The Van Buren press., 1879-08-30
CRAWFORD COUNTY.
4 Brief Description Of IFS Soil, Timber,
Minerals, etc., etc.
Attractions offered to Immigrants.
AND THE

| Crawford County, a rkaDsas, IS sljual
J ed on the extreme Western boundary Of
the State adjoining the Cherokee Nation,
and contains an area of about 3B2 600
acres, a 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 70.
000 acres Of Railroad Lands, which are
now in the market, and offered at from
81 to $7,00 per acre, according to quail
/ ty. Other unimproved lands can be
! bought at from $3.50 to $1,000 per acre
and lands partly improved at from 81 to
to $500, per acre.
The Lands of Crawford County are,
the larger part Of them, exceedingly fer
tile, and the greater part OF them suscept-
| ible of cultivation. There are, within its
| limits, more allavial lands than most, it
not all the other western counties. Well
watered, good timber, and capable OF
supporting a dense population. The
present population IS estimated at 1000.
! Schools and Churches abound in all parts
of the county, there being forty Eight
School Districts in the county, in which
/ free schools tre taught from three to ten
months in the year.
| There are in the county eight Steam
Flaurine Mills, two Wool carding ma
chimes, and large number of Steam
| Cotton Gins, &c., DC, 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 eXcelled
9nywherc, and in this connection VIC 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 contesting cx-
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 locali-
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 rs nayigable the
greater part of the year, runs along the
entire length of its southern boundary,
thus giving to the citizens of the county
ample shipping facilities, and such as are
not enjoyed by many of her sister coun-
ties
The description Of Crawford County,
which we publish below, is taken from a
report made from an actual reconnois-
sanee by Messrs. J. NJ. Washbourne aud
j. H. Haney, to the l., L. Il F. s Rail.
way, in 1851 Since that time there has
been Of course, astlmprovements made
in the cor dition of the county, in most
all respects:
very little pine is found in this County
but in I'll adjoining Cherokee Country. com
mencing line miles north of westward from
Van BurSn, Is one OF the greatest pineries
north of the Arkansas River. IL viii hcreaf-
ter, be very valuable to your Road. The up
lands in the eastern section If this county,
generally, are level and fertile, rich in grass
cs, vines. grap', and underground. Sprin ys
are common in parts and water obtained with
readiness by digging. These lands are un-
derlaid by terruginous shacs and cIays, and
whero unproductyc can be made so by ma
teri;,l existing there or In 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 Creek
to the mouth Of Mulberry. The greater part
| Is high. dry, richly timbered, with luXuriant
growth of vine, shrub and grass; wcll-wa-
tered, and rs productive rs any land on the
| Arkansas,
Shalcs are everywhere exposed, even in the
/ city in several places Coal, or coal iudices
are found all over the county, but the coal, as
q rnlc, is not as thick as it Is in Franklin. On
/ Frog Bayou, considerable tributary to the
| Arkansas at Phillips bank. >. is, I q. K. 30.
Il t,r, tipt,r 4
| by smiths, who have worked it, to be the best
! coal in the region; 1t is three feet thick and
/ easy to quarry: it extends quite a distance
along this Bayou. and is a part nf the AIkau-
sas coal field This stream has long been Ia
med for Its fine, wide, high and rich lands. A
/ few small praires skirt it with excellent
grasses and herbs.
! On Flat Rock "A stream eastward from Van
| Buren two miles, shale is exposed, and coal
/ has been found. The uplands, along this
! stream, are line for fruits, grapes and berries
! This shalc runs into Van Buron and i'm the
! we'll sunk tor the steam mill there. coal was
struck as. also. Il very hard. blue. almost i'm
penetrable rock. Along this stream small
| Fragments of erystal-as, also, on a low ridge
ON the lana OF y, Scott, 5. o I. 8, r.. 81. aut
| along the hillside near the Van Buren, steam
/ miIl-are gathered. Limestone occurs at tht
! base of the BLUM of terruginOus 81 ndstone
above Van Buren,; this blutf of sandstone
AtNls on llt river. anu NltIdS Il me bUlNlnG z
stone; and on its height, which is hroat
table land, are some OF the finest building
sites TO lac found in its picturesque yalley-i
is tempting to the wealthy immigrant. Th
hlut1 fronts. also, on Lees Creek, at its con
ucuce with the Arkansas. and runs aIOngtha
stream into the adjoining hills; the mouth o
this stream i in 5. Is, T. ., Il. 30; oppoStt
the hMfT across the creek, is a high hill. il
which lead was found many years ago--it wa
probably drift Fine springs gu>h ont aloni
the valley of this stream, and its many alliu
euts: iron oXydes and carbonate are con
mon everywhere, and the carbonate is eNCee
dinghy heavy indeed the absence OF iron
the exception in this valley. The water il
this region is very good. and the spring
about and near Van Buren,, are accomtC
the best in the country. Tie water is coli
and sweet. These streams will all suppl
mills; and the county grows eNcelicn
wheat. The corn, cotton, cereals, grasses, es
pccallv bluc--which takes hold OF the sol
and spreads rapidly and close (as it does, in
deed In other parts of the valley )--cloveran
2 fruits are all grown here in great pertcctio
and quantity TO the acre Fruits, especially
, have been SO thoroughly tested and cultiyat
ed by DR.. Il. Thurston, near Van Buren. tina
1t is now demonstrated that the Arkansas wi
produce fruit equal to any other valley in tn
world.
The Valley of Lees Greek contains excel
: lent land both bottom aud high lands; thes
: last are. for the most part, broken, rough an
rocky. The Valley of Lees Creek, with il
, tributaries is probably wider than that c
any other tributary running into the Arkan
h ls,s l,n tgff 1ttr 4yt.,,