St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-20
FLOODING PIONEERS,
Thousands of Teams Line the
Trails to the Land OF
Plenty.
All Sorts Of Rigs in Use, Even
to the "Wonderful One
Hoss Shay
Rising Rivers Embarrass the
Boomers in Their
Progress.
The Cunning Cowboy Catches
the Idea and Joins the
Crowd.

thousand camp-fres glmmered along
the old Reno stage trail last night from
Caldwell to Pond Creek. To-day 1000
canvas-covered wagons are slowly NOV
ing along the trail. The day was favor
able. and notwithstanding the late
heavy rains, the trail, which is almost
identical with the old Caldwell and Ft.
Reno stage trail, was in very good con-
dition. The most popular outfit is
strong canvas covered wagon, drawn by
two large, stout horses, and the horses
of the boomers are all looking in good
condition. Some large wagons have
four or even six horses. Some parties
are mount ed Oh ponies and carry whole
camp outfits behind their saddles.
Some are crossing the strip in buggies.
One odd turnout is large, high,
old-fashioned buggy, drawn by two
shaggy yellow horses, with
colt hitched by its mother, and black
COW tied behind The driver is
woman, and she drove with one hand
while the other supported a little
child. A shocky-headed youngster of
ten followed behind, stopping now and
then to wade in the water that fills the
buffalo wallows and pelting the old COW
with clOds. The woman was Kansas
widow, seeking a home in the Prom
| ised Land" Four large horses pull a
| large frame room, like travelling pho
| tOgrapher's outfit. upon which in large
letters reads 1.-The Great War Show"
| From the great number of old soldiers
who are among the coloniSts it would
seem that it should do a good business.
| 1t seems as if half the men OH the trail
wear Grand Army badges. All the
stories to the contrary notwithstanding,
| it does not seem that there
CAN BE ANY TROUBLE
among the men who are driving over
the trail to-day. They are as fine body
| of pioneers as ever went into a new
country. Most of them are Kansas and
| Nebraska farmers, and although gun
| is in every wagon and across every sad
die bow, the owners are men who will
use them to keep peace and not to make
trouble, They know how to use their
| guns if necessary, as they show now and
then by a shot at jack snipe or mead
Ow lark, which starts up along the trail.
There has not been the least trouble be-
tween the wagon men since they first
went into camp at Caldwell. Most Of
the wagon boomers got out of Caldwell
yesterday and this morning. There
them have little or no money, but al
most all are we'll equipped for camp
life. There are still many men in the
town that will go down to-day and to-
morrow, taking the train to Pond creek
and trusting to the stage to get them to
| KingfiSher-or Lisbon-the name which
the new pOStOffice will give to the town.
Salt Fork, Pond creek and all the other
streams in the Strip, it is thought,
CAN BE FORDED,
although every one is very high. All
is doubt about the chances of fording
the Cimarron, and a wagon left Cald-
with which the owners expect to start a
ferry. A dispatch from Arkansas City
says: Last night the Old Soldiers
union colony of this city held its last
meeting before going into Oklahoma.
Al Mowrey is president. The colony
consists of $50 old soldiers. OF these
12O will leave Monday to look up a
homestead each under the soldier
clause. A location has been selected,
but they will not reveal it. The mem
bers will go by train. They have
started wagon train with supplies OF
tents and provisions, and raft suffi-
GENTLY large to ferry all the accoutre-
ments across any stream between here
and Oklahoma. The old soldiers
colony of Wichita started ten wagons
yesterday. They will enter at Caid-
well. Word was brought here last
night from Purcell by man who was
there yesterday, that great deal OF
lawleSSneSS exists
ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER
of Oklahoma. He said man was "held
up'' in the streets of Purcell in broad
daylight and robbed of $50. The boom.
ers defy the law. They have purchased
or hired every available horse i'll the
neighborhood, and will mount and wade
through the Canadian river just before
noon to-day. When the signal flag
drops at noon, sharp. there will be a
desperate land race on the opposite
bank. The gamblers and toughs de-
clare they will let no one pass a
certain distance who is not one OF
them. The town is full OF
special correspondents. who are
writing from Imagination and
against space. A glarin G misstatement
was made yesterday in st. Louis
paper. The Arkansas river was said tC
be out of Its banks. threatening the
town. The Arkansas has not been out
of its banks for more than sixteen
years. A cowboy from Caldwell, who
arrived late last night, says the Cimar-
ron is very high, and that up to the time
he left. eighteen persons had beer
drowned trying to ford the stream. He
can give no names, as he said he die
not inquire. No definite information
can be learned of the drowning. Al
one time this morning there were over
100 wagons on the streets.