The Van Buren press., 1876-04-04
CRAWFORD COUNTY
A Brief Description Of its Soil,
Timber, Minerals, ETC., and the
Attraction offered to
Immigrants.


Immigrants.
GrHwforlcountyi is situated on the en-
EeuIe xestern honndaryofzihe State, ad.
joining the Cherokee Nation, and con
,ans an area of about 362.0 900 acIes, a
good portion OF which is river and creek
bottom lantiss There is in the county
abcnt 100000 acres subject to homestead
sor other entity and about 100000 acres
~ railroad lands, which are now in the
market, aud offered at from 81 90 to
- per acre according to quality. Other
n,nimprovci lands can be boughtat from
$3.50 to $1,000 per acre and lands part
~ Improved at from 500 TO $1,000 per
The lands Of Crawford county are, the
larger part of them exceedingly fertile,
and the greater part of them susceptible
of cultivation; there are. within its lin
its, more alluvial lands than r.ost, ifnot
all the other western counties well.wa
tered, good timber, and capable of sup
plying Dense population; tho present
population is estimated at $4,000.
Schools and churches abound in all parts
af the county, there being ty.three
school.distr,ets in the county, in which
free schools are taught from three to ten
months3n tbeycar 7 ~. 81 II
srhere are, in tie county, six steam
Touring mills, two wool carding ma,
crimes, and q large numberof stean-eot-
ton gins. etc, rs well as other maehi
merry. nj fa'4sI AFs ssfri5as@es@.
Cotton, cora, wheat, oats and grapes
Hl do well, turning of large crops.
Fruit Of all kinds-apples. pears, pea
chess grapes. etc.--arc not exeelled any.
where, lin 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. .vo.sas
The Little Rock and Fort Smith Rail
way (whichwill be completed in three
monthsl runs through the entire breadth
Of the county, from cast TO west; and
the Arkansas river. which is navigable
tue great part of the year, runs along the
cpsi.e length Of its southern boundary,
thus giving to the citizens of the conn-
" ample shipping facilities, and such as
are not enjoyed by many of her sister
counties 1e gcA7 sga
The description of Crawford county,
which wepublish below, is taken from a
report made from an actual reconnoi-
ssance by Messrs j NJ Washbourne and
j. II. Hancy, to the l.. r 4 f. S. r. r.
Company, in 1857. Since that time there
have been. Of course, yastimprovements
made In the condition of the county, in
almost ~ fespects: NJ &E8
Very little pine is found in this coun-
ty; bun in tho adjoiaise ChnraLeo ee""-
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
Roxd The uplands in the eastern Sec
ton OF this county, generally, are level
and fertile, rich in grasses, vines, grape
and undergrowth. Springs are common
in parts, and water obtained with readi-
ness BY digging These lands are uuder-
laid by ferruginous shales and elays, and
where ulproductive, can be made so by
material existing there or in the hills.
One OF the finest tracts of bottom land
b,gins in the city Of Van Burcp, and rams
down the river, past the mouth Of Flat
ROCK. past the mouth Of Frog Baye" OF
Clear Crock to the mouth of Mulberry
The greater part is high, DIV, ncmy t'm
brred, with luxuriant, grown OF Vihe'
shrub and grassr veil watered, anu as
productive as .ny land on the Arkansas. 9
ssShalcsr.fe, everywhere exposed, even
inathccity in several places. Coal, or
coal indices are found all over the eoun-
ty, but the coal. as a rule, is not as thick
as it 10 in Franklin. On Frog Bayou, a
considerable tributary of the Arkansas
at Phillips bank. S, Is, I 8, r. 80, coal
has been dug for thirty-fye years; said
OG EnituS WuO udNc Wi hcu III VI bc tut
best coal in the region; it is three feet
thick and easy to quarry itextends quite
a distance along this Bayou, and is a par,
Of the Arkansas coal-feld. This stream
has long been famed for its fine, wide
Eigh, and rich lands. A few small prai
RIGS skirt il, With excellent grasses aut
herbs.
On Flat, . stream eastward from
Van lsureugtwo miles, shale is exposed
dndssoal has -beeu found The upland:
along this stream are fine for fruits
grape and berries This shale runs into
Van Buren and in the well sunk for thC
steam mill in Yau Buren, coal was struck
rs, also, very hard, blue, almost impen
etrab!e rock Along this stream smal
fragments ofacrystal--as, also, on a low
ridge on the land Of f. Scott. S. 8, I. .
Il. 81, and along the hill side, near th,
Van. Buren, steam nill-are gathered
Limestone occurs at the base OF the blui
of ferruginous sandstone, above VA
Buren,; this bluff of sandstone abuts o,
thcsriver, aud yields fine building stone
anL Quits height, which is $ broad tabl
land, are some Of the finest building site
to be found in his picturesque valley
it is tempting to the wealthy Immigrant
This bluff. fronts, also, on Lees Creek, Q
its confluence with the Arkansas, au