LOCATION AND TOPOGRAPHY.
Davis County is located in the third tier of counties from the northern boundary
line of the State, and in the fifth tier west from the Missouri River. Were the
township of Milford, and a small portion from the north of Smoky Hill Township
taken from the county, its formation then would be almost square. Milford
Township is a tract of land about six miles east and west, and nine miles north
and south; that, jutting northward from the northwest corner of the county,
projects, as it were, into Riley County, of which it was formerly a part. The
map of Davis County bears a strong resemblance to the side wall of a church,
with a spireless belfry built on top of the west corner, Milford Township
representing the belfry. The county is bounded on the north by Riley County, on
the south by Morris county, on the east by Wabaunsee County, and on the west by
Dickinson County. Davis is a small county containing only 260,480 acres, or 460
square miles. It is divided into six civil townships, namely: Liberty, in the
southeast; Jackson, in the northeast; Jefferson, in the center, running the
whole length of the county, from north to south; Lyon, in the southwest;
Milford, in the northwest, and Smoky Hill in the west, between Milford and Lyon.
The surface of the county is almost entirely prairie, only a little over three
per cent. of it being timbered. The upland of the county stands in about the
same relation to the bottom land as 80 to 20. The timber is confined exclusively
to the margins of the rivers and creeks, the average width of the timber ranging
from one-fourth to three-fourths of a mile. The timber consists of several
varieties, which include white and burr oak, hackberry, black walnut, elm,
cedar, sycamore, ash, hickory and cottonwood. The attention that has been given
to artificial tree planting has been confined chiefly to shade and ornamental
trees, although about 300 acres of artificial forest trees have been planted in
different portions of the county, of various varieties. Taking the county
altogether, not more than four per cent. of it, if quite this, is timber land.
In the western portion of the county, the character of the prairie is rolling,
its undulations being remarkable for their regularity and absence of those
elevations which, in some places, are characterized as "bluffs" or "mounds." The
eastern part of the county, however, is very broken and uneven, the uplands
rising to such a height as to be termed bluffs. The valleys, or bottom lands,
that like along the course of the streams are not of uniform width, some being
as narrow as one-fourth of a mile, while others reach to a width of two miles
and over. The valleys of the Smoky Hill and Republican are very fine and
exceedingly beautiful.
If anything related to the mineral kingdom lies hidden beneath the surface, it
has not yet been discovered to any material extent. Several years ago, as has
been mentioned elsewhere in this history, coal was bored for in the vicinity of
Junction City, in the search of which, at a depth of 390 feet, a vein of salt
brine was struck, of considerable strength. From this, some salt was made, but
the making of it proving unprofitable, it was soon discontinued. A further
boring, to the depth of about 800 feet, failed to find coal, but another vein of
brine was struck, not as strong, however, as the one nearer the surface.
Magnesian limestone, of the very best quality, is abundant in the county, and
several very fine quarries have been opened. From these quarries considerable
stone has been furnished for the new capitol at Topeka. Recently, however, some
other parties have undertaken to find coal, with tolerably fair prospects of
succeeding. The locality of the latter prospecting is on Humboldt Creek, in
Jackson Township, about ten miles southeast from Junction City, on the farm of
John T. Hobbs. The operations thus far have been confined to digging in from the
face of the bluff that rises above the creek, instead of boring down from the
top. At this time (October, 1882) they have gone in about fifty feet, and have
discovered a vein of coal about one foot in thickness, of which the writer saw
specimens, and it is of very good quality. It is expected that when the center
of the bluff is reached, sufficient coal will be found to warrant the
development of it, and to render the mining of it profitable.
MAP OF DAVIS COUNTY.
POPULATION BY FEDERAL CENSUS.
A part of Riley County was attached to Davis in 1875, but there are no records
to show to what townships it was given.
1880.
-----
(a) Jackson Township . . . . . . . . . . . . . 558
(b) Jefferson Township . . . . . . . . . . . . 898
Junction City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,684
(c) Liberty Township . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665
(d) Lyon Township . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
(e) Milford Township . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597
(f) Smoky Hill Township . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,074
-----
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,994
--------------------
(a) Organized in 1872, from part of Davis;
in 1875, part detached to form Liberty;
in 1878, part to Jefferson.
(b) Organized in 1878, from part of Jefferson.
(c) Organized in 1875, from part of Jackson.
(d) Organized in 1877, from part of Smoky Hill.
(e) Organized in 1873, from part of Riley County.
(f) Organized in 1872, from part of Davis;
in 1877, part detached to form Lyon.
--------------------
SOIL AND STREAMS.
The surface of the county may be described as a high table-land of rolling
prairie, whose altitude is set down as being 1,300 feet above the level of the
sea. The soil is designated as "uplands" and "valleys." These valleys follow the
courses of the streams, and vary in width. The soil in the valleys is alluvial,
and is composed of decayed vegetable matter, a decomposition of other
substances, to which has been added alkalies, generated by the ashes created by
fires, that have for ages, until recently, swept over the surface, consuming the
tall grasses and other vegetation, in its course, and the combinations of all
these ingredients have made the soil extremely rich and fertile. The soil of
these valleys may be said to be limitless in depth, and is capable of sustaining
any and all kinds of vegetation. The soil of the uplands is also very fertile,
although it does not extend to near the depth of that in the valleys. In many
places, and this is especially the case in the eastern portion of the county,
rock crops out from the surface, but in the other portions of the county, where
the surface is more level and the undulations more gradual, there is an absence
of this characteristic, and farming can be successfully followed. There are some
splendid upland farms in the county, and those who cultivate them do so
successfully. Experience has demonstrated the fact that the soil of both upland
and lowland is well adapted to the cultivation and production of all kinds of
cereal crops. There is no soil, in any country, better suited to the raising of
wheat, oats, corn, barley, rye, and all other staple productions. Rich,
nutritious grasses grow spontaneously from the soil, with great luxuriance and
immeasurable quantities, while tame grass, clover, timothy, hungarian, millet,
and blue grass can be cultivated with as much ease as though native to the soil.
In a stock-raising country such as Kansas, an abundance of rich, nutritious
grasses is an item of vast importance, and these, with the abundance of clear,
pure water, make Davis County one of the finest grazing counties in the State.
There are very few sections of country better watered that the western portion
of Davis County; and while the eastern half contains no stream of sufficient
size which entitles it to be called a river, yet it is far from being destitute
of water, as it is meandered by several very fine creeks. The Republican River
enters the county at the northwest corner, and, after bending a little towards
the east, runs due south about seven miles, when it forms a curve resembling a
horse shoe, curving towards the west, after which its course is southeast,
forming the boundary line between Smoky Hill and Milford Townships. It follows
this course until it reaches Junction City, when it makes another bend and runs
northward about three miles, where, taking another sudden turn, it resumes its
southeastern course until it forms a junction with the Smoky Hill River, about
two and a half miles northeast from Junction City. The Smoky Hill River enters
the county from the west, and constitutes the dividing line between Lyon
Township on the south, and Smoky Hill Township on the north. Its course is very
serpentine until it reaches the west line of Jefferson township, from which
point it runs north to Junction City, when it rounds towards the east, returning
to form a confluence with the waters of the Republican. At the point of junction
of the Republican and Smoky Hill, the Kansas River begins, which, flowing past
Fort Riley, leaves the county at the northeast corner of Jefferson Township. The
tributaries of the Republican are: Curtis Creek, that enters Milford Township
from the west, and is about six miles long; Four Mile, whose course is
southwest, five miles long; Timber Creak, running southwest, about ten miles
long; Madison Creek and one or two smaller creeks. The Smoky Hill has only one
tributary in the county, and that is Lyon Creek. This is an important creek, and
has several lesser streams as feeders. The length of the creek is between
thirty-five an forty miles, and enters the county from the south, about a mile
east from the southwest corner. Its course for a few miles in Davis is due
north, and then it verges toward the east, still keeping its northward tendency
until it finds the waters of the Smoky Hill at the northeast corner of Lyon
Township. Clark's Creek runs the entire length of the county from south to
north, and as it travels its course, it receives the waters of Thomas Creek,
Davis Creek, Dry Creek and Humboldt Creek, the latter being a stream about
twenty miles long, which rises in the southeast corner of the county. From the
point where the fork is formed by the junction of Humboldt with Clark's Creek,
the latter becomes quite a stream, and turns the wheel of a grist-mill as it
travels onward towards the Kansas River. McDowell's Creek runs in a
northwesterly direction, across Jackson Township, and is some twenty-file miles
long. Two or three diminutive streams are tributary to this creek. In addition
to these water-courses there are some very fine springs in the county, and
excellent well water can be obtained without much difficulty.
There is, probably, no county in the State that possesses superior watering
privileges than Davis County. So far, these privileges have been very sparingly
used. In the neighborhood of Junction City a water-power could be obtained
capable of turning any amount of machinery, and setting millions of spindles in
motion. How long is this immense power to remain idle? A person looking at the
map will see that the Republican River flows from the northwest, and the Smoky
Hill from the southwest, forming a junction at or near Junction City. The water
in these rivers is permanent, even in the dryest (sic) seasons
containing sufficient
to run, if utilized, the heaviest kind of machinery. Now, were a canal, or race,
cut from the Republican to the Smoky Hill, which could be accomplished without
much difficulty, and at moderate expense, a water-power could be obtained
capable of turning all the machinery that could be placed upon it. Some years
ago a survey was made by one Daniel Mitchell, for a water-power canal between
the two rivers, and his finding was as follows: By starting at Callen's corral,
a short distance from Junction City, and following the slough, or marshy land in
that vicinity, in a southeasterly direction for 1,600 feet, then southwest 2,250
feet, then northeast 2,110 feet, the Smoky Hill was reached. The total length of
a canal following this line of survey would be 226 yards more than a mile,
whereas, following a straight line from the starting point on the Republican to
the terminating point on the Smoky Hill, the distance would be 127 yards less
than a mile. At Callen's corral the Republican is 441 1/2 feet wide, and the
banks are sufficiently high to admit of the construction of a dam eight feet
high. To cut such a canal the average depth of excavation required would be five
feet, and the natural fall is very close upon nine feet, which could easily be
increased to twelve feet by a dam across the Republican. Of the undeveloped
water-power of Kansas, Mr. Josiah Copley says: "The Republican fork, as it used
to be called, which unites with the Smoky Hill at Junction City, and together
form the Kaw, is a large stream, with a strong flow at the driest season. At
Junction City a fine power can be created by throwing the water of the
Republican through a race of between one and two miles in length, across a
nearly level plain, into the Smoky, giving a head of from twelve to twenty feet,
as that stream descends from the northwest, down which there is an average
descent of ten feet per mile. The water can be used over and over many times,
affording thousands upon thousands of horse-power. I saw it at the close of the
dry period of the present year, and found a volume of water sufficient for the
heaviest works." While these two streams offer water privileges sufficient for
all manufacturing enterprises, they are not the only privileges in the county by
any means. Lyon Creek, Clark's Creek, and McDowell's Creek can all be utilized
for milling purposes. The permanency of the streams in the county is
attributable to the numerous springs by which they are fed. The best kind of
water for domestic use, can be had anywhere in the county by sinking wells to
the depth of from twenty to forty feet.
|