Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-01-26
wnErR NO MANS LAND Is.

wHERR NO MANS LAND IL.
forests. where the pterdactyl famed the
languid mir with leathery wing and the
mylodon robustus basked and browsed
on tho nliocene shore. The people OF No
Mans Land have done this service for us
by organizing government on purely
original principles, without n congress
sional enabling act or anything from
The scene Of this political evolution is
tract of United States territory half q
degree wide and three degrees Of longi-
tudo in length, which was accidentally
left out In giving the adjoining territories
straight boundaries, in this wise: When
the Cherokees moved west tho govern
mcnt guaranteed them the land north Of
Red river and westward to tho Mexican
line; that limo was then tho Tooth meri-
dian from Red river to tho Arkansas, so
tho Tooth meridian Is declared by tho
land Office and United States courts to
bo tho western limit Of the Indian terri
tory. When Texas was annexed her
statesmen agreed to surrender oil her
lands north Of 80 degs and so min., for
the Missouri compromise was to tho effect
that there should be no slavery north of
that line, so 60 degs. 30 min. is the north
boundary of Texas. In laying of New
Mexico congress thought only Of giving
It square boundaries, and 30 its eastern
border was located on longitude 103 degs.
Similarly latitude 81 degs. was made tho
continuous southern boundary of Kansas,
Colorado and Utah. The result of this
pairing was No Mans Land, bounded cast
by longitude 100 degs west by 1903 degs.,
north by latitude 81 degs. and south by
90 degs. 80 min.
The tract contains s,7oo, 900 acres and
about 2 900 people. 1t twas long called tho
Cherokee Neutral Strip, because every
ono supposed II was part of the Indian
territory, and tho Cherokecs claimed
that the grant of land "as far as United
States land extends" carried their border
70 New Mexico; but tho grant was con-
struedaby Commissioner A. j. Sparks
and Secretary Lamar to cover only such
land as the United States had at thedate
Of the grant. After the railroads were
built through Kansas very important
trail was laid out from Dodge city SOUTH
forgotten strip became tho favorito rest
ing place Of tho teamsters, Yhero they
recruited their stock. Therefore in
March, 1880, James Lane, bold from
tiersman, established q ranch at tho
Beaver crossing and built sod house,
with plastered walls, glass windows and
o roof Of rafters covered with prairie
hay. It still stands-the first house in
Beaver City. -
Others camo to enjoy the profitable
trade with teamsters and Texas cowboys,
and the metropolis OF the neutral strip"
became a place. In 1889 some one dis
covered that tho strip did not belong to
any territory or state, and Mr.. w. A.
Starr, Of Oswego, Kan, quietly got a
certificate to that effect from the depart
ment OF the interior, and the inevitable
"town company" was formed Mt Wichita.
They compromised with Lane and laid
Off Beaver City in 1886, reserving for
him ths two blocks now known rs
lanes Reserve" Now the custom In
the far west is to build and boom cities
and sell lots on quit claim deeds until an
act of congress can be obtained making
these titles valid. The reader curious
about such matters may. find in tho
Statutes at Large" many Of these relief
acts, notably one entitled IAN act for
tho relief OF the inhabitants of Salt
Lake City" There the people had
bought and sold on quit claim deeds,
without the signature of any wife, first
or tenth, for twenty-three years; con-
gress gave title to the whole city to the
ulhyOT, III tTust, WHO ueeucu VI ull uoIiit
fde holders. And this Is n fair sample.
But the Wichita boomers failed to get
their "relief," as there was no govern
ment survey and no land Office with
jurisdiction-in short, ''nothing to tie
TO-" as the western idiom has it.
When Beaver city lad reached resi-
dent population of perhaps $50 it became
q great place OF attraction for Texas
cowboys, and promiscuous shooting be-
came favorite amusement. The visitor
usually rode into town at a gallop, yell
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