The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1874-01-01
SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS.
THE ARKANSAS VALLEY.
Tho Land Of Sunshine, Streams and
Natural Meadows.
Its Settlements, Towns and People.
A Fertile Soil and Genial Climate.

Natural MEADOWS.
Its Settlements, Towns and People
A Fertile Soil and Genial Climate
The land of green meadows. clea
streams, fertile soil, healthful climate
and almost continual sunshine, South
western Kansas, properly speaking
consists Of about fifteen counties, hos
. territory is watercd and drained by tn
Great Arkansas River aud its tributa
ries, the Little Arkansas. the two Wal
nuts, Pawnee, Minnesota, Medicine Lod
re, Cimarron and their hundreds of ri
butaries. 1t is a country 100 miles noril
and south by $50 east and west. Bcin;
but recently opened to settlements t.
the pre-emptor and homcsteader, tn
settlement of a portion of il. especiall,
of Sedgwick, Harvey, Reno, Barbour
Sumner. Cowley and Butler countic
has been wonderfully rapid. To tli
country thousands of longing eyes arr
turned, not only from the older states
but from some portions of Europe
These people who contemplate comm;
TO the west. and to this. the choices
portion of it, are ANXIOUS to know
more Of the particulars, more Of thu
striking characteristics Of the grca
river, its tributaries, and valleys, tha
have for decades past been set dow
by the geOgrapher and writer as unin
habitablc. To newspapers of this val
ley, and 10 the letters Of friends alone
can these people. who desire to come
among US, look for information. re
this end is this article complied
1t is fact well known to the gov
ernment, 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 tC
private hands-the homesteader, pre-.
emptor and settler Of the west. Out
side Of the Indian territory there re
mains but limited supply of reall,
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 countie.
named above.
THE ARKANSAS RIVER
is little less than 1000 miles in length
being one of the longest and swiftest
running streams upon the continent
Rising III Colorado territory, longitude
one hundred and six and onc-half de-
grees west of Greenwich. and latitude
ihirty-ninc and onc-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 and rushes
out through canyon in Pixies Peak
range into the valley of estern Colora-
do and on eastward. 1t enters Kansas
seventytive miles north of the south
line of the state, runs due east 40 miles,
DIVORCES scyenty-five miles northeast,
then angles to the Southeast, forming
what is known as the Great Bend,
thence Il little south of cast through
Kansas. the Indian territory and the
state of Arkansas, cmptying into the
midway between Memphis
and Nicksburg. The Arkansas is a
broad and shallow stream, with MANY
islands, low but well defined banks.
from four to ten feet in height.
The most remarkable features are that
although draining country, before
reaching Kansas, larger than all New
England, and although it carries the
SHOWS in June. July and Au-
gust of many thousand square miles. it
40, e,
tcrs are curiously kept within the bed
Of the stream, working great benefit
TO the soil of the valley for miles upon
Zach side. The fact is the bed of the
stream throughout its source in Kan
'as is composed of sand and gravel. as
,lso the subsoil of the adjacent lands.
The superintendent water spreads it
self through his subsoil, instead of
DvcriloWing the country. as would be
he ease if the subsoil of the wide val
cys was clay. SO completely does the
iorus sub>oil drink up this water that
most of the year 1t is easily fordable
With teams. and there has been times
when, III the western portion of the
,tate. the river bed would 90 drv. al
hough water could be obtained three
n four inches below the surface. where
n reality the river was flowing in the
sravel. The river at Wichita is about
300 feet wide, at Hutchinson, forty
niles further up. it is 1000 feet wide.
TIE VALLEY AND soIL.
The richest and most desirable por-
ion Of the valley lies between the
treat Bend and the point where the
liver enters in the Indian territory. in
which area are the counties of Reno,
laryey. Sedgwick, sumner. Cowlcy
md Butler. TO describe perfectly the
ands. streams. towns and productions
# these counties would require more
AGILE and iorcible pen than we WELD.
he valley proper or bottom is from
en- to twenty miles in width. The
higher lands upon either side are kind
# second bottom, or low rolling prai-
les. with just enough undulation or
well TO carry oil the extra rain falls.
he soil OF the valley proper, which is
llso marked by gentle swells. is chief
y sandy loan. made up of such min
rai elements as have been washed
rom the Rocky mountains by the attri-
ION OF ages. 1t Is a marked feature of
his soil that 1t contains much larger
proportion of mineral matter than the
'rairle soils OF Illinois and Iowa, which
re chiefly vegetable mould. For this
eason our valley will improve by cul-
walton. 10 those accustomed to
nurky soil. there appears TO be in
'laces III tins valley too much sand, but
he experience of our farmers is direct
IA to 81. 1
i the american IgrlcatturiSt. who Vi
tied this valley in April of this year,
as TO say:
ne son Is deep black loan, rest
ng on a lighter colorcd subsoil con-
letiiig OF loan. clay ana gravel, both
oil and sub>oil being so porus that
uriacc water readily passes through
hem, and in lao case is there any diff