The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-06-08
OKLAHOMA
ROCKS ARE
DISCUSSED
In an interesting Paper by
Professor Gould.
KAY COUNTY is FIRST
In Production of Building
Rock In Territory.
KAY COUNTY is FIRST

/
Norman. 0. T.. June T-Professor c. n
Gould, the geologist at the Territorial
University. has been making an invesu.
cation OF Kay county's splendid building
stone. This stone is famous all over Ok.
lahoma, and Prof. Gould says Of it as
/ follows:
Kay county can supply more BUILDING
/ stone than any other county IN Oklahoma
/ The Arkansas river on its way from the
mountains TO the Mississippi strikes the
/ Flint Hnls near the ansas- Oklahoma line
From Pueblo 10 Arkansas City the river
/ flows over soft, yielding rocks that have
been followed out by the action OF the
water into a broad and shallow valley.
! At Hutchinson or Wichita, for instance.
there are no bluffs and the valley is from
ten 10 twenty miles wide
Near Geuda Springs. Kan. the river
begins TO narrow rapidly. The first ledge
Of limestone is crossed at the dam five
miles west OF Arkansas City. Near the
mouth Of the Walnut, Just north Of the
state line, the heavy bluffs appear, and
from this point to the southeastern cor
ner OF the Usage nation the river flows
in a series of ox-bow bends seeking its
tortuous way in and out among the Flint
Hills. AS the crow flies this distance Is
not to exceed so miles, but the water OF
the river flows at least twice that far.
In one place two bends OF the river ap-
proach within a mile and a half Of each
other. while TO follow the channel OF the
river a person would have to travel more
than nine miles.
Throughout the greater part of this
course the blufs are high and precipitous.
The valley is perhaps two miles wide on
an average, nearly hal. of this distance
being occupied by the sandy channel Of
the river In places however the dis
lance Prom bIuff to bluff is not more than
a mile
The smaller streams tributary to the
Arkansas in this region have usually deep
carved channels through the limestone
! lodges. These lodges follow the sinuous
| course Of the streams Outcropping along
the bluffs, forming in many places con
sPicuous outlines. II IL from these Iedges
which form southwestern extension
Of the Flint Hills OF Kansas that the
building stone of Kay county is obtained
Half a dozen or more lodges each from
to . feet thick outcrop between the bed
Of the river and the top Of the hills 70
the west These lodges are often contin-
uods for miles Up and down the river.
The stone Is in general a fine-grained
gray or nearly white. massive limestone.
For building purposes it is easily the
equal of the noted Cottonwood Falls lime
/ @r
the Winfield quarries. Ia fact VIII be
matter Of surprise If time shall not
demonstrate that the Kay county stone
wiz not outlast most OF that obtained
from Kansas. The supply is inexhausti-
bic. The county can supply Oklahoma
with building stone for hundreds OF years
and scarcely know where it came from.
Business blocks in Newkirk and Ponca
City are buAt from stone obtained IN the
local quarries. These buildings rival Ia
appearance the finest blocks built from
the Kansas stone. Throughout the region
dressed stone farmhouses are rapidly
springing up. The stone house built BY
Governor Jenkins when he was yet a Kay
county farmer stancs on his claim two
miles southeast OF Newlirk. This IS one
Of the first two-story stone houses ever
built in the Strip.
Dimension stone OF all shapes and sizes,
tagging and r1ibls are Obtained from the
various quarries. Recently a Block -
feet square an 50 inches thick wss ship
ped away. One Of the most practicable
purposes 70 which the stone Is Icing put,
however, IS the manufacture OF stone
posts. The stone splits readily into any
required size. Advantage IS taken OF this
fact TO secure a long. slender block suit
able for a fence pest. Posts from 20 Z
feet long are split down 70 sxs inches. and
posts - feet long are often secured
These posts sell in the quarry for from
20 20 So cents each according 70 the size
and ara rapidly replacing the wooden
posts formerly used
Standing on almost any one a the high
hills east OF Newlzirz or kildare, per-
son may see not only the white stone
houses nestled away IN the valleys or
crovning the anons. out also the lines ~
white posts stretching across eae countrF
sometimes for miles. II seems bat cues
ton of few years when the greater part
OF the farm houses iu the eastern part
Of the county XII &c bfint ~ stone and
AZ the same time the stone posts viii re-
place the wooden posts throughout the
region