Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-07-05
THE PANHANDLE.
How This strip Of Country Appears to
au Old.WOrld Correspondent.

an Old.World Correspondent.
The following article appeared in the
form of communication To the Glas-
Cow (Scotland) Adrsrtise,, and is
comprehensive description of that
splendid country:
The district known rs the Panhandle
proper is situated between the Indian
Territory and New Mexico. The Texas
legislature have extended this district
as far south rs the southern line of
New Mexico, and 1t now consists of
tifty-five counties, measuring about
POO miles from east TO west and 400
miles from south to north. On the
north it Is bounded by q narrow strip
of land IS miles wide by 200 miles
long, fsmiiarly known as the public
strip. This strip was, understand,
originally left as an outlet to the noun
tsins for the Indians. and Is now
claimed by them rs forming part of
the Indian Territory. The state of
Texas also claims 1t as forming part of
the Panhandle, and Kansas, on the
north also claims IL rs forming part of
that state. l think 1t Is very likely
that the United States will take 1t rs
public property. AS the matter stands
at present the federal government has
just finished the official survey of 1t
into sections one mile square, placing
galvanized iron cones flied with char
coal at the corners of each section.
1t still remains TO be seen whether
the United States government will
open il for homestead or place 1t
Inc the market for sale. AT pres
ent this strip is squatted on by
numbers of ranchmen, who entirely
control it, commencing with Overes
on the east. followed by Healy's, Cram
mer's, Mccoy, Hardesty Brothers,
Dudley, Towers & Gudgell, and u few
other small outfits. numbering in all
about 10000 head OF cattle. The strip
is mainly watered by the Beaver and
its tributaries, and with the exception
of low range of sand hills on the
north bank of the Beaver and the
breaks of that stream and tributaries,
the district might readily be called
unfortunate AZ the divide between the
Beaver and South Canadian, on to
which the cattle would naturally drift
during heavy weather, consists of bare
flats, very short of water, and entirely
deficient in shelter.
The public strip appeared to me,
| when riding over 1t last December, to
| be fully stocked with cattle. There IL,
| of course, no fencing or improvements
of any extent on 1t, rs the land cannot
be owned until the government takes
some steps In the matter, and good
many of the ranchmen have built
their camps just inside the Kansas
| line in order to secure homestead.
The extreme north end of the Pan
handle consists of the high bare flats al
ready referred to, which form the di-
vide between the Beaver and South
Canadian rivers. This is cut into by
u few tributaries of the Beaver on the
north, the main Que being the north
Palo Duro, which gouges narrow
valley out of the flats for forty or
fifty miles. 1t has no spring branches
and runs dry about one-half the
time in summer. The creek Is mainly
controlled by the 777 brand, owned by
the Cattle Land and Ranch company.
There is a small bunch of few hun
bred head on the extreme head of the
creek, owned by Cater Brothers, two
Yorkshiremen, who came down to
that country in 1875 TO shoot buffalo
Messrs. Cater stated to lie In course Of
a conversation, that the buffalo were
pretty Well killed out three or four
years ago. There were some thirty-tive
or forty head got last winter, away to
the west of them on the flats, put with
the exception of few punches which
| still exist ON the northern portion of
| the Staked plaiHs, south of the Cau2-
dian river, buffalo are nearly extinct
in the southwest. During The nine
years which the Cater Brothers have
lived there they have killed over 2G, 900
head of buffalo.
The first desirable ranching district
In the Panhandle, entering 1t from the
north, is the valley of the Canadian
river, which comes in from New Mex.
leo on the west and cuts narrow
gorge clear through the flats TO the H.
dian Territory line In northeasterly
direction. The total length OF this
river in the Panhandle will be from
220 to 240 miles. II has short trib-
utary creeks flowing in from
either side and the canons and
shelter. Two years ago the ranchmen
on the Canadian built line OF
fence clear ACROSS from New Mexico 10
the Indian Territory line along the low
flat divide between that stream aud the
Beaver, for the purpose Of stopping the
| northern drift of cattle from the bleak,
bare, snelterless country already re-
ferred to as existing on the extreme
north end OF the Panhandle. Seven
years ago there we're only three or four
small punches Of cattle held on the
Canadian inside the Panhandle. There
were no water fronts owned until after
the purchase of the Littlefeld herd by
the Prairie Cattle Company about
three years age. This introduction OF
foreign capital into the cattle business
on the Canadian had the effect OF i'm
mediately placing the American ranch
men on the alert, and they, fearing q
wholesale acquisition Of water fronts
by the foreigners, Immediately set
about buying and leasing water fronts
on both sides of the river, SO that In
less than two years after the advent Of
the Prairie Cattle Company the whole
frontage Of the Canadian river, from
one side OF the Panhandle to the other
was either leased or bought 10 such An
extent that IL enabled the owners Z nd
lessecs 70 fence their property, and 1t
! the present time the whole length Of