Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1894-10-03

fork of Elm creek and other similar
valleys (e. &. the Antelope) have water
that can be utilized for many more
acres at little cost.
In the Medicine river valley the bot
tom lands have water under them per
co!ating from the river channel at from
four to ten feet below the surface.
This water is easily available by cheap
pumps for several thous md acrces of
land. A large supply OF water, prob
ably as large as any one of those be-
fore mentioned and larger than some
is that which can be obtained by con-
serving the storm waters in every part
of the county.
The structure of the red beds has
under the influence of the various
agencies of sun and wind and rain and
snow and frost, led to the peculiar for
nation of the canons with which all
are familiar. These canons furnish a
large number of reservoir sites, which
it is the business of the owners to
utilize for the storage of storm waters.
Some of these storage basins can be
made useful bv the labor of the farmer
and his team in very few days. Some
will store several acres of water several
feet deep. Many of one acre and under
Will hold water enough for the irriga.
ton OF several acres. From some OF
these reservoirs land in the ravines
may be irrigated by bitches. From
some the water may have to be lifted
by pump or link belt elevator 20 or sc
feet to the slope above.
The clay which is so large constitu-
ent of the redrocks makes that forma-
ton valuable for the construction of the
dams necessary and the plains mari
which is found at higher levels, is in
some respects better. This clayey
structure is also reason why so much
water runs in the canons from the rng.
ged parts where no dam may be made
and where the plow cannot come. The
The rain comes everywhere. Much of
it runs off the spot on which 1t falls
down the precipitous slopes and
through the deep canons, where it is
the farmers business to impound it fol-
use when no rain falls and the sun
scorches the plants whose fruit he is de.
string to see.
l am not familiar with some of the
southern parts of the county. but there
is sufficient similarity to the parts al
ready described for the deniZens of each
district to understand their own adj
vantages.
The artificial application of water is
necessary to insure the proper growth
OF many of the plants used for food by
man and beast. The proper coDserva-
ton OF all the sources Of the water sup
ply would yield sufficient TO properly ir-
rigate from twenty-five 10 forty thou
sand acres in this county, and that dis
tributed among several thousand farm
ers will give prosperous agricultural
community, having all the comforts
and many of the elegancies of life, and
supporting a county seat made busy
with canning factories and diaries,
sugar mills and foundries and all else
that may be necessary for the utiliza-
ton of all the products of the county.
In regard to other products of a min
eral character, word or two is all that
is necessary here. The redbeds may
sometime yield some strata in which
the iron will be valuable, but the time
for such an iron industry will be when
the population is denser. The gypsum
will never be less valuable than now.
With increasing prosperity in other
directions its value will increase.
The cOlored sandstones contain at
least one carbOnaceous bed, which in
places is sufficiently good to burn. 1t
Is never likely to yield more than few
hundred weights of fuel in one place.
Below the redbeds the salt measures
probably have as much rock salt as at
Anthony or Kingman. Below tie salt
measures are the coal measures. These
are, however, mostly barren of coal.
at the very bottom the chance is great
est for finding the fuel in paying guam
titles, and that cannot be less than 600
feet deep. The salt measures and the
coal measures have shales and sand
stones that may have gas or oil, or
both. 1t is, however, an even chance
that they do not, and when they do con-
tain rock, gas or oil the amount might
be very small and only of temporary
value. There are no circumstances
known to me that warrant the expecta-
ton of finding artesian water in this
region.
The advantages, however, that have
been referred to. the fertile soil, the
certainty of water for much irrigation,
the fine climate, the easily accessible
gypsum and the Drawn and brain of the
people make life not only endurable,
but desirable in Barber county, Kansas.
REMARKS BY MR.. STEFFEE.
The first address at the afternoon
session was by John G.. Steffee, of
Wichita, Kan. Mr.. Steffee has been
for several years attorney for investors
in various lines of securities through
out southwestern Kansas and has made
i