The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-04-26
BEAUTIFUL DOMAIN
A LAND OF GREEN PRAIRIES AND
CLEAR STREAMS.
County IN" of Oklahoma, and Alva
Its Capital, on the Border Of
Southern Kansas.

grees of west longitude aud is As mile
east and west by 81 1-2 miles north an
south. the north line of the county be
. ing the line between Kansas and th
Z Territory. The west line of the COUNTY
being $50 miles east of the west line O
the state of Kansas and 234 miles east O
the west line Of the Territory. The av
erage elevation of the county Is onl,
1910 feet, being the same as that O
Sedgwick county, Kansas. The count,
contains 2740 square miles or 1, 153. Gil
acres or 10,960 quarter sections Of land
sufficient 10 furnish homestead of 16(
acres to 10, $50 families or homes to 90,
700 counting five persons to each fam
lily. The land is generally level anC
smooth and consists principally of prai
RE In the north and east, while large
forests exist in the south and west; the
soil is exceedingly rich and is from {
dark mulat;o along the streams to 8
very black heavy soil on what is called
the flats, 1--WE have no uplands.)
Along the numerous streams the soil
IS somewhat sandy, but of black sandy
loan and covered with an exceedingly
heavy coat of what is usually called blue
stem prairie grass which makes the finest
of hay or pasture. On what is called
the flats, or second bottom, tie grass
consists of blue stem, bunch grass,
gramme grass and buffalo grass. The
last named is now fast disappearing
before the onward march of the famous
blue stem which will soon rout all other
grasses of the territory as it has in Gen.
| trail Kansas. The lands in this country
have always been highly priced as pas
ture land, and during the days when the
COW boy rode as king over the territory
this country was in great demand by the
| stock men, as their stock could be held
here all winter without extra feed than
that afforded by the natural grass of the
prairie. The country is well watered,
being traversed by the Medicine river,
the Drlftwood, the Salt Fork, the Eagle
Chief, the Cimarron and Canadian which
flow from north and northwest in a
south and southeast direction. In addition
to the above there are numerous smaller
creeks, streams and spring branches
which furnish the county with an
abundance of pure, fresh water for
stock and keeps the atmosphere contin-
ually soft and balmy All along the
creeks and rivers there is the.fnest of
bottom lands, which M; Ike the country
very desirable for agricultural purposes.
In fact. N county has larger percent
age of first-class bottom land than Can
be found in any other scope of country
Of the same area in the United States,
while our flats or table lands are low and
no where amount to what is usually
called upland. The soil is very deep,
many places more than six feet and no
where less than fifteen inches in depth,
and there being total absence of hard
pan throughout the entire extent of the
county, thus suits it to tho purpose of
agriculture. The soil is naturally
adapted to the production of wheat,
oats and corn, in fact, all cereals will do
well here. Situated as We are, south of
the great grain district of central Kan
man or woman that in the near future
this will be one of the greatest grain
producing counties in the nation, be-
sides this the county is well adapted for
stock Rising owing to the length of the
summers and the very short mild
winters of this latitude it makes this de-
sirable branch of agriculture very
profitable, In addition to the abundant
supply of stock water furnished by the
numerous springs, creeks and rivers of
hold purposes can be had anywhere in
the county by digging an average depth |
of not mole than fourteen feet and the |
water Of the wells is usually of an ex-
cellent quality of what is known as soft |
or free-stone water, and the supply is !
inexhaustibie. As much as fuel is quite |
as object to farming community it |
will be well perhaps to state that the
supply of wood for fuel and other pur-
poses Is sufficiently large to furnish
cheap fuel for tie county for many
years TO come, besides coal can be
nau at reaS0nahle rates.
Quite number Of towns have been
started in different parts of the county
that furnish good market for the pro-
ducts of the farm and good trading |
points for the people. Alva is the county
seat and has the United States district
land Office for the Alva lard district,
and Is the principal city of the county.
1t is located on the Atchison, Topeka
and Santa Fe railroad. about sixteen |
miles south and west of Kiowa, Kan, Just
south of the Salt Fork river. II is sur
rounded on all sides by one of the most
beautiful countries that human vision
has ever beheld. The land for distance
Of twenty-five mites 10 every
direction Is smooth, level and rich.
and viii in the near future
be one OF tie best agricultural re-
yions in the world. Alva has never had
: boom nor do the citizens want one,
put the town has continually had
:teady growth and Is one Of The best
business places that can be found any
where. Property has always sold ~
reasonable price, but not extravuga1t.
Ind Is constantly on the increase. No
own in tile territory offers better in
iucements TO capitslists than Alva. !
Here Is an opportunity TO build mills.
sc.ories and business houses. Here,
90. money can be profitably invested 10
residence property for reu;- A good
lass Of residence property Is IN demand
nd rents at good prices; ia fact.
man with money cannot 80 ;
stray in making investments N