The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1883-02-08
WESTERN ARKANSAS.
A Graphic Letter from One of
Pulaski's Wanderers.
FoRr SMITH. Feb. 5. 1883.

|
write to them after / reached m,
new home, and as / promised t,
write a letter for your columns,
adopt this method of reaching all
| Fort Smith is thriving, prosper
GUS little city of about seven thous
and inhabitants, on the banks of tn,
Arkansas river, on the boundary
line between the Indian Territory
and the state, 165 miles west of Lit
tie Rock, 800 miles west of Mem
phis, and over 400 miles seuth-wes
of st. Louis, and in about the same
latitude of Pulaski. When here il
September last there was only on,
railroad in operation to this point
the Little Rock d Fort Smith road
but since then the Frisco road has
reached here and both lines are run
ming daily trains and, besides hav
ing finely equipped roads, theil
rolling stock and coaches are up tC
the latest improvements. 1t is con
fidently believed that three Other
roads will reach here within twenty
four months. The road from here
to Texarkana is already surveyed
and under contract-being an ex
tension of the Frisco line. From
January LIST, 1880, to Jan. LIST, 1888
two years-there has been built
in this city about $50 residences, not
counting cabins and the like, q
great many of them much finer and
more costly than any private resi-
dence in Pulaski. In the same
length of time there has been built
not less than rs or 100 handsome
business houses, most of them iron
fronts and solid plate glass windows.
Since l was here in September last
there has been built at least dozen.
At that time on the corner of Knox
street and the avenue there was an
old livery stable, where now stands
three elegant business houses, with
offices up stairs put up by Mr.. Mil
Ter of Oxford, Miss, at a total cost of
$4,000. In this building I have
my office. In September last and
the last night / spent here there
was a large fire which consumed Is
or Is business houses on the avenue.
When reached here January 10th
/ was surprised to find it all built
up with two story brick stores, save
the space left for the building of q
new hotel at a cost of $50, 900, be-
sides the cost of the ground-$15,-
QUO, and which is now being put
under contract / asked a gentle
man here what the new hotel would
rent for and he replied that he would
take it now for five years at 1915 per
month, not including the corner
part TO be used for business houses
and a bank. The Southern" is
now the principal hotel of the city,
but is lily constructed and far in
ferior to either..the St. Giles or Lin
den House and it rents readily at
81 800 per annum. There is cot
ton compress company here organ
ised with capital of 100000 and
doing a fine business, besides other
of various characters.
1t is estimated that during this
season there will be shipped from
this point $4,000 or 10000 bales of
cotton, and some seasons it reaches
as high as 10000 bales. There is
published here one daily and four
weekly newspapers and good
deal of enterprise is exhibited in
their makeup and edition. Van
Buren,, the county seat of Crawford
county, is only five miles from Fort
Smith, just across the Arkansas riv-
er,is thriving town off, 500 or g, 900
inhabitants, with the two railroads
and q stage line connecting the two
places. The professions of medi-
cine and law are well represented
here, though not as much crowded,
[ think, in proportion to the bust
ness in Pulaski or Columbia. Allow
me to say one thing, however: that
if lawyer or doctor comes west ex-
pecting to find poor talent with
which to compete he'll find himself
much mistaken. There are as skill
full physicians here as anywhere,
and as to the lawyers, my observa-
ton is that they are really better up
in the recent adjudications and rules
of practice and have far better
Libraries than in Pulaski, which can
certainly boast of a most excellent
bar. This is but natural when it is
considered that there is more litiga-
ton here, more new questions, and
the profession composed of men
coming west determined with vigor
and energy to succeed.
From an agricultural standpoint
this section is certainly very invit-
ing. Besides a large scope of the
inest farming lands in the state
we are just on the border of the In
dian Territory, where there is GER
,ainly the finest soil, in the known
world, besides lying well and beau
5ifully watered and timbered. In
fact it seems to me that the Indians
If the territory ought to be the
lappiest people on earth. The five
tribes are the Cherokees,
Choctaws, Creeks, seminoles and
whose Territory lies di-
,ectly west of here. The lands Of
he Cherokees and Choctaws border
IN Arkansas and corner on the cor
ooration line of this city. These
tribes hold their lands in common
md any person having Indian blood |
N him, or white person who has
an Indian, can go into the |
and locate upon any guam
;ity of land just so it does not ex-
end within $50 yards of another
settler. For the use of this land he
Ices not pay one cent, neither in
price nor taxes, and can enjoy free
lsufruct or rents. To illustrate,
gentleman with whom l have be-
come well acquainted came here
rom Mississippi just after the war
md married a Choctaw Indian. He
las entered, fenced and occupied
wo thousand acres of the finest
ands my eyes ever beheld, lying
the Poto and Arkansas
ivers, within five miles of this city.
Cor this land he pays nothing. He
ented $50 acres to couple of white
pen at $1,000 per annum for five