The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-08-17

half a mile, ard hundreds of barrels OF
\ the cisarest and purest water flows out
daily 10 soon mix with the briny Omar
| ron.
| The Elm Grove springs are formed by
| a little stream which has cut through the
sand deposited on the north side of the
Salt Fork at Ava into the clay. thus Civ
| ing an escape for the water. which ac-
cumulates in the sand and gravel All
( tertiary springs are formed in about the
| same way.
TerInian springs are generally weak.
and flow brackish, unwholesome water.
There are. however, two notable excep-
| lions in Woods county. White Horse
/ springs, about sixteen miles west of Alva,
/ and Undertake springs in the eastern
| part OF the county.
'.Timberlake springs are the most typi-
cal of these two. They flow from about
a dozen holes in the red shale at the head
Of a shallow canyon These holes open
out of a little cliff not more than nine
feet square. The canyon has been eroded
| by them. 1t is now worn back half mile
| from any tertiary deposits. These springs
give a large low OF almost pure water.
They are centuries older than the Cleo
springs or any or their class
Before going any further it might be
noted, If the reader has not already got
ten the idea from what has been said,
that almost all the tertiary springs are
on the north sides of the rivers and nearly
all the terrnian springs are on the south
sides.
ECONOMIC VALUE.
''In early days-that is to say-when
Woods county was still owned by the
Cherokee Indians, each large spring was
the center OF an extensivs cattle ranch
There was always IN Abundance Of grass,
but the man who got the water generally
monopo1ized the surrounding pasture
lands. One of these ranches was located
where the town of Cleo now is. and the
owner appropriated the springs TO his
own use. His name was Cleo. A man
named Timberlake held the country
around the spring which bears his name
and grazed his cattle to the south and
east. Each large spring had it's ranch,
and many bear the names of foremen or
owners.
While the country was settling and
before wells werC dug all these springs
were taxed TO their utmost to supply the
settlers and their cattle with water. And
even now such springs as White Horse
and Timberlake, which happen to BE- 70
Gated in a region where there is no good
well water, are used by people for miles
around.
Probably the tertiary springs across
the river from Alva have the most eco
nomie value of any of their class in the
county. The city of Alva is located on
the south bank of the Salt DIRK on the
red beds. The well water cannot be used
only as stock water, and for years the
drinking water of the city was either
caught in cisterns or hauled across the
river in tanks Several men made small
fortunes for monopolizing this trade. At
present, however, the city has d good
system of waterworks. A ten-inch main
leads from the springs to the city.
THE town of Cleo has utilized part of
the water of Cleo springs by building g
fountain and furnishing q park On a 1T
tie bottom below the north end of the
springs. The Choctaw & Northern Rail
road company has put in a trough below
part of the springs. and catch enough
water to supply their locomotives.
Eat present Undertake springs supply
water to a ranch. They feed large ar
tificial pond, where tons Of ice are put up
during cold spells in the, winter.
''There are many small termian and
tertiary springs in woods county, all of
which are now turned to some use or an
other. If they are not used for drinking
and cooking purposes. they feed ponds
which are used for stock water and which
irrigate a few shade trees. Ice is put up
on almost all of these ponds. and is used
in local consumption.