his subsoil. instead of
overlooking the country, as would be
the case if the subsoil Of the wide val
leys was clay. So completely does the
porus subsoil drink up this water that
most of the year it is easily forbade
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
/ 800 feet wide, at Hutchinson, forty
miles further up, it is 600 feet wide.
TIE VALLEY AND SOIL.
The richest and most desirable por-
ton 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, Sedgwick, Sumner, Cowley
and Butler. To describe perfectly the
lands. streams, towns and productions
of these counties would require more
facilc and fOrcible pen than we WELD.
The valley proper or bottom is from
ten to twenty miles in width. The
higher lands upon either side are kind
of second bottom, or low rolling prai-
ries, with just enough undulation or
swell to carry off the extra rain falls.
The soil of the valley proper, which is
also marked by gentle swells, is chief
" sandy loan, made up of such min
eral elements as have been washed
from the Rocky mountains by the attri-
ton of ages. 1t is a marked feature of
this soil that it contains much larger
proportion of mineral matter than the
prairie soils of Illinois and Iowa, which
are chiefly vegetable mould. For this
reason our valley will improve by cul-
tivation. To those accustomed to q
murky soil, there appears to be in
places in this valley too much sand, but
the experience of our farmers is direct
ly the opposite. Read what the editor
of the american AgriculfuriSt, who Vi
sitcd 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 in 10 case 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 fearlcssly, without danger of mir
ing. This porosity of the soil, while
it renders it capable of being plowed or
worked Immediately after the heaviest
rains. at the same Zine keeps is con-
stantly moist from evaporation below,
and protects il from drouth. Within
six hours of the cessation Of 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. potatoes and garden vegetables,
which saw growing, both on new and
old breakings. in various localities in
the valley. are equal to any that have
ever seen elsewhere, during many
years experience. know of no part
of the country, possessing n more at
tractive 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 and stock raiscr's
wander leisurely through the green
nutriciOus grasses that brush their