The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-06-27
ALLEN COUNTY.

ALLEN COUNTY.
IMMIGRATIoN.-THE FUTURE OF SOUTH
ERN KANSAS AND A FEW WORDS
REGARDING HER.
ADVERTISING FOR sETTLERs-THE COUN
TY AS 1T Is-WATER, TIMBER, COAL,
SOIL, PRODUCTS, ETC.
lola, THE CAPITAL OF COUNTY
Correspondence Leavenworth Times.l
lola, June 19.-There isn't anything
peculiarly remarkable regarding the
early history of Allen county, further
than that she was subject to those little
Inconvenience to which all the early set
tied counties, as natural sequence, were
heir to. The first settlements were made
as early as 1855, but the real growth OF
the county and the development of its
resources dates from about five years
later, or the beginning of the war, when
eastern emigration was more particularly
attracted and farming lands began to
be taken in earnest. The first census OF
the county was taken in 1860, which
then showed population of something
over 5000, while the latest enumeration
made in 1873, showed 5000 Since that a
later census was taken. just about year
ago, the population has been swelled
considerably by immigration, which
poured in last fall and the present spring,
so that by this time, by returns made
from the townships. and an estimate
made from careful calculation, and pop
ulati0n is believed to be not less than
IL 900, big increase for one year and a
most valiant showing for this county.
Great, however, as the immigration was
Of the last fall and the present spring,
that of the coming fall will put it entire
ly to the blush, for, from all that can be
learned, the rush to Kansas during the
later part of this fall will BE- something
literally astonishing and heretofore I'M
equaled, even in the history of out Won
derful State. As matter of course the
southern part of the State does not
propose to be neglected or PASSED by, and
will make the effort to secure its shares
and portion of the influx, which, beside
being her just due, will be the means of
inducing intending settlers to build
homes in as fair and fertile a region as
the West eau, boast. Had Southern
Kansas been the recipient of one-half the
advertising of which western and south
western Kansas have been the subject it
is safe to say that ut the present time
there would not be a quarter section of
land south of the kaw which did not
have its tenant. Then, too, there are
numerous reasons why Southern Kansas
has not settled up faster than it has, one
of which is that she has not II id the adj
vantage of Il great trunk road, like the
Kansas Pacific or the Atchison, Topeka
& Santa Fe to advertise her, although
the Leavenworth, Lawrence 4 Galveston
have spent thousands and thousands of
dollars in the good work. Had this road,
FIVE years ago, been built through To lis
destination, or even pushed on two hum
dred miles further southwark, it Is safe
to saw that Southern Kansas to day would
be the most thickly settled portion Of
the State, while unoccupiel sections of
land would be like angels visits, very
few and exceedingly far apart. Again,
this section of the State has been unior-
tuna,c in having thousands and tLJus-
ands of acres of her fairest aad choicest
lands kept from tic market, even while
immigrants were coming in by the han:
Spectators, who held it ut high price,,
| therchv driving the Immigrants AWAY 10
those counties where !c e"uid secare al!
the land he wanted by the mere paymen,
of the pre- emption fee. But that time l.
past new, and the best lands, heretofore
held back, are now upon The market, and
at prices. too, which a poor man can
afford to pay. This part of the State is
more shan fortunate i'll one respect; she
has magnificent supply OF timber. and
in the matter of this item she Is far ahead
of all other sections of Kansas, with the
possible exception of the eastern. Tim
Der is quite an item in any country,
although in Kansas it is not quite so
prominent a factor As in many other
States, as there is coal to be found in
nearly every county, SO that the fuel
question is at once and forever disposed Of
There will be a wonderful change in this
part of Kansas within the coming five
years, a change for the better, and 4
greater one than of which even her most
sanguine admirers dream.
Allen county is well wooded, and has
nearly as great a proportion of timber
land as any county of the State, and be
sides the natural timber growth the
| cultivation of artificial forests has receiv-
ed more than passing attention. The
average width of the timber belts of the
county is one mile, and the varieties OF
trees found therein comprise black wal
nut, hickory, cottonwood, sycamore. elm,
blackberry and oak. There is very
heavy belt of timber along the Neosho
river, which runs through the entire
county. Good belts of timber are also
found along the Marmaton and Usage
rivers and Elm. Coal, Rock, Deer, Big,
Scatter and Owl Creeks. The county is
very we'll watered, the principal stream
being the NeOsho river, which enters the
county little below the northwest corner
and flows in a southeasterly and souther-
ly direction. The Neosho is fed by
Indian, Deer, Elm, Martins and other
creeks, some of them being very good
sized streams, which, with their branches,
water great extent Of territory. The
Little Usage river flows northeast and
the several small tributaries, while the
Marmaton flows southeast. The county
is very well supplied with springs, and
good well. water can be obtained at
depth varying from twenty to thirty
feet. Coal exists in various parts of the
county, bit towing to the great abundance
Of timber but little attention, compare
lively has been paid to its development.
Some, however, has been mined and sold
in town; but as the fuel question has not
yet become a question of any moment,
and as wood is very cheap, no attention
has been paid to the mining of the coal,
except by those who happened to have