The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1874-01-15
SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS.
THE ARKANSAS VALLEY.
The Land OF Sunshine, Streams and
Natural Meadows.
Its Settlements, Towns and People.
4 Fertile Soil and Genial Climate.

The land OF green meadows, clear
streams, fertile soil, hcalthful climate,
aud almost continual sunshine. South
western Kansas. properly speaking,
consists of about fifteen counties, whose
territory is watercd and drained by the
Great Arkansas River and its tributa-
ries, the Little Arkansas. the two Wal
nuts. Pawnee, Minnesota, Medicine Lodi
&c. Cimarron and their hundreds of ri
butaries. 1t is a country 100 miles north
and south by $50 cast and west. Being
but recently opened TO settlements to
the pre-elnptor and honiesteader, the
settlement of 4 portion of il. especially
of Sedgwick. Harvey. Reno, Barbour,
Sumner. Cowley and Butter 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 10 know
more Of the particulars, more OF the
striking characteristics OF the great
river, lis tributaries. and valleys, that
have for decades past been set down
by the geographer and writer rs unin-
habiiablc. To newspapers of TIKI, val
ley. and 10 the letters of friends alone.
c.n these people. who desire TO come
among Us. look .:for Information. To
this end is this article complied.
Ii is fact well known to the gov
eminent. as 10 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 10
private hands-ihe homcsteader. pre-
cmptor and settler of the west. Ont
side of the Indian territory there re-
mains but Il limited supply of really
good agricultural lands IN all the ives, i,
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 1000 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-
grccs west of Greenwich, and latitude
ihirtyninc and one-haif degrees north.
receiving it's waters from rivulets and
tilat ltu w tBt VI
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, it flows completely around
the south peak, surgcs and sparkles at
the base of Mount Lincoln and rushcs
out through CANYON in Pixies Peak
range into the valley of estcrn Colora-
do and on eastward. 1t enters Kansas
sevcnty-five miles north of the south
line of the state, runs due cast 140 miles,
DIVORCES seventy-iive 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, emptyimg 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
The most remarkable 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 Au-
/ gust of many thousand square miles, it
never oycrfows its banks, but its wa
tiers are curiously kept within the bed
Of the stream, working n 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 superintendent water spreads it.
self through his subsoil, instead Of
overlooking the country. as would be
! the case if the subsoil Of the wide val
! lcys was clay SO completely does the
porus subsoll drink up this water that
most of the year 1t is easily fordable
with teams, and there has been times
| when. in the western portion of the
state. the river bed would 90 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
/ / $50 feet wide. at Hutchinson, forty
miles further up, ii i 1900 feet wide
THE VALLEY AND SOIL.
I The richest and most desirable por-
. ton of the valley lies between the
Great Bend and the point where the
. river enters ia the Indian territory. in
which area are the counties Of Reno.
! llarvcv. Scdgwick. Sumner. Cowlcy
/ and Batter. TO describe perfectly the
/ lands, streams. towns and productions
/ of these counties would require Il more
/ facilc and iOrcibic pen than we WELD.
/ The valley proper or bottom is from
J ten to twenty miles in width. The
higher lands upon either side are a 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 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 ages. Ii is marked feature of
! thi, sol! that it contains Il 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 a
murkv soil. there appears to be in
! places III this valley too much sand, but
/ the experience of our farmers is direct
/ " the opposite. Read what the editor
/ OF the american Igricultarist, who vi
sitcd this valley in April of this year,
! has To say:
/ The soil is q deep black loan. rest
4 ing on lighter colorcd subsoil con-
/ sisting of loan. clay and gravel, both
/ soil and subsoil being so porus that
/ surface water readily passes through
them. and in TO case is there any diff
Guilty experienced in crossing with
/ horses and wagons or stock, any water
/ courses or beds of streams. Teams NAV
/ b. driven across springs or creek bot
toms fearlcssly. without danger Of mir
/ ing. This porosity of the soil, while
! il 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 n 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
tthc valley, are equal TO any that have
ever seen elsewhere. during many
years experience know of no part
Of the country, possessing more at
! tractivc 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 raiser's
wander leisurcly through the green
nutritious grasses that brush their
sides in open meadows that arc bound