The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1875-05-27

COME 10 SOUTHWESTERN
KANSAS.
The land of green meadows, clear
streams, fertile soil, hcalthful climate,
and almost continual sunshine, South
western Kansas, properly speaking,
consists of aboutfifteen counties, whose
territory is watered and drained by the
Arkansas River and its tributaries,
the Little Arkansas. the twOW alnuts,
Pawnee, Minnesota, Medicine Lodge,
Cimarron and their hundreds of tri-
butaries. 1t lis country 100 miles north
and south by $50 east and west. Being
but recently opened to settlements to
the pre-emptor and homesteader, the
settlement of a 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 ofthis val
lev. 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
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 to
private hands-the homesteader, pre-
emptor and settler of the west. Out
side of the Indian territory there re-
mains but limited supply of really
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-haif 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 and rushes
out through canyon in Pixies Peak
range into the valley of estern Colora-
do and on eastward. 1t enters Kansas
seventy-five miles north of the south
line of the state, runs due east 140 miles,
DIVORCES seventy-five 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, emptying into the
Mississippi midway between Memphis
and Vicksburg. The Arkansas is q
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, il
never overfows its banks, but its wa
ters 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 superintendent water spreads it.
self through his subsoil, instead OF
OVERLOOKING the country, rs would be
the case if the subsoil of the wide val.
levs was clay. So completely does the
porus subsoil drink up this water that
most of the year it is easily fordablt
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
1900 feet wide, at Hutchinson, forty
miles further up, it is 1000 feet wide
THE 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, il
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
facile and forcible pen than we WELD
The valley proper or bottom is from
ten to twenty miles in width. Thu
higher lands upon either side are a kline
of second bottom, or low rolling prai
ries. with just enough undulation Of
swell to carry off the extra rain falls
The soil of the valley proper, which j.
also marked by gentle swells, is chief
ly sandy loan, made up of such min
eral clements as have been WASHED
from the Rocky mountains by the attri
ton of ages. 1t is marked feature o
this soil that it contains a much larger
proportion of mineral matter than thu
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 ;
murky soil, there appears to be ii
places in this valley too much sand, bu
the experience of our farmers is direct
ly the opposite. Read what the editol
of the american Agricultvist, who vi
sited this valley in April of this year
has to say:
"The soil is deep black loan, rest
: ing on q lighter colored subsoil con
sisting of loan, clay and gravel, boil
soil and subsoil being SO porus tina
surface water readily passes through
them, and in no case is there any diff
Guilty experienced in crossing will
horses and wagons or stock, any water
courses or beds Of streams. Teams ma,
be driven across springs or creek bot
toms fearlessly, without danger Of mir
, ing. This porosity of the soil, Will,
it renders it capable of being plowed o.
worked Immediately after the heavies
rains, at the same time keeps is con
stantly moist from evaporation below
and protects it from drouth. Within
six hours of the cessation of rain il
which Judge at least three inches 0
water fell, saw farmers breaking sot
and cultivating the young corn. Tn
crops of corn, oats, rye, spring and fal
, wheat, potatoes and garden vegetables
which l saw growing, both on new ant
old breakings, in various localities il
the valley, are equal to any that / hav'
ever seen elsewhere, during man,
, years. experience. know of no par