The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1882-12-23
DESCRIPTION OF
RIG HAND VALLEY.
I From Our Special Correspondent.


east and empties into the San Saba
about FIVE miles west of San Saba
town. 1t Ia n running stream about
six months in the year and has many
deep holes that hold wator the balance
of the time. There is flowing spring
at Halls rancho and another at Rich
land Springs. The creek runs through
the fnost agricultural uplnnda in the
county, we'll adapted to the growth of
corn, cotton and tho cereals. Wheat
and outs do much better than on the
river bottoms and cotton ia almost u
sure crop. II is what is called here
prairie but differs from the prairies of
tho Wester States and Central Texas
by having a scattering growth of low
scrubby timber Of mesquite and live
oak. The live oak of this section is
perennial and at full growth has
girth of twelve or fifteen feet, branch
ing out five or ak feet in height. They
look at u distance, like enormous ap.
pie trees, and, being always green,
give the landscape in winter pleasing
spring-like appearance. The wood
is close grained and durable, though
difficult to split, makes good posts and
excellent FIRE wood. In the hot sum
mer days cattle and sheep by the hun
dreds rest in the cool shade beneath
thom, and many an old frontiersman
started his first ranch with wagon
sheet beneath one of these grand old
trees.
Tho mesquite tree Is decidious, and
in size and shape looks like peach
tree. 1t has thorns about an inch and
n half long, bears beans in clusteIs-
resembling tho common string bean
but nearly twice as large and is an ex.
cellent feed for stock. Horses will
leave the finest pasture to feed on
these beans, which ON account OF the
low growth of the tree can DO plucked
from the ground. The Tree contains
but little sap and the wood when burn
ing, throws out more heat to the cubic
inch than any wood we know of.
The tillaOle land lies on either side
Of tho creek, forming IL belt from two
to four miles in width and extending
it's whole length. From its mouth
west five miles 10 lisa solid body of
good land between the creek and riv-
er. These lands unimproved range in
price from one and half to three dol
lars an acre. Farther up TREY arc
little cheaper. Between the arabic bolt
and San Saba on one side and COloru.
do on the other, 10 grazing land-a
distance of several miles on either side,
differing from the arabic land only in
the soil being too thin and ground too
rocky for cultivation, but producing a
fine coat of the famous mesquite grass
which keeps stock in good condition
through the entire year. Beevos and
horses, that never tasted food pro-
duced by the labor of man, nre driven
ycnrly TO market from these prliries.
Riohland Springs, sixteen mica west
of San Saba, has II post Office. three
stores, a school house, blacksmith shop
and several residences. Though not
much off town yet, it has "ine posi-
bllities.n
Ten years ago only about ton fami-
lies lived on the creek. At tho last
election l0i votes were polled there
aud the lower boundary Of the voting
precincts Is four miles above its outlet.
The farms arc principally in the creek
bottoms but few having yet settled on
the uplands, but the success of that
few has demonstrated the fact that
they are on the best lands.
Ten years ago settler here had
eleven cows aud calves-now he has
four or five hundred head-the mutu-
raj increase of the above-for he
bought none nor mdrerickod any.
This proves it to be the place par er-
eeiiencc for the industrious poor man.
Hogs, like other stock, run on the
range and make very good meat with
little, and sometimes no home feeding.
Rich grass, roots, live oak aud post
oak mast, and mesquite beans gene
rally fatten them, and the first cold
nortler of December finds tho settlers
and their dogs making things lively in
the woods rounding i'm their supply
of meat.
The chief difficulty heretofore in set
Ting the lands, at distance from the
creek aud rivers, has been the lack of
water for domestic purposes. Wells
senelhlly nave Oeen IHllure. But ar
tiiicial ponds-here called "tanks'-
can bo made with little labor.
Mr. George Cham berlain, who lives
about ten miles above Richland
Springs made one lvo years ago in n
swag on the prairie, that has held an
of water ever since. And
MIR. Robert Davenport, mile south of
the Springs, put dam just below the
head of ravine near his house, and
II has furnished plenty of water for tho
household use and domestic animals.
Many others have built cisterns. the
quantity in those depending,o of course.
on the size of the roof and on their
Those large pasturos--the foes of the in.
dustrious poor man-ahout which we hear
and read somotime-are unknown here.
The enclosures are small farms aud some
times small pastures. The grazing lands
thousands upon thousands of acres, are
common 10 ALL Several wrll-to-do stock
men have bought-up several sections of
these lands In such a way that no com
pany Of large capitalists can fence In very
large tracts OF contiguous territorv Henr.