Agriculture loosens the soil that then flows into the creeks and rivers and acts as the major force of erosion, scouring away the bottom and banks of the river, making the banks deeper and steeper.Įarlier pioneer accounts indicate that before settlement, the wagons along the Oregon/California Trail either crossed the Wakarusa at Blue Jacket, five to six miles to the east, or about 300 yards downstream from the later bridge. An obvious “shoulder” can be seen in several locations along the bank. Prior to the establishment of agriculture upstream, the Wakarusa River banks were probably much shallower than today. The raft would have been tethered to a rope anchored on both sides of the river. At least initially this was a simple raft that was pulled across the river using draft animals. This early map also shows a bridge located less than a quarter mile east of the current bridge on Louisiana Street. No information has been found about how much agricultural activity was carried out by these early pioneers, and some of these parcels possibly changed hands several times before becoming part of the Haskell Farm. Sebelius (SE – not sure of spelling of last name), and J.N. An early historical map of Douglas County dated 4 July 1857 shows that these four parcels were homesteaded by G.V. This section of 640 acres was divided into four parcels of 160 acres each and was homesteaded in 1854. The original Baker Wetlands was located in Section 18 of Township 13 South, Range 19 East. In spite of extensive searches and decades of plowing, no archaeological sites or artifacts have been located within the area of the original Baker Wetlands. Also several sites were investigated before Clinton Lake was filled. The closest known site is to the west of US Highway 59 just south of the current movie theater. Several archaeological sites in the region have been investigated. This area was historically used by American Indians of the Kanza tribe and then later by various eastern tribes that were moved to this area by soldiers of the European white settlers.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |