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<br />.
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<br />000524
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<br />14
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<br />Kansas State Board of Agriculture
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<br />3. The Big Blue river rises in southern Nebraska and flows south
<br />to join the Kansa.s river near Manhattan, Kan. Its main tribu-
<br />taries are the Little Blue and Black Vermillion rivers.
<br />4. Other less important tributaries entering the Kansas river.
<br />below Manhattan, Kan., are Vermillion creek, Cross creek, Mill
<br />creek, Sold,ier creek, Delaware river, Wakarusa river and Stranger
<br />creek.
<br />
<br />TOPOGRAPHY
<br />
<br />The Kansas basin lies entirely within the great plains region,
<br />presenting a broad expanse of typical prairie country. The plains
<br />rise from an elevation of 750 feet at the mouth to about 5,500 feet
<br />at the extreme western end of the basin. The slope of the country
<br />from the western headwaters to the central part of the basin is about
<br />twelve feet per mile, continuing eastward from that point at a slope
<br />of about five feet per mile.
<br />The river valley of the main stem varies from about one and one-
<br />half to five miles and averages about two miles in width. The Big
<br />Blue, Republican, Solomon, "Smoky Hill, and Saline rivers maintain
<br />comparati~ely wide valleys (about .one to two miles) throughout'
<br />the lower two-thirds of their length and becoming deeply entrenched
<br />in their headwaters. Back from the escarpments along the stream
<br />the country is gently rolling in character, but contains areas of
<br />nearly level land. Buttes and knobs are features of the rough up-
<br />land country which extends to middle western Kansas. From this
<br />section westward to the headwaters, the area is characterized by a
<br />series of upland tables presenting a vast expanse of gently rolling
<br />land.
<br />The eastern part of the basin is somewhat wooded, although in.
<br />genera( the greater part of the area is naturally treeless, except for
<br />small timbered areas in the alluvial valleys or narrow strips of tim-
<br />bered land along the stream banks. The timbered areas consist
<br />principally of cottonwood in the western section and elm, oak and
<br />cottonwood in the eastern section.
<br />
<br />GEOLOGY
<br />
<br />Thc Kansas river basin lies wholly in the Interior Plains region
<br />and within the Central Lowlands and the Great Plains physiographic
<br />provinces. It crosses four sections of thesc provinces; namely, the
<br />dissected till plains section north of Kansas river and east of the
<br />Blue, the Osage Plains section south of KansaS river and east of
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