The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-09-01
Tho Panhandle Region.


The Panhandle Region.
The following is description given by
Mr. IL, Wickeland, very intelligent and
observing German gentleman, who spent
much time in the Panhandle Red river
proper, Salt Fork, prairio-dogtown Fork,
and their upper tributaries have their
sources in the deep ravines OF the eastern
border of the Llano Estacado tStaked Plain),
which are very narrow and sometinies sew
eral. hundred feet deep. The sharpa and rag
ged outlines of the edge of this plain, to-
gether with the deep ravines and
broken characterof the detached mountains,
render the scenery of that region highly
peculiar. Everywhere may be seen the
powerful action of water, which for cent.
uries rushed down from the highlands of
Texas to assist the Father of Waters" in
creating Louisiana. 1t is apparent that the
upper basin of Red river once formed the
eastern slope of the high plain, but from
the washing of the waters, the rich sub
stance-red clay with dissolved mixture Of
sulphato of lime, has been carried Off and
settled gradually along the lower streams,
and now forms the rich bottoms of Red
| river; while the sandy portion of the soil
settled in the upper streams and caused the
beds Of quicksand. Descending the pronga
of Red river toward their junction, the coun.
try becomes less broken and moro level and
! fertile, until II forms at the foot of Wichita
mountains an apparently boundess slightly
undulating prairie, out of which granite
peaks rise IN gigantic masses like tho pyra-
mds Of Egypt. Red river flows in an east
| erly course until it encounters the Wichita
mountains; thence 1t turns south and
receives the Salt Fork, having wound its
way around the mountains, and having its
waters increased by the Prairie-dog-town
Fork and Pease rivers, II resumesits eastern
course.
The False Washita river, the most north
ern tributary of Red river flows TO the
north of the Wichita mountains. Thus the
waters of Red river embrace, as it We're,
that beautiful mountain country, with its
rich and picturesque aud charming valleys,
its pure icy springs and limpid streams, its
droves of mustangs, and herds of buffalo,
elk, deer and other game feeding among
orchard-likc mesquite forests. The noun
tains are masses of greensboro upheaved by
some action of yolcanicity The peaks are
generally disconnected, the sides steep and
bare, but covered in some places with
scrubby cedar and oak, On the submits
and in excavations Of some of the noun
tains where water had collected and the
soils appeared to be moist generally, l also
found blackberries and currants conside
bly, tall and well grown mountain ced =
chitman (gum tree) and bois dare. W
Of the basin of Red river we encounter the
rugged outlines of tho Llano Estacado.
The edge of this plain Is note one continuous
! bluff but Is deeply indeuted and bordered
by detached hills and remnants Of the plain
from which they have been severed by the
action Of water,
On reaching the table-land view pre-
sents itself as boundless rs the ocean. Not
a tree or shrub relieves the monotony Of an
| apparently limitless carpet Of grass. The
greatest breadth of this great plain west of
the sources of Red river is about l25 miles !;
II is Il more or less rolling prairie, with q
general elevation of 1000 to 1900 feet above
] the sea. 1t attains its highest elevation
near the eastern line of New Mexico, where
: sand-ridges form a crest or divide. With
the exception Of some sandy and grayelly
belts, the plateau Is covered with n thick
, coating of dgama" and other grasses, which
, will afford abundant pasturagc during the
whole year TO unlimited herds of cattle. At
some seasons of the year rains are abundant,
| which am induced to think are pretty reg
7 ular but the soil soon becomes dry on ac-
: count of the percolation ofthe water through
I the loose soil to the substratum or clay. A
Q portion of the water collects in depressions
, and forms ponds, and with Improvements,
s such as artesian wells and artificial tanks, 0
: redeemed for cultivation.
n The soil of the plain is a red loan Of clay
:, and that II Is not desert is evident from
from the fnct that some of the richest lands
n on earth, the Rcd river bottoms TO which
n he might have added the Colorado and
!, Brazos bottoms) once formed part of tho
n table-lands. DR.. G. G.. Shumard, who acl
r companied Captain Marcy on his exploration
of the sources of Red river, describes tho
| If ha Af
/, tai layers of drift. sandstone and red clay.
/, The region of country situated upon tn,
/, head waters of the Colorado, the Concho'
o and the Brazos rivers is OF great impor
l. lance. The valleys, especially along tn,
/. Colorado and Conchos, are extensive an,
y capable of supporting dense population.
!; The soil is a rich red loan, and, on TIN
l, waters ofthe Brazos, underlaid by u stratuf|
d OF gypsum from one to three and four fec
IS the Colorado, the North and the Mai
Concho and their tributaries can be irr
d gated, thereby making II less affected b.
q dry seasons. The great facilities for stoc
u raising / regard, however,, as one OF III
l. most important resources of this section
Of Asst range for horses and sheep, the Colt
q RADIO and Concho country has no superb
ii in the statc-haying an abundance Of ru'
D. ming streams Of pure and uniailing waite
tuc NulVy surrouiiucu w iihis anu oio'o''
he platcaus, giving shelter TO the herds again
TO The icy northers in the winters, and a G.. N
'c Kendall could not find q more desiral
d, country for innumerablc flocks Of sheep. 4
d. There Is little timber along the upp
IL tributaries of the Brazos, but along !
ne Colorado, Concho and their branches, &C
siderable walnut, pecan, oak, elm, hae
he berry, sycamore, cottonwood, etc. and =
er the hills scrubby livc-oak and cedar are
's' DO found.