The Van Buren press., 1876-03-14
CRAWFORD COUNTY.
\ Brief Description Of its Soil,
Timber, Minerals. etc., and the
Attraction offered to
Immigrants,

tieinc western boundary Of the State, al
Joining the Cherokee Nation, and con
tains an area of about 3G2 600 acles,
gue 1 portion OF which is river and ereel
bottom lands. There is in the count.
about 100000 acres subject to homestea,
or other entry, ana about 100000 acre
Of railroad lands, which are now in tn
market, and offered at from 81 90 t,
81 per acre according to quality. Othei
unimproyed lands can be bought at from
$3.50 to Sl2 ,00 per acre; and lands part
ly improved at from $500 TO $500 pei
acre.
The lands Of Crawford eounty are, III,
larger part of them exceedingly fertile
and the greater part Of them susceptible
of cultivation there are, within It's linn
its, more alluyial lands than r.ost, ifnot
all the other western countless well.wa.
tered, good tin Der, and capable of sup.
plying dense population, the present
population is estimated ut 10000
Schools and churches abound in all parts
Of the county, there being thirty three
school districts in the county. in which
free schools are taught from three to ten
months in the year
There are, in the county, six steam
Touring mills, two wool carling ma.
chimes, and a large number Of steam cot.
ton gins, etc, as well as other maehi-
merry.
Cotton, corn, wheat, oats and grapes
all do well, turning off large crops.
Fruit Of all kinds-apples. pears, pea.
ches. grapes etc--are not excelled any.
where; in short, the agricultural prod
uets of our fertile lands will vie in rich.
ness and quality with those of the most
favored locality in the union.
The Little Rock and Fort Smith Rail.
way (Which will be completed in three
mouths runs through the entire breadth
Of the county, from east to west, and
the Arkansas river, which IS navipable
the great part of the year. runs along the
entire length Of its southern boundary,
thus giving to the citizens of The eoun-
ty ample shipping facilities, and such as
are not enjoyed by many Of her sister
counties.
The description of Crawford county,
which wepublish below, is taken from Il
report made from an actual reconnoi.
ssance BY Mcssrs NJ Washbourne and
j. ii. Haney, To the l.. Il, 4 + S. r. r.
Company, in 1857. Since that time the,e
have been, Of course, vast Improvements
made in the condition of the county, in
almost all respects
Very little pine is found in this coun,
tv; but in the adjoining Cherokee coun-
Try, commencing nine miles north Of
westward from Van Buren, is one Of the
greatest pineries north of the Arkansas.
1t will. hereafter, be very valuable to your
Rotd. The upands in the eastern sec
ton Of this county, generally, are level
aud fertile, rich in grasses, vines, grape
and underground. Springs are common
in parts, and water obtained with readi-
ness by digging These lands are uuler-
land by ferruginous shalcs and CLAWS, and
where unproductive, can be made So by
material existing there or in the hills
One of the finest tracts of bottom land
begins in the city of Van Barren, and rams
down the river, past the mouth of Flat
Rock, past the mouth Of Frog Bayou or
Clear Creek to the mouth Of Mulberry.
The greater part is high, dry, richly tim
hered, with lnNuriant growth of vine,
shrub and grass well watefed and as
productive IS any land on the .irkaLsas
Shalcs are everywhere exposed, even
in the city in several places. Coal, or
coal indices are found all over the coun-
", but the coal. as a rule, is not as thick
a. it is in Franklin. On Frog Bayou, Il
considerable tributary Of the Arkansas.
at Phillips bank S. is. L 8, II. 80, coal
has been dug for thirty five years; said,
by smiths who have worked it, to be the
best coal in the region; it is three feet
thick and easy to quarry it extends quite
distance along this Bayou, aud is part
of the Arkansas coal field This stream
has long been famed tor its fine, wide,
high, and rich lands. A few small prai
ries skirt it, with excellent grasses and
herbs.
On Flat Rock, a stream eastward from
Van Baren two miles, shale is exposed
and coal has been found. The uplands
along this stream are fine for fruits,
grape aud berries This shale runs into
Van Buren; and in the well sunk for the
steam mill in Van Burcn, coal was struck
as, also, very hard, blue. almost impen,
etrablc rock. Along this stream small
fragments Of crystal--as, a!s0, oil 10 "
rid se on the land OF +. Scott. s 3, + O.
II 81. and along the hill side, near the
Van Buren, steam mill--are gathered
Limestone occurs at the base Of the bluh
of ferruginous sandstone, above Van
Buren,, this bluff of sandstone abuts on
the river. and yields fine building stone
and on its height, which is S broad table
land. are some Of the finest building sites
to be found in his picturesque valley
it is tempting to the wealthy immigrant
This bluff fronts, also, on Lees Creek, al
its confluence with the Arkansas, and
runs along that stream into the adjoining
hills; the mouth of this stream is in s.
IS, I. 8, r. 80; opposite the bluff, across
the creek. is high hill in which lead wa