New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-04-07
AMONG THE INDIANS.
The Thirty fifth Parallel Route TO the Pa
citc What the half.breeds Think
About Surrendering Their Territory
A SabbasI, in the Indian NaiiOn-Nest-
ern Railroad Fares.


A correspondent of the Cincinnati Con,
mercjal, who is travelling through the In
dian Territory, and thence over the pro
posed route of the Atlantic and Paciti,
the Cherokee reservation:
Hitherto my Journeys have been over the
Central route, diverging for only shor
| periods from the main line Of connection
| PostOtfces. stages, telegraph lines. and ever
railroads We're seldom far distant; ant
though | dragged at each new one q
| lengthy chain, still it was chain connect
ing me by close links with home. friends
and civilization. But for this reason | take
a new route. but little known to the general
correspondent. through Southern Kansas
the Indian Territory, New Mexico and Ar
IONA 10 the Pacific. following as nearly as
possible the line of the proposed Southern
| Pacific. For now consider it settled we
must have a Southern Pacifc' railrOad-the
thirty -titth parallel of the Ell Paso line-toI
| despite his magnificent circulars, | am not
persuaded that the winter blOckades on the
Union Pacific railroad are to be relieved BY
Jay Cookies great hyperborean route. My
aim is also to examine and report upon the
the Indian Territory. just now attractin 2
| some attention from the government.
| On the morning of the twenty,4rst-a
bitter cold dav-I left st. Louis By way OF
| the Atlantic and Pacific railroad and ran
all day through the poorest country I ever
| saw east of the American Desert. The gen
| eral direction of the road is west-south-
west; on the one side the streams flow east
ward into the Mississippi, and on the other
| northward into the Missouri: and for the
entire distance this road seems to wind
about so as to keep exactly on the divide
| bar these p11 W II arI har on
ridges. Its present terminus is at Finita,
some forty miles into the Indian Territory,
| and 800 trom st. Louis. for which distance
each passenger pays the moderate price
flor this country of SIS so.
Nothing surprises Eastern pilgrims so
much, and may add, SO painfully. as the
steady increase of prices as they 90 west
ward The traveller from New York to San
Francisco tiuds a regularly increasing tariff,
at the rate OF one or two cents per mile, at
each cha nge OF the road. On the New York
Central he pays two cents per mile; on the
Michigan Central three cents; from Chicago
westward four cents, with liberal discount
for through tickets. and through Iowa five
cents. On crossing the Missouri river he
takes BIZ jump and pays seven cents per
mile on the Union Pacific, and at Ogden
changes 10 the Central Pacific at ten cents
per nile (currencyl thence to San Fran
cisco II ne grCmbles he is told: Its the
custom OF the country. Everything is high
out here etc: at least that's all the salts
faction | ever got. Stage fare increases
even at greater ratio: tive cents IN the
East. ten in Iowa and Nebraska and twenty
in the Territories. Provisions also increase
in price. but in much smaller ratio. To
travel long out West, man must be. IN a
local phrase. well heeled.' This road. il /
may Judge from the country. ought TO charge
nifty cents per mile, for surely there can be
10 way trade worth naming.
AL hours run through ''the Nation
brought us 20 this place. The terminus OF
the Atlantic anu Pacific is only a mile be-
yond. and here it IS crossed by the Mis-
souri,, Kansas and Texas railroad, running
due sooth. BE- the treaty OF 1866 two rail
roads were to be allowed To run through
the Indian Territory, and By government
Charter this privilege was granted to the
two roads which reached the border first
The Leavenworth, Lawrence and Calves
ton road and the Kansas and Fort Scott
road both started f0c it, but were distanced
by the Missouri. Kansas and Texas, hence
botA OF them terminate "a the border.
The Atlantic and Pacific reached it first
from the East. nearly one year ago, was
soon after completed here and stopped.
waiting the action of Congress the peo-
pie say The Missouri. Kansas and Texas
runs 10 Canadian river, seventy miles
south OF here. whence stages run through
Texas to T. Paso. in Mexico. and Fort Sill.
IN the western part of this Territory. The
railroad IS to continue on to the gulf, or
tap the Texas Central. Here, at Vinita. is
the Junction Of two long lines IN a new
country. with good soil, climate and timber.
and we should naturally expect to see
place.
Ia Kansas or Nebraska we should see a
city of lite and acrivity-lots selling at
from SlJ0 TO $1,000 dollars, dwellings and
stores going up on every hand, one or two
hive journals blowing the place as the 'fll-
ture metropolis OF the bOundless West, the
last great chance for protitabl invest
hent. etc. and dozen streets lively with
the rattle q active commerce. Here. we
do see nothing. We feel the dried calm of
stagnation; We breathe the atmosphere of
lazness. There is one tolerable hotel, one
stone store AID two frame ones. kept re-
spectiyely by a Cherokee and a Delaware
and. besides the railroad employees. there is
a population of perhaps a hundred-a few
good men, more shittless whites. average
Indians and suspicious looking half-breeds
New Corners soon get disguised and leave
The railroads own the adjacent land, and
last September laid off town and had a
sale Of lots. They ranged from $50 to 5000
In February last the same lots sold at from
SIS to $50
The trade OF the country is next to moth
ing. Cattle are the only export, aud the
money received for them is all that comes
into the country. Nowhere is there a sur
plus of grain raised, and along the border
there is considerable import Of staples from
Missouri and Arkansas. This portion OF
the Cherokee country is but little settled. |
tending continuous line of settlements
down TO Talequah, their capital, seventy |
miles from here
My first Sabbath in the Nation was |
bright and clear, with shade of green !
upon the prairies and all the indications of |
advancing spring: and being informed that |
there was an ''IDjin schoolhouse with |
preaching some'ers three miles down on |
Cabin creeh, l started to hunt it. Before
was mile on nay way the wind rose with
surprising suddenness and blew almost a
hurricane for the rest of the day. This is
the most windy part of the West | have
yet VISITED, and L suppose it is for that rea-
son always find the Indians living in the
timber along the creeks.
Nobody could tell me what route to take,
30 L called at the first house, where l was
directed to the next occupant, who an
nounced himself as White Cherokee"
is your neighbor an Indian - asked.
'Well, he has an Injin family
And the next man ~
We'll he's sorter white, but he's mar
led to Il Shawnee girl. Next house thar
ives a white Cherokee, but that man over
har knows most about the country. Better
isk him"
| went as directed to pretentious frame
louse, the incest had yet seen in the Ma
ion," where | found a family of nine chill
lren and young people, of just nine differ
mt shades of color, from pure white, with
,lue eyes and red hair, to almost pure
Adian.
found the owner very communicative.
md thar pfa1liJanf His fra+ vic - |