The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-09-26

GRANADA, Colorado, August 90, 1874
What I have said of Harvey county in
my letter from Newton, respecting the
quality of soil, health of climate, character
of the people, advantages for education,
etc., will apply with slight degrees of varia-
ton to all that stretch of country, in and
contiguous to the Arkansas Valley, includ-
Chase county, on the east, and extending
along the Cottonwood river, including the
many streams that empty into the Cotton
wood and branch off on either side of the
railroad, which pursues its westward course
along the valley of the Cottonwood river,
thence to the valley of the Arkansas, which
it strikes at Wichita by branch from
Newton, and at Hutchinson, 21S miles west
of the eastern border of the State, on
the main road, till Larned is reached,
eighty miles further west. The large tract
of country embraced in the block of Cen
trail or Middle Kansas, comprising the
counties of Chase, Marion, Morris, Butler
and Harvey, is perhaps the region that
contains most attractions to people from
the East. This scope of country has many
creeks running through it, all more or less
lined with willow and cottonwood timber,
while the country is rolling, and the soil is
of a rich sandy loan, which is said to resist
drouth well. This country is rapidly set
thing up with an excellent class of people,
and is destined to be to Kansas what Della
ware, Philadelphia, Chester, Lancaster and
Bucks counties are to Pennsylvania, or that
tract of country stretching from Philadel-
phia to Harrisburg and Reading.
The cottonwood country round about
Marion Centre is region particularly at
tractive to settlers from the East, as indeed
is all this midland country. 1t is a fine
country for grain, particularly for Winter
wheat, while all the region is superior for
stock, which require feeding but short
time in Winter. The grass here begins to
assume the virtues of the grass on the high
plains which cures as it stands, making a
more nutritious food when dry than when
fresh and green.
Every mile west the country rises toward
those dry, almost rainless plains which
comprise the western part of the State, and
which are destined to be vast grazing
grounds, for the reason that cattle and
sheep will always be more profitable than
any attempts at farming can possibly be.
To form correct idea of what this part of
the State will be ten or fifteen years hence,
view of the country further east which
has been settled up few years, must be
had. About Cottonwood, for instance, after
traversing the plains west of that place all
day and wake up in the morning as you
return east and find well settled country
with fenced fields, trees, hedge rows, orch
ards and barns and houses on every hand,
you begin to appreciate the marvellous
change which will be wrought, in the at
present treeless prairies, which roll away
before and on every side of you, covered
with grass and only grass, till you reach
the dry line three hundred miles west of
the Missouri river. Here you may be said
to stand on the ridge which divides the dry
plains which nature has designated as per-
petual pasture fields, from the grain fields
of the future, where the clouds dispense
their welcome showers to crown the earth
with the rich bounty that rewards the
husbandman's toll. East of this dry line
is indeed goodly land, and in the near
future will support teeming population
of thrifty, intelligent people. A dry,
healthy atmosphere and rich agricultural
and stock country, with good, sweet, whole
some water ten to thirty feet beneath the
surface, and abundance of coal for fuel and
manufacturing purposes. All that is re-
quired is few years occupation by civil
LIKED race to convert the bleak, treelees
plain, which nature has left, into varie-
gated and diversified landscape of orchard,
field and groves.
The towns of Hutchinson, where the A,
I. & Santa Fe Railroad strikes the Arkan
sas river, and Great Bend, fifty miles
further west, with the newly opened farms
round about them, indicate what the coun-
try in all this region is destined to be ere
long. The country about Great Bend,
although much further west and approach
ing the permanent dry line, presents at this
time much greener appearance than that
further east the order of nature seemingly
having been reversed, and more rain has
the drought this season has been very
severe. The country about Great Bend is
beautiful country to the eye, even in its
present native wildness. IL cannot fail to
be far more SO when diversified by the hand
of man, and trees form part of the land
scape picture. Walnut creek here comes
down to empty into the Arkansas river,
and sixty or seventy miles through the
prairie it dispenses verdure and fruitfulness
along a wide valley which forms it's banks
and country most inviting to the settler.
AS you go west the grazing country i'm
proves, and all the region of Great Bend
cannot fail in the future to be Goshen.
A curious phenomena for this dry region,
occurred here last night, in heavy dew,
which wet the rails so thoroughly as to
cause the car wheels to slip, so that the
train came almost to dead halt. No dew
has been seen in this part of the country
for several weeks before, and there being
no sand on the train for such an emergency,
and none to be found in this part of the
country near the track, the train could
merely move along till the sun dried the
rails.
After passing Great Bend large herds of
cattle began to make their appearance with
the. herdsmen on ponies attending Them
feeding on the bottom of the Arkansas
river where the grass is green and refresh
ing to the eye, which in every other direc-
ton it turns, roves over vast undnlating
plain of dried and brown grass, with moth
ing to break the monotony but the swells
and bluffs that rise up a mile away, the
natural boundary to the upper valley Of the
river; and the dividing line between the
valley and the ever unconquorable plains.
Pawnee Rock is an ancient land mark of