Published: 2015-08-04
Total Pages: 54
Get eBook
Excerpt from The Ozark Mountain Region of Missouri and Arkansas: As It Appears Along the Line of the Kansas City Southern Railway The Ozark Mountain Region is a vast plateau, covering a large part of Missouri, south of the Missouri River, extending south within one hundred miles of Red River, being divided into two parts by the Arkansas River. This plateau is traversed by many fairly large rivers and several hundred beautiful mountain streams, tributaries of the Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas and Red rivers. In some localities are evidences of distinct volcanic disturbances, but in general the Ozark Uplift or Plateau is a great table land cut into smaller comparatively level areas, into hills in places and magnificent fertile valleys in others. Its altitude insures its healthfulness and its natural water supply is the finest on the American continent. Its general trend is from northeast to southwest, having its greatest width near the Missouri and Arkansas state line, tapering off southwesterly into Oklahoma and northerly to the Missouri River several spurs running earsterly to the Mississippi River. The altitudes range from 1,000 to 1,500 feet except in southwestern Arkansas where altitudes of 2,000 to 2,500 feet are reached. Along its western slope in southern Missouri and western Arkansas it is traversed by the Kansas City Southern Railway and is crossed in all directions by other railways. The St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway runs along the eastern edge of this plateau. Almost the entire area, except where cleared for cultivation, is wooded and there is considerable diversity in the soils. It is well adapted to general farming operations and the profitable raising of live stock, but much of the more elevated land is admirably suited to the commercial production of fine fruits, berries, truck and cannery stock. The apple, in southwestern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas, has reached the perfection demanded in the fruit markets of the world. It has here reached the standard of quality demanded and is produced in commercial quantity, yielding annually a revenue of four to five million dollars. Enormous quantities of strawberries are produced in the same locality and also yield a large revenue. The peach is abundantly produced in this northern section of the Ozark Region, but is not as reliable in the yield as the apple, though some peaches in commercial quantity are produced every year. In the southern section of this Ozark Plateau is another fruit belt, in which the peach is the predominating tree fruit, though excellent apples are produced in Scott, Polk and the northern part of Sevier counties, which have the greatest altitudes, 1,200 to 2,200 feet. The winter apples do the best in the highest elevations, but several varieties of the summer and early fall apples yield good fruit and form a source of considerable revenue. The peach acreage is between ten and fifteen thousand acres and the yield more reliable than in any other part of Arkansas. Strawberries, blackberries and other small fruits are abundantly produced and reach the northern markets very early in the season. Most of the country roads in the Ozark region are naturally good, and it is practicable to go almost anywhere, even in bad weather. While good in most places for ordinary traffic, in places they lack the perfection required for automobile travel. It was readily recognized that a country so rich in health and pleasure resorts, in scenic attractions and local traffic is at a disadvantage if it has not the best roads that human ingenuity could construct. It was plain enough that the various health and pleasure resorts should be connected by good roads; that the fruit, berry and poultry raiser should be enabled to market his products more easily, and, if the roads were good throughout, long automobile tours could be made from the great cities with comfort. A movement was begun last year in Benton and Washington coun.