Jackson County, Missouri - Chapter 5: Physical Features, 1920

Chapter 5: Physical Features

T()i'OaRAPHY - ALTITUDE OF COUNTY - DRAINAGE - CREEKS AND RIVERS - TLMRER - INFLUENCE OF ON EARLY SETTLEMENT - GROVES, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL.

The topography, considering the county as a whole, is rather rough as compared with many counties of the western prairie region though areas of considerable extent are comparatively level and others are gently undu¬ lating.

The elevation of the Missouri River flood plain is about 740 feet in the eastern part of the county and 760 in the western part, while the high ridge on which Lees Summit stands is about 1,090 feet above sea level. The highest part of the county is near the southwestern cor¬ ner. From this part it slopes gently northwestward to the vicinity of Kansas City, where the elevation is about 1,000 feet.

The greater part of the county is a plain, cut rather thoroughly by valleys. The only variation from this simple topography is a small area in the northeastern corner, where a lower and more gently undulating plain has been developed on the soft shales that lie below the heavy lime¬ stone beds supporting the higher upland plain of the county. This tract lies from 100 to 150 feet below the adjacent upland. Its main body occu¬ pies the eastern parts of Sniabar and Fort Osage townships. Its south¬ ern boundary lies along the foot of the hills just south of the Chicago & Alton Railroad from Oak Grove to the vicinity of Blue Springs. Thence the boundary runs to the northeast about five or six miles, swings north¬ ward about two miles, and then north, continuing northwest by north to Sibley. Along its southern boundary it runs up the valleys of the streams flowing out of the higher upland in broad, picturesque, covelike valleys. Similar valleys are developed to a slight extent along the Little Blue in a few places.

This area is an undulating to rolling plain. The rest of the county is a high plain, smooth along the watersheds, but in places cut by valleys. The largest area of high, smooth plain lies in the vicinity of Lees Sum¬ mit. This forms part of the main watershed of the county and from it run high watershed ridges eastward to Hicks City and northward by Blue Springs, to the point where the upland drops to the lowland plain level five miles northeast of Grain Valley. Another tongue-like ridge extends northward from the main watershed between Big Blue and Little Blue rivers to the Missouri north of Independence. Kansas City lies at the northern end of another ridge entering from Kansas and lying between the Kaw and Big Blue rivers. Working back into these ridges and into others which are not so high are many streams, which, with their numer¬ ous small tributaries and almost innumerable smaller feeders, reach into every part of the area.

The fringe of high plain adjacent to the outer boundary of the lower upland plain is thoroughly dissected, giving rise to a belt of rough coun¬ try. Abundant outcrops of rather heavy beds of limestone accentuate the roughness. The larger streams that drain the high upland plains are also bordered by belts of rough country.

The creek bottoms, taken as a whole, are rather narrow, especially when compared with those occupied by streams of equal size in the coun¬ ties lying east and southeast of Jackson County. This is especially true of the valleys in the high plain. The valley of Sniabar Creek after it enters the undulating lower country near Grain Valley is wider, approxi¬ mating the valleys of counties farther east. Buckner, Levasy, and Lake City all lie in a broad valley unoccupied at present by any stream large enough to have made it. It opens into the Little Blue Valley at one end and into the Missouri Valley at the other. It is probably an abandoned valley of the Little Blue, one that was occupied by that stream before taking a more direct course northward into the Missouri as it does at present.

Very little of the Missouri bottom land lies in Jackson County. The river flows close to the bluffs on the south, leaving most of the bottom land on the north side of the river in Clay and Ray counties.

The Spring On Cliff Drive

part by Sniabar Creek. Each of these streams has a flood plain varying in width from only a few rods to a mile or more, and each is bordered by rather steep rocky bluffs on one and in some places on both sides. A small portion of the drainage in the northern part of the county flows directly into the Missouri River, while a small area in the southeastern part drains into Big Creek, a tributary of Grand River. No portion of the uplands lacks sufficient fall for good surface drainage.

Two abandoned valleys of interest are found in this area. The smaller extends across Kansas City from near the point where Turkey Creek enters the Kaw to Sheffield, in the valley of the Big Blue. This is an old valley of Turkey Creek, which stream formerly entered the Big Blue, but through its own work and that of the Kaw in cutting away the narrow bluff separating th.em, found a shorter route to the Missouri.

The second abandoned valley extends from a point two miles south¬ west of Lake City to the Missouri River bottoms near Levasy. This apparently is a former valley of the Little Blue River, which was prob¬ ably diverted from that course to its present one by a small tributary of the Missouri. There are evidences, however, that a portion of the Mis¬ souri at some time flowed through this valley. In several places elong¬ ated mounds and ridges occur, containing much sand unlike any found in the upper course of the Little Blue. These may have been deposited dur¬ ing some high stage of the Missouri or may possibly be of glacial origin.

Jackson County has four considerable creeks and many other smaller streams. Nearly all have a general course north and discharge their waters into the Missouri. The largest, Big Blue, rises in the southeastern corner of Johnson County, Kansas, and at first taking a northeasterly course, immediately enters this county at the southwest corner of Wash¬ ington township ; it then follows a course nearly north across the whole township of Washington, forms the dividing line between Brooking and Westport townships, then between the townships of Blue and Kaw and forms a confluence with the Missouri six miles below Kansas City. It has a deep channel and rapid current. On both sides for nearly its whole course there is timber of good quality, and outcropping from the bluffs building stone is found in endless quantities.

Brush Creek, one of its principal tributaries, also rises in Johnson County, Kansas, flows east across the center of Westport township and forms a junction with the Big Blue about six miles from its mouth.

Kansas line, and taking a northeasterly course, traverses Jackson County its entire length through the geographical center of the same. It sepa¬ rates Washington from Prairie township, Prairie from Brooking, then flows through the eastern part of Brooking and the southern part of Blue, after which it separates Sniabar and Fort Osage from Blue township. Its tributaries are East Fork and Clear Creek, both of which join it near the center of the county from the east. There is considerable timber along

Fire Prairie Creek rises in Sniabar township and flows north and east into Lafayette County and thence into the Missouri. It has numer¬ ous tributaries but all are small.

Sniabar Creek rises close by the little town of Lone Jack near the southeast corner of the county in Van Buren township, flows north into Sniabar township, thence east into Lafayette County and finally discharges its waters into the Missouri.

Big Creek rises near Lees Summit in Prairie township flows south into Cass County thence southeast, finding its way into the Osage River a little distance above Warsaw, in Benton County. Rock Creek one of the most noted creeks in the county, though small, forms its head waters southwest of Independence, flows north into the Missouri a short distance below the mouth of Big Blue. There are still other small creeks in the

The surface of the county is an undulating plane, there being, how¬ ever, several marked elevations and depressions in the vicinity of the Missouri River and the creeks. The surface in most places is far from being flat, and there is a perfect system of natural drainage. From some o t e highest points the eye commands views of exquisite loveliness embracing the silvery course of river and creek, the waving foliage of here a^nd th streams, pure and transparent with banks spotted here and there with timber and again with green sward of the prairiethere are the ordinary features of the landscape. For centuries the suc¬ cessive annual crops have accumulated organic matter on the surface to

Jackson County is well watered, as before stated, by many streams, the principal being the Missouri River. All the streams are timbered, especially in the northern portions of the county. The surface of the earth in some portions is quite broken and uneven, but as these portions are generally covered with timber, they are none the less valuable. In other parts of the county, the land near the streams is rather level in some places, but the very superior system of drainage renders it unsur¬ passed for agricultural purposes. The high table lands away from the streams are unsurpassed for fertility. The "divides," as they are called, embrace three belts of land about ten miles wide and extending the whole length of the county north and south. This, as well as the county gen¬ erally, is settled by thrifty, enterprising and industrious citizens. The soil is chiefly a rich loam of vegetable deposit with a porous subsoil. The depth of the vegetable deposit, which has been accumulating for ages, varies from two to six feet, and is inexhaustible in fertility. The ease with which the soil is cultivated, is an important item to the farmer. There is very little waste land in the county. Such portions as are not well adapted to the cultivation and growth of wheat, corn and other cereals are the best for grazing lands. The county presented to the first settlers an easy task in subduing the wild land. Its broad prairies in the south were fields almost ready for the planting of the crop, and its rich black soil seemed to be awaiting impatiently the opportunity of paying rewards in the shape of abundant crops as a tribute to the labors of the husbandman. The prairie of the county is gently rolling throughout its whole extent. The timber is of a good quality, but the original growth has, to a considerable extent, disappeared in some parts.

The first settlements of the county were invariably made in the tim¬ ber or contiguous thereto. The early settlers so chose both as a matter of necessity and convenience. The presence of timber aided materially in bringing about an early settlement, and it aided in two ways : first, the county had to depend on emigration from the older settled states of the East for its population, and especially Kentucky and Tennessee. These states originally were almost covered with dense forests, and farms were made by clearing off certain portions of the timber. Almost every farm there, after it became thoroughly improved, still retained a certain tract of timber commonly known as "the woods." The woods is generally regarded as the most important part of the farm, and the average farmer regarded it as indispensable. When he emigrated west, one objection to Jackson County was the scarcity of timber, and he did not suppose that it would be possible to open up a farm on the bleak prairie. To live in a region devoid of the familiar sight of timber seemed unendurable, and the average Kentuckian could not entertain the idea of founding a home away from the familiar forest trees. Then again the idea entertained by the early immigrants to Missouri that timber was a necessity was not simply theoretical. The early settler must have a house to live in, fuel for cooking and heating purposes, and fences to inclose his claim. At that time there were no railroads by which lumber could be trans¬ ported from the pineries. No coal mine had yet been opened and few if any had been discovered. Timber was an absolute necessity, without which material improvement was an impossibility.

No wonder that a gentleman from the East, who in early times came to the prairie region of Missouri on a prospecting tour with a view of permanent location, returned home in disgust and embodied his views ot the country in the following rhyme :

The pioneers were in the main, descendants of the hardy backwoods¬ men when that was a new country. When farms were opened in that country a large belt of timber was invariably reserved from which the farmer could draw his supply of logs for lumber and fence rails for fenc¬ ing, and fuel for heating and cooking purposes.

Having from their youth up become accustomed to the familiar sight 0 im er, there is no wonder that the early immigrants were dissatisfied, deprived as they were of the familiar sight of timber and shut off from the familiar sound of the wind passing through the branches of the oaks.

Ihe most important resource in the development of this western country, was the belts of timber which skirted the streams ; and the set¬ tlers who first hewed out homes in the timber.

country, were originally belts of timber; at certain places, generally near the mouths of the smaller tributaries, the' belt of timber widened out, thus forming a grove, or what was frequently called a point, and at these points or groves were the first settlements made; here were the first beginnings of civilization ; here "began to operate those forces which have made the wilderness a fruitful place and caused the desert to blossom as the rose."

Much of the primeval forest has been removed for the building of houses and the construction of fences ; other portions and probably the largest part, have been ruthlessly and improvidently destroyed. This destruction of timber has been somewhat compensated by the planting of artificial groves. Among the most abundant of the trees originally found is the walnut, so highly prized in all countries for manufacturing purposes. Oaks, of several varieties, are still very plentiful, although for many years this wood has been used for fuel. Detached groves, both natural and artificial, are found at many places throughout the county, which are not only ornamental, in that they vary the monotony, but are very useful in that they have a very important bearing on the climate. It is a fact fully demonstrated by the best authority that climate varies with the physiognomy of a country.