The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1876-02-25
Y correspondence.
Letter From Kansas.
WELLINGTON. SUMNER
COUNTY, KANSAS.

COUNTY, KANSAS.
En-. REPCRLICAN:-hS have not !
written you for long time. and ms I |
have received numerous letters from
par,ics-old friends oi minc-in An-
drew county. requesting II descrip |
tion Of this country. aud of Summer
county especially, herewith enclose
a statement, which, j, desirable, you
may publish.
Sumncr county was organized in !
1871, and named in honor Of Charles
Sumner, thn distinguished Maseachu-
sets senator. who died IN 1874, and.
who was, in ~. II leader in the oppu.
nlion TO the extension uf slavery into
kausus. u is located about one hun
lFrd and tiity miles west oi the Mis-.
souri, state line, iis Southern bound
ary being the Indian Territory. she
land embracing he greater portion of
summer county j. known as the "Di-
mini-hrd Usage Reserve" u tract OF
country thirty miles wide. north nnh
south, by over two hundred miles
east aud west. Thousands of acres
! of these lands are yet 90 hr had "bv
artual settlers onlI.' 10y prc-cmp,ion
Hi &l.25. %oulh of the "Uimini.hcd
hsa@e Reserve" and passing through
Ills county. is n traci of land. three
milrS in width, called the "Chrrolcc
strip" which is for sale by the gov
rrumcnt. AT private entry. The pop
nlrii"n of thS rouulv in 1870 WAS on
! " %, but now. arcol lINg To the last
census report. is 1895, an increase in
six years uf 1903, ~ about Sl7 per
wear. The eastern and northwcstrI u
portions of the c0u:ty are more deus
ly settled than the western and south
western, because thcv are upares, the
railroad, aud consequently were the
first parts settled. FOr instance:
l'silc Plane township. in thm north
western portion. has IL population of
,;l3. while Chikaskia town,lip,in the
southwestern part, has II. The soil
is rich and deep, and. Judging from
'hc productions Of 1873. is adapted -
the growth oi every kind OF grain and
rui!, and especially OF wheat, and
,mall grain generally. Notwith-
standing he fact that s)ma cores
pondcuts have stated that Kansas
- not Il wheat growing country, who
can trnihiully deny il, when II !,
known that last year the average
llrlL per acre oI the State at large,
was about twenty-five bushels? One
irld in Butler county averaged sixty
our bushels per acre. But, of course,
lhis was an execution.
sumner is one OF the best watcrcti
counties in the southwest. The Ar.
kansas is the principal river, having
it, course through the eastern part
If the county. The Ncncscah and
Chikaskia rivers. and Slate creek, arr
, Ihe most importan, tributaries OF tn,
Arkansas. The Nenrscah passes
through the northwestern part of th,
CO my, in a souihweslcrly course
lnl cunpiies into the Arkansas II few
Lilcs above the towu-site of Oxford
the Chiknskiu has lis course througi
he western part, in nearly the sam,
lircction us the Nenescall, and passr,
mto the Indian Nation before sirik
ng the Arkansas. Slate creek pass
- through the entire length of til,
county, from northwest to southeast
nd enpties into the Arkansas neal
! '.unnnio, this county. There arr
numerous OF her smaller streams, bu
!, Il is not necessary to mention them
. rhe three first named streams fur
= iish q water power that is uncXcell
ed. anywhere, bu, as yet Little dcvel
N ped. However, this power is bein;
i,iiizcd at Oxford, on the Arkansas
!, n the way of prnpclling tine flour
:, rng mill. with six run Of burs. Thi
J. IS one of the finest water-powcrs I
q he found anywhere in Kansas, an,
J. was obtained by cutting a race acros
4 peninsula, made by the angling G
II the river. The race is about on
n nile in length, has II fall of nine fee
= md is simply what might be 'erme
y an artificial channel for the river
We cannot boast of having q tin