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. .,".: ::.: ~.:~~: ~~~}~::::{f:~;~~.:.~.':.:~.>>\L~:?r:: :(:::.r:::...:\ {U5~:'.:~'::~.)"\:.'.::'::.'~.~~ ~:~: ~ ~::: :~(_:::.:);:.~~.;<:.::::~:?--:.>?<::r~.~ 'i'::.~.;\::;; ({\~:::::.f;::~;::~ .~::{.~:~~~_~~:: -::~:. . , HISTORY OF PHREATOPHYTE INFESTATION IN TilE ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY The earliest record obtained of the existence. of salt cedar in the Arkansas River Valley. was reported by Dr. Robert J. Niedrach, Curator of the Department of Ornithology, Denver Museum of Natural History. He stated that on a collection trip in 1913 near Lamar, he found this shrub and thought it was some kind of juniper. He revisited the area in 1921 and 1923 and noted that there had been a considerahle increase of this shrub. Mr. Jack Sniff, a prominent rancher living west of Lamar, reported that his father had told him that salt cedar existed on the river prior to 1921, but that the big flood of 1921 was responsible for its extensive spread. Mr. M. C. McCormick, agriculture expert from the Holly area who has lived on the same ranch for forty-five years reported that the big flood of 1921 had little effect on spreading the salt cedar on his ranch. He stated that the earlier floods did not carry as much sediment as the later ones. He noted that the major flood of 1937 was responsible.for scattering and establishing the salt cedar throughout much of his ranch. Mr. Wright, a prominent farmer near Holly, age 92 and quite active, reported that there was salt cedar on the river along with cottonwood and willow in 1927 when he first came to Holly but nothing like its eKtent today. Mr. Harrison Brandt, a retired ditch rider and farmer, age 75, could not remember any salt cedar on the river when he came to Holly in 1915. He thought that the big flood of 1921 had brought it out of the mountains. One of the best records of early cottom~ood growth along the Arkansas River is reported by Vestal (1939). He described the Santa Fe Trail route as it approaches an area called "Big Timbers" near the present town of Lamar as follows: "The monotony of the mountain route was relieved just here by a fine grove of trees, the first of any size and beauty between Council Grove and Bent's Fort. It was called the Big Timbers. The Big Timbers was a scattered grove of gigantic cottonwoods extending up the rivp.r towards Bent's Old Fort for u distance of perhaps thirty miles. Some of these huge trees were sever. or eight feet in diameter. They stood on isl~~ds in the river and alo~g the banks, without underbrush, and at wide intervals, so that travelp.rs on the trail could see the other side of the river between the trunks without difficulty. This was a favorite camping ground of the Indians, particularly in winter, when the buffalo congregated there. The Grove steadily decreased in length. as wagon trains cut down the trees. The last of them were gone by 1863." 3 --,---,..-..-...~..,. . ... .