The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-08-17
Interesting Development His
tory OF Territory Streams.
BEFORE GREAT ERUPTION
They Ran SluggishIy, Wearing
Their Southern Banks.

| Norman Pierce Larltin Of Carwils wrote
an interesting thesis on the Springs o.
Woods County, The zig county OF
Woods has number of splendid springs
and Mr.. Larkin gives their history. His
| article is as follows:
| In respect to geological features the
/ springs of Woods county are divided into
two ciasses-permian springs, or those
which flow from the red beds, and ter
tiary springs, or those flowing from ter
tiary deposits. To thoroughly understand
this statement a glance at the topography
of the country will be of service.
There are two long strips Of highland,
which run from northwest to southeast
across the county. The south one is the
higher Of the two. 1t is broken into large
nils, which rise about 400 feet above the
valley between the uPlands. The other
ridge is not so high, but is carved ex-
tensively on its north side, forming in
the eastern part of the county a series
o. canyons
"-rhe Cimarron river flows between
these highlands. Close to the north side
of the north one runs the Salt Fork of
the Arkansas Away to the south of the
crest of the other ridge runs the North
Canadian, cutting of a small portion of
the southwestern part of the county.
These streams aii hug close to the
highlands on their south. This is due to
the tendency of all rivers in the northern
hemisphere TO cut their right banks,
which phenomenon is caused by the re-
e 81 Ae,H tJxa Of 411a
water. This is more easily noticed in
rivers running north and south than in
rivers having an easterly course, yet the
streams of Woods county and Oklahoma
in general are good examples of the eff
fects of these two forces.
For this reason the, watersheds are
near the south sides of the streams, but
far away on their north sides. AS an ex-
ample of this, the Cimarron, through it's
branch, the Eagle Chief, reaches dis
lance of thirty miles norta to within less
than five miles of the Salt Fork near
Alva. 1nere are numerous examples OF
this kind. although not so radical. 1t is
safe, however, to estimate that the water
shed Of each of these rivers will average
eight miles from its south and sixteen
miles from its north bank.
These highlands are all of termian ORR
gin. The soil and rock is red almost
without exception The color is due TO
oxide and chloride of drols~ The soil is
heavily charged with sodium chloride
common salt-and caIsium sulphate-gyp-
sum. Sulphur is present in several other
forms. and in many places it is found in
the water in the form of sulphuretted by
drogen, giving it disagreeaAe smell re-
sembling spoiled eggs.
THE water that is found in these red
clays and shales contains more or less of
all these salts and acids in solution. The
amount varies from trace to about
30 per cent. An occasional spring or well
of comparatively pure water is found.
The seep generally comes from regions
not heavily irnpregnated with salt or else.
being strong stream, it has dissolved
most OF the impurities in its course and
now flows a stream of almost pure water.
In early geologic times the whole sur
face of the county consisted of this red
deposit. The rivers meandered slowly
and sluggishIy across IL fer ages, each
following for the most part course vary
ing from one to fifteen miles north OF
it's present course. But as soon as the
Rocky mountains were elevated, and II
was long. ages before this occurred, the
rivers began to flow more swiftly and
commenced their almost reckless task OF
transporting the sand and gravel from
the eastern slope Of these mountains and
depositing il in their lower courses.
'In depesiting their burdens of sand
and gravel they were greatly aided by
the rotation of the earth-which has beer
mentioned before IN this paper. AS they
carried much sediment and flowed rather
swiftly. they cut away the bluffs and
hills on their right banks. piled up sand
and gravel on their left banks and thus
gradually shifted their beds to the south.
leaving q thick deposit behind them.
Another factor was the wind. which
drifted the sand from the dry beds dur
ing the summer and drifted il out over
the land just as it does today along all
our western rivers. Some OF these sand
and gravel deposits are colored red on ac-
count Of the red clay and silt. which was
deposited in the sand during foods.
The stronger of these two forces was
the wind. The rivers did not cut away
their right banks as fast as they depos-
tied sand. so the wind piled the sand up
in great dunes, some Of which are nearly
a hundred feet high. In this way the
ooarser gravel that was not carried by
the wind and which had been left by the
rivers. was gradually covered Up by the
wind. and today IS buried from fcrty 70
several hundred feet.
All the sheet water found IN this coun-
" is Ia this deposit OF tertiary sand and
gravel which underlays the whole VAL
ley country. II averages about eight
miles in width along the north banks OF
the Salt Fork. Cimsrron and North Cana
dian rivers.
1T IS in these tertiary deposits that the
largest sud the greatest number OF
springs IRE found. They sppear Just AZ
the surface o the covered red beds The
rain socks down through The sand and
gravel until il reaohes the claws and
shaIes. below which act as a reservoir
Ii Ills the crsvices between the grains
az sand ard gravel and seaks away 70
find an outlet.
This water Is always pure ard co1ss-
quentiy soft Il does not come in cor
tact with enough % TIE terrnisn deposits
To dissolve enough impurities 70 effect e. ;
The NEST typieas tertiary springs are /
the cleo springs az Cleo and IRE Kim /
Grove SPRINGS near Aivs-
The cleo springs s-s Ire best ~ their /
kird Tor the student q geology "a stuysv /
they ere ~ the Eagle CHEF. where shs. !
stres-1 n cuts through The sand ard gravel 4
DEPOSITS q tire Cima-ron ahs,st two miles 4
from that river Tie creek has erode4 4