San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1889-08-22
FROM THE GULF TO PUGET SOUND.
A Few Notes by the Way.
CHEYENNE, WYOMING,
Aug Is, 1889.

center OF Texas the following
Fort Worth seems to be
right along, there are no
vacant houses and new buildings con.
tinually going up. The fine new
exchange is about COM
pleted. Thence taking the Denver
Il Fort Worth wo soon found ourself
in the "cross-t imbers' the fruit coun-
try par excellence Of Taxas. We saw
in Wise and Montague counties, large
quantities OF the finest peaches and
apples, and ut Bowie q station in
Montague, boys sold peaches at
the train at 8 cents dozen.
Melons Of the finest quality are
in abundance, and pumpkins,
"goobers" and the like make heavy
yields. Good corn is raised in this
section and tho cotton looks fine,
though it appeared to be ut least a
month behind San Marcos, and it
will not make over half bale per
acre. This country is covered with
scrub post oak, the soils q red sandy
loan, and while too light to produce
heavy crops of corn and cotton will
make good wheat oats and sorghum.
But it's chief excellence is as fruit
country. Large shipments OF peach
es are made from Decatur, Bowie and
other points. At Ashford, there is
quite large canniag factory doing
a good business.
Henrietta, the county seat OF Mon
tague county, Isl well built town
said to contain 10000 inhabitants.
She has fine court house and a
good public school house. built OF
brick. The NJ. X. & T. Railway
crosses the Fort Worth & Denver at
this point.
We are now well under way to the
Pan handle, about which we are now
hearing SO much, and which is being
rapidly settled and bought up for
speculation.
The following DIES criptlon will
apply tolenbly we'll to tho whole sec
ton along the railroad from Henri
eta to where it leaves the State;
The soil is red, about the color OF
a well-burned brick, light and easily
cultivated, and varies in depth from
6 to 10 feet. In few places layers
of grey sandstone may be seen crop
ping out but as rule there is very
little stone to be seen along the road,
This soil will produce fair crops OF
wheat and perhaps oats. but it is too
light for cotton. Cotton cannot be
grown successfully IN the Panhandle
and the corn crop is rather light.
Its chief value will be for grain-grow-
ing. There are no running streams
along the railroad that can be de-
pended upon for water, but water Is
easily had at a depth of from Is to
20 feet and frequetly, as at Wichita,
is strongly alkaline. Storms OF dust
are q nuisance in this section during
dry time.
After leaving Wichita you strike
the prairie-dog country, and for miles
you will see hundreds of there amusing
little rodents, either scampering to
their holes at the approach Of the cars
or running out by the roadside and
barking their defiance at the train
The most important towns along
the route are Wichita Falls, Vernon,
Ouanah Childress Clarendon and
Amarillo. OF these Vernon claims
to be the most prosperous and attrac'
tive. There is large Touring mil
Mt Vernon and she is the railroad
town and supply depot OF Greer
county, and does u good trade. A
short distance from Vernon is the
Pease river, nothing more than
broad shallow ditch in the red sand,
but filed with q mighty food when
there in much rain fall on the plains
1t is now perfectly dry, not q drop
of water in it's channel, but it is said
water can always be found in the bed
of the river at the depth of two oil
three feet
At Childress we stopped for sup
per and passing on reached C!aren
den, in Donnely county shortly after
dark. The next morning found us
near the New Mexico line and we
were soon passing through the the
light plateau of southeastern New
Mexico. Here and there would be
seen an isolated cone shaped mound
and the air which had been hot in
the Pan-hendle became cool and
bracing. Soon tho veritable mOun.
tains came into view, and at Folsom.
A little station beautifully situated in
one of the highest portions Of New