The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1886-04-08


and rail and sen much Of the State
that We bad not previously explored
From Mcpherson, we drove Is miles
northeast through the famous Ne
Pherson "flatsn The country seemed
about as smooth, level and black e.
our OWn river bottoms near salina.
On either side q our way We sas
beautiful farm houses. barns, orchards
and good. fences, giving the country
the sppeaFanee o. having been settled
50 OF 20 years; when 10 fact, fifteen
years ago. e pillow hsd never entered
the soil. As We looked or east, west,
north snd south, and saw, extending
t0 the horizon in every direction, q
brad and beautiful plain, covered
with ilue prosperous homes plain
60 level, smOoth and fertile as t.
appear % the observer as q bOundless
extent Of river bottcm-we Wert
moved 10 say this: God might have
made q finer country than this, bat
we don't think he ever has. In the
years % come. this eounty IL destined
% produce a great, good aud prosper
cas- people. The country IL too rich
and contains too many natural advan-
tages 10 be long Inhabited. " ct all, BY
= shiftless, INDECENT people The in
creaaing value Of the land will gradu
ally work the drOnes, if there are any.
out Of the country.
On the morning OF the 23d we lefi
Mcpherson for Hutchinson, the coun
e. seat Of Reno county. travelling By
team. We drove southwest from Ne
Pherson 10 the Little River country, 8
distance Of - miles or more. Thlt
drive was also through the flats, .
and the country was as flne &c any
country can be. In our travels through
Mcpherson, amounting Ia all to 200
miles or more, we were sorry to OBJ
serve this: The wheat crop In the
county is 10 near q total failure that
the yield will not probably equal the
number Of bushels sOWn last fall.
Arriving IN Little river breaks, we
found some poor sandy lands, but not
rough ami billy. We crossed the
alleged Little river, q treeless stream
about a. large 81 our Mulberry, and
went directly westward for two miles
through very sandy mean lands.
Ia the course Of our meanderings,
our attention was arrested by eViden.
ces Of excitement and distress near q
farm house. We drew near and dis
covered three or four men carrying
another man % the house A desire
% relieve human suffering, or 10 sati.
ate q morbid curiosity, or both, Undue
ed us 10 investigate the matter. On
entering the yard we met q shifting
hoy and asked him about the trouble.
He informed us In broken accents
that Bette had kicked the school
teacher. We did not know who
Bette was, but thought she must
have been q very bad kicker" 10 have
such a nice little pet name. Bette
turned out TO be q pet mule. Her
owner catne In and endeavOred 20
comfort the teacher by telling him Il
was al because he was q stranger, 10
which the wielder Of the rod mildly
replied that he had no desire to Guilt
vate her acquaintance. An examina
ton revealed an elevation on the neu-
tuii grounds between the thOracic and
abdominal cavities, on the left side.
The said elevation involved part Of
the gastric, hepalie, pulmOnie and
cardiac sections III don't remember
the township and rangel. Thesurface
was undulating, with q dark rich
appearance, but totally barren.
Resuming our journey southwark
toward Hutchinson, we soon found
ourself Ia the depths Of the meanest
country we ever saw anywhere.
These bad lands, extending from the
west side OF Little river southwest TO
Hutchinson, q distance Of thirteen
miles, DE partly in Mcpherson and
partly Go Reno, bur mostly In the late
Ter county. Tie Little river bottom
on the west side, through which our
road led as, Il full Of sand and alkali
beds, and Is worthless. Near, but q
little south Of the Reno county line,
We reach the sand bills, forming the
rugged sandy divide between Little
river and the Arkansas. We wind
through this for about two miles.
The sand hes q golden aspect and at q
distance looks like q wheat field ready
for the reaper. We finally get out Of
this desOlEts region, having crossed
the divide. We now start gradually
down the southern slope that over
lOoks the city Of Hutchinson and the
great broad Arkansas valley. At q
distance Of six or seven miles we see
the city with its many churches and
other public buildings, spread out in
the broad valley below. We are now
imbued with the idea that an immense
fertile valley with black rich soil like
our smoky, Saline and solomon bot
toms, Is soon % greet US.
But the situation is gradually real
iEed, and we find Ourself looking down
upon q broad, desOlaie, treeless and
homeless Waste-the Arkansas valley.
We soon enter this broad bottom and
find the surface 10 some places CON-
posed Of fine white sand that often
Fels up on the wings Of the wind and
makes Il bad for eyes. AS we drive
for miles aud miles through this inn
nlense bottom, we find the surface
spotted and Scared on each side Of our
way with great beds of alksli In which
nothing can grow or even liue. In
many places 10 seemed a. IL barrels
and barrels Of lime or soda had been
strewn along our way wholly cover
Ing the ground.
We finally arrive at Hutchinson,
having seen nothing cheerful, pleas
ing or prosperous In our long drive
through the valley. The city has
about 5000 people they claim. The
streets are wide, regular and pretty.
They are hard and smooth and never
get muddy like ours. The surface Is
az & light brown, Is decidedly sandy,
packs down into q hard firm substance
uader horses feet-is excellent for
roads and worthless for crops. The
city kas gas and is also putting In
Water works. The business street is
rather better built than Salinas bust.
res streets, but we have seen no
town % far, that compares With Sail
na IN beautiful homes and shady |
avenues. The land Of Reno county |
lying south Of the Arkansas river EN-
braCes about five-sixths Of the cOun- |
q, and. q Car e we have seen, Il ali /
fat, smooth, good land. No bluff or
hila rise upon one side OF q stream.
10 9 land alike on each side. Ali /
efeeks have low banks, not usually /
over two or three feet high. The
wafer q abundant and a. clear as
3 crystal. No tree IL seen on any
stream unless planted By human
haRds. There b nothing % admOn-
lsk us that We are approaching q
cresk OF 9 river at night until we are
startled BY the rEttiing Of horses feet
1Pon bridge and TIE dancing Of