The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1875-04-22
COME TO SOUTHWESTERN
KANSAS.

ind almost continual sunshine, South
western Kansas. properly speaking, |
Of about fifteen counties, whose |
il watercd and drained BY the |
Arkansas River and its tributaries,
he Little Arkansas; the twoW alnnts,
Pawnee, Minnesota, Medicine Lodge,
Cimarron aud their hundreds OF tn
butaries. It's country 100 miles north |
and south by $50 east and west. Being |
but recently opened to settlements to
The pre-emptor and homesteader, the
of portion of il. especially
Of Sedgwick, Harvey, Reno, Barbour.
Cowley and Butler counties
has been wonderfully rapid. To this
thousands Of longing eyes are
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 gcographer and writer as unin-
To newspapers of this val
lev. aud 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 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 to
private hands-the homesteader, pre-
emptor and settler of the west. Out
side of the Indian territory there re-
mains but q limited supply Of really
good agricultural lands in all the west,
the choicest of which, for climate, soil,
aud health, are to be found in the great
valley of the Arkansas, in the counties
named above.
THE ARKANSAS RIVER
is little less than 300 niles in length,
being one of the on-cst aud swiftest
running streams 8pon the continent.
Rising in Colorado territory, longitude
one hundred and six and 0ne-half de-
grees west of Greenwich, and latitude
thirty-nine and one-halfdegrees north,
receiving its waters from rivnlets 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, surgcs and sparkles at
the base of Mount Lincoln and PUSHES
out through q canyon in Pixies Peak
range into the valley Of estern COlora-
do and on eastward. 1t enters Kansas
sevemty-tive miles north Of the south
line of the state, runs due east 14O miles,
DIVORCES seventy-tive miles northeast,
then angles to the Southeast, forming
what is known as the Great Bend,
thence q 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 q 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, 1t
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 10 the bed of the
stream throughout its source in Kan
sas is composed of sand and gravel, az
also the subsoil of the adjacen: 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 fordablt
with teams, and there has been times
when. in the western portion of thu
state. the river bed would 60 dry, al
though water could be obtained three
or four inches below the surface, where
in reality the river was flowing in thu
gravel. The river at Wichita is about
1900 feet wide, at Hutchinson, fort!
miles further up, it is ! 900 feet wide
THE VALLEY AND SOIL.
The richest and most desirable por
ton of the valley lies between thu
Great Bend and the point where thu
river enters in the Indian territory, II
which area are the counties of Reno
Harvey, Scdgwick, Sumner, Cowle,
and Butler. To describe perfectly thu
lands, streams, towns and productions
of these counties would require NOR
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 kim
of second bottom, or low rolling prai
ries, with Just enough undulatiOn o.
swell to carry of the extra rain falls
The soil of the valley proper, which i
also marked by gentle swells, is chief
" sandy loan, made up of such min
cral clements rs have been washes
from the Rocky mountains by the attri
ton of ages. 1t is marked feature o
this soil that it contains much large
proportion of mineral matter than tn
prairie soils of Illinois and Iowa, whicl
are chiefly vegetable mould. For thi
reason our valley will improve by cul
tivation. To those accustomed to
murky soil, there appears to be il
places in this valley too much sand, bu
the experience Of our farmers is direct
" the opposite. Read what the edito
Of the american Ayriculfurisf, who vi
sited this valley in April of this year
has to say:
1.-THE soil is deep black loan, rest
ing on q lighter colored subsoil cor
sisting of loan. clay and gravel, bot
soil and snbsoil being SO porus tina
surface water readily passes throug
them. and i'm 10 case is there any diff
Guilty experienced in crossing wit
horses aud wagons or stock, any water
courses or beds of streams. Teams ma
be driven across springs or creek bOl
toms fearlessly, without danger Of mil
ing. This porosity of the soil, Will
it renders it capable of being plowed O
worked Immediately after the heavics
rains, ut the same lime keeps is cor
stantly moist from evaporation below
and protects IL from drouth. With
six hours of the cessation of rain !
which l Judge at least three inches G
water fell. saw farmers breaking so
and cultivating the young corn. TIL
crops of corn, oats, rye, spring and fa
wheat, potatoes and garden vegetables
which l saw growing, both on new an
old breakings, in various localities i
the valley, are equal to any that l hav
: ever seen elsewhere, during man
years. experience. know of no par
of the country, possessing more al
tractivc soil for the farmer than this.
STOCK.
This is the natural home for cattl,
From early spring until the middle {
October or the first of November tn
herds Of farmers aud stock raiser
wander leisurely through the gree
nutritious grasses that brush thei
sides in open meadows that are bound
less. growing fat and producing thei
kind. The abundant grasses, pure W.
tiers and warm climate render this poi
ton of Kansas the finest stock countr
=. Al 4.