The daily gazette., 1876-05-25
THE FRUIT STATE.

A CENTENNIAL YANKEE LOOSE IN Az
KANsAs-CITY OF RosEs-CoNwAY
-CLARKviLLE--HoRsE HEAD.
ozARK-FRUfT GROWING
MARKETS, ETC, ETC.
Correspondence Of the Gazette.
From st. Louis we reached Little
Rock BY the st. Louis, Iron Mountain
and Southern Railway, with no delay
except about one hour, caused by
either our engine or engineer running
over three horses at once, killing tive
and breaking the legs of the othor.-
The night was dark and the rain came
pattering down; and this pattering
down occurs quite often to make out
the SO inches Of rainfall had here
every year.
Metropolitan, the rooms of which are
ed, including copies of the Bible, and
affording an enchanting view of Lit
tic Rock, the City of Roses. the bread
Arkansas and beautiful steamers, alse
both the little rock and big rock, the
latter rising majestically eight hun
dred feet above the valley.
From Little Rock five railroads di-
verge, and Eve more are projected ;one
of which will be completed in early
summer. Having often heard of the
beautiful country in northwestern Ar
kansas. we determined to see it, and
| tick eted through ON the Little Rock
and Fort Smith Railway, we left Lit
tie Rock at Z a. m :, and reached Ozark,
the present western terminus, at 6 p.
m. On our way we passed Conway,
Aourishing new town, where the Ar
kansas 1TaDeler, live newspaper, is
published weekly fer all who have
perfect roofs.
| At Russellville, about half way to
| Ozark, we stopped for dinner, which.
was excellent. The town is about a
mile from the Arkansas river, on the
north side, and is well located and will
probably make a town of considerable
Importance, as it is surrounded with q
rich farming and fruit growing regisn.
About thirty miles west, we reached
Clarksville, which is beautifully To-
Gated in a charming valley surrounded
by magnificent hills and grand Cd
mountains, embossming rich deposits
of iron, lead, and abundance Of excel
lent coal.
About fifteen miles further west, we
l reached Horse Head station, so named
from the shape of q small prairie, in
which it is located. From this point
westward, the pralries increase in size,
| until several hundred miles north and
west, the great plain treeless region OF
Kansas, Colorado and Mexico is reach
ed, which, ere many years, shall have
passed away, must be supplied with
fuel and lumber from the vast coal
fields and immense forests of oak and
pine in Arkansas.
Ozark, the capital of Franklin coun-
| ty, forty miles below Fort Smith, is
the busiest, livelicst town we have
| found; 1t is about two hundred feet
above the river, directly on the north
bank; around it are rich farming, min
eral and timber lands, with delightful
mountain scenery, There we spent
the Sabbath, and found all the leading
citizens in the churches and sabbath
schools evincing q commendable inter-
est in spiritual growth as well as in
material prosperity. Tbs Ozark Ban
ner is published weekly, and is a live,
newsy, reliable paper.
This northwestern portion of Arkan-
sas is located On the fruit belt of the
United States, and it is said that fruit,
large and small, never fail here
Much of the Upper Arkansas Valley,
aud in fact, most of the great plains
country between the Rocky Noun
tains and Missouri, can never produce
fruit, and as it is being settled very
rapidly, the demand for Arkansas
fruits and other products, will, with
the construction of less than three
hundred miles of railroad up the Ar
kansas Valley, will be very great;
while the Little Rock, New Orleans
and Pine Bluff Railway will open a
good southern market for the fall and
winter fruits.
The fact that large crops of apples,
peaches, pears. plums, apricots, cher
rles, nectarines, grapes, blackberries,
strawberries, ETC., are produced here,
warrants us in asserting that north
western Arkansas is peculiarly fruit
country, This is the home of the
grape. We saw a grape vine here
that measured thirty inches around.
The valleys of the Arkansas and its
tributaries and their affluents are all
most excellent farming lands; and the
billy portions of northwestern Arkan-
sas, while they produce good crops Of
grains, grasses, melons and vegetables,
cannot be surpassed for fruits, and
doubtless within few years, this will
be the great fruit growing region of
the United States east of the Rocky
Mountains.
| Along the line of the Little Rock 81
Fort Smith Railway, land may be yet
bought at from So to $40 per acre.
Little Rock, (Ark) A. G, B.
| Nav "a 1876.