The Mena weekly star., 1897-01-06
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS.

Since the opening of the new town, Mena, in Polk county, Arkansas, the main office of the Real Estate Department of the Kansas City. Pittsburg & Gulf Railroad, at Kansas City, Mo, and the Mena office, have been over-run with thousands of inquiries for in- formation about Mena and Polk county in general
 Mena and Polk county offer many advsn- tages which no other town or country can offer; read carefully the questions and ans wers, then see the country; drive over it and examine it's resources, and your opinion will be the same as ours.
 Mena is 381 miles from Kansas City; it is the present terminal of the K. C., P. & G. railroad; about the center (north and southl of Polk county, Ark, and 12 miles east of the Indian Territory; 85 miles west of Hot Springs, Ills miles north of Texarkana, and 90 miles south of Ft. Smith.
 There are about 2,OOO people in Mena, mostly from the northern and western states.
 The elevation of Mona above sea level is 1850 feet.
 There is no malaria here; there are no stag
  on the contrary. Mena is located high and dry on the great divide, between the Ouachita and Red rivers; the creeks and rivers are all clear, cold mountain streams; there are abso- lutely no mosquitoes or blood sucking gnats in this locality.
 The population of Mena is largely white; there are but forty negroes in Polk county.
 Have you churches in Mena, if so of what denomination? Yes the Catholics and Meth odists have just completed good churches, and the Christian, Cumberland Presbyterian and Baptist are preparing to build as soon as plans can be adopted.
 Will Mena be g division station2 Yes, both passenger and freight work on the construc- tion having already commenced.
 Have you good schools in Mena? Yes, the company has just completed good building for that purpose.
 How is your water supply obtained? By springs and wells at present. The Railroad campany is now sinking an artesian well. hoping to obtain a flow sufficient to supply water works. If this falls, it is their inten- tion to pipe the water in from the numerous springs in the mountains, two or three hundred feet higher than the town The water is soft and pure.
 Will the bottom fall out when the company moves the headquarters for their construc- ton to some other town south of Mena? No, there will be no other terminus for several hundred miles; as soon as the short gap is closed between Mena and Horatio, it gives direct connection with Texarkana and Shriev- port, that part of the road having been con structed
 Mena is not dependent upon five or ten miles surrounding it, as is the case with many towns; there is from s5 to 115 miles in all directions of fairly good farming land, and all excellent fruit lands. What the noun taips lack in your estimation, is more than made up by their forests of timbers and min erals. Saw mills, planers and furniture fac tories have already been secured; other simi- lar enterprises are on the way; steps are now being taken to establish steel plant at Mena which alone will give employment to an army of men. Mena is fortunate in being situated half way between Kansas City and the Gulf. which makes the word DIVISION carry with it all that the word implies.
 There are about one hundred and fifty business houses of all kinds here now. This is timber country; the part of lands not in cultivation is covered with good growth of yellow pine, all kinds of oak, wal nut, hickory, black and sweet gum, beach and elm.
 | Work has just commenced toward develop 1 ing mineral in this county; many of the claims showing good lead, zinc, copper. gold silver. graphite antmony. iron. manganese and noyaculite; the two last named are found in large quantities.
 1 Our soil is best adapted to tame grasses cotton, corn, oats, potatoes, melons and all kinds of small fruits, peaches, apples, pears and all kinds of garden truck. 1 About half of the country is rough and mountainous; the balance lies in valleys table lands and what is called the Ouachita basin; the soil is rich and productive; some stony and some free from stone.
 Polk county is not subject to droughts; the worst drought ever known Tn this county has just been broken, the first since 1873, and 1 yet the people have not suffered
 Stock raising is profitable in Polk county; hogs, cattle, horses and sheep are kept in ex- cellent condition nine months in the year on the outrange.
 The temperature is cool in summer on ac. count of elevation and timber. not cold in winter on account of latitude and timber. The price of lands vary according to loca.