The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1878-03-05

ChA w ORD COUNTY,
4 Brief Description Of Its Soil, Timber,
Minerals, ctc., etc.
AND THE
Attractions Offered TO Immigrants,


acres, good portion of which is river
and creek bottom lands There is in the
County nearly 10000 acres subject to
homestead or other entry, and about 10
600 acres of Railroad Lands, which are
now in the market, and offered at from
81 to 800 per acre, according to quail
/ y. Other unimproyed lands can be
bought at from $3.50 to Sl2,GO per acre /;
and lands partly improved at from 81 to
to $1,000, per acre.
The Lands of Crawford County are,
the larger part of them exceedingly fer
tile and the greater part Of them suseept-
ible of cultivation. There are, within its
limits, more alluval lands than most. if
not all the other western counties. Well
watered, good t;Rber and capable of
supporting dense population. The
present population is estimated at 900.
Schools and Churches abound in all parts
of the county, there being forty. eight
School Districts in the county, in which
free schools re taught from three to ten
months in the year.
There are in the county eight Steam
FIGURING Mills, two Woodworking me-
chimes, and large number of Steam
Cotton Gins, DC, &c, as well as other
machinery.
Cotton, Corn, Wheat, Oats, Tobacco,
Grasses, Grapes, etc all do well, turning
off large crops.
Fruits of all kinds: Apples, Pears,
Peaches, Grapes, etc, are not exceled
anywhere, and in this connection we may
state, that at the Arkansas State Fair,
held at Little Rock last Fall. the first and
second premiums were awarded Crawford
County for the best and largest display
OF Apples exhibited, the contestng ex-
hibits being large and numerous. In
short, the agricultural products of our
fertile lands will vie in richness and quail
ty with those of the most favored localt
ty in the Union.
The Little Rock and Fort Smith Rail
way, runs through the entire breadth of
the county from east to west. And the
Arkansas River. which 10 navigable the
greater part of the year, runs along the
entire length Of It's southern boundary,
thus giving to the citizens Of the county
ample chipping facilities, and auch as are
not enjoyed by many of her sister coun.
ties.
The description of Crawford County,
which we publish below, is taken from q
report made from an actual reconnois-
sance by Iessrs. j. NJ. Washbourne and
). FL, Haney, TO the l.. R. G. T. s. Rail
way, in 1897, Since that time there has
been OF course, vast improvements made
in the condition of the county, in most
all respects:
Very little pine is found in this County
but In the adjoining Cherokee Country, com
mencing nine miles north of westward from
Van Buren,, is one OF the greatest pineries
north of the Arkansas River. 1t will hereaf
ter, be very valuable to your Road. The up
lands i'll the eastern section this county,
generally, are level and fertile, rich in grass
es, vines crap and underground. Springs
are common in parts aid water obtained with
readiness by digging. These lands are I'M
deriald by Ierruginous shaes and clays, and
where unproductive, can be made so NY MA
terial existing rnere or i'll the hills One of
the finest tracts of bottom land begins in the
city of Van Buren,, and runs down the river,
past the mouth of Frog Bayou or Clear Greek
to the mouth Of Mulberry. The greater part
Is high, dry, richly timbered, with luXuriant
growth OF vine, shrub and grass; well.wa-
tered, and as productive rs any land on the
Arkansas.
shales are everywhere exposed, even in the
city in several places Coal or coal indices
are found all over the county, but the coal, as
a rule is not as thick AS it is in Franklin On
Frog Bayou, a considerable tributary to the
Arkansas at Phillips bank, ). Is, I 8, Il. 30,
coal has been dug for thrty-ltve years, said.
by smiths, who have worked it, to be the best
coal in the region; tits three feet thick, and
easy to quarry; it extends quite a distance
along this Bayou, and is 4 part of the Arkan-
sas coal field. This stream has long been ia
med for its fine, wide, high and ch lands. A
few small prairies skirt it with excellent
grasses and herbs.
On Flat Rock, stream eastward from Van
Buren, two miles, shale is exposed, and coal
has been found. The uplandS, along this
stream, are tine for fruits. grapes aud berries.
This shalc runs into Van Buren,; and in the
well sunk tor the steam mill there coal was
struck, as, also, very hard, blue almost inn
penetrable rock. Along this stream small
fragments of crysta!--aS, also, on Il low ridge
on the land of L. Scott, s. o, 7. 8, L. 81, and
along the hillside, near the Van Barren steam
mill-are gathered Limestone occurs at the
base of the bluH of terruginGus 81 ndstone,
above Van Buren,; this bluff of sandstone
abuts on the river, and yields a fine building
stone; and on its height, which is a broad
table land are some OF the finest building
sites to be found in its picturesque valey-it
is tempting to the wealthy immigrant. This
bluff fronts, also, on Lees Greek, as its con-
uenoe with the Arkansas, and runs alone that
stream into the adjoining hills; the mouth of
this stream Is in ). IS L. Q, X. 30; opposite
the blul, across the creek, Is a high hill, in
which lead was found many years ago-it was
probably drift. Fine springs gush out along
the valley of this stream, and its many atlu-
ents; iron oxy DIES and carbonate are com
mon every where, and the carbonate is eXcce-
dinghy heavy; indeed the absence of iron is
the exception in this valley. The water in
this region Is very good, and the springs
about and near Van Buren, are accounted
the best in the country. The water is cold
and sweet. These streams will all supply
mills; and the county grows excellent
wheat. The corn, cotton, cereals, grasses, es-
peciallv blue-which takes hold OF the soil
and spreads rapidly and close (as il does in
deed in other parts of the ya)ley)--clovet and
fruits are all grown here in great perfection
and quantity to the acre. Fruits especially,
have been SO thoroughly tested and cultivat-
ed by DR.. r. Thurston, near Van Buren,. that
it Is now demonstrated that the Arkansas will
| produce fruit equal to any other valley in the
world.
The alley of Lees Creek contains excel
lent land, both bottom and high lands; these
last are, for the most part broken, rough and
rocky, The Valley of Lees Creek with its
| tributaries, is probably wider than that of
any other tributary running into The Arkan-
sas. on the north. within the State but great
| hills and high bluffs OF the milestone grit
| sandstones everywhere intersect it; and yet
there are great bodies of fertile bottom and
uplands and thousands of homes awaiting
/ the Immigrant and the advent of Your road