The Red Cloud chief., 1889-05-03
OKLAHOMA
The Coveted Lands Finally Swarm
With Settlers.
Scenes and Incidents Attending the Great
lsus:i "A Mad Charge For Hom~ste~ds
and Town Lots-aDpenins the
Land-oGiceS

GUTHRIE. ]. l.. April 23.-Fifteen thou.
sand home seekers are camped on the
grassy upland Of Guthrie, the pioneer CITY
o. Oklahoma Their CAMP fires glenn in
the darkness. and their tents loom att
the sky like an army in "a bivouac. Guth-
lie. heretofore an insignificant station in
q wild and uninhabited country remote
from civiiizatioaa, has more Than q popu-
lation Of II. 0U.
All this was gained in an afternoon.
Ia no country save America, and in no
part Of that country but the great West.
could such a thing he possible. 1t is a
triumph for the Western people. especially
Tor citizens of Southern Kansas, such as
they may never agnin have the oppor,u-
nifty Of achieving. That they were fully
equal 10 the occasion needs no more proof
than the presence OF 1900 people In New
Guthrie last night The conser vativs aud
leisurely East may well look at this aud
Wonder.
When the first train arrived At Guthrie
from Arkansas City the emhryo streets
and lots OF the new city had already been
lad out toy ent"rprining men, citizens who
had i~.en early on the scene. Hardly had
the cars slowed down at the station when
eager men leaped from the car windows,
slipped from the roof OF coaches and
poured out Ut the doors in streams. One
lat man was in such haste that he stood
on his head and turned a somersault on
the soft earth. When he rot upon mis-
feet he rushed up tho slope to the land
Office like a crazy Texas steer. In a min
ute the slope leading up from the station
was black with men rushing headlong
eager for coveted town lots. In two min.
ufes not one Of the men who had filled the
tran was left in speaking distance OF tho
railway.
BY the time this crowd had reached the
top of the slope near the land.of'ice men.
who had been running parallel lines for
streets and driving in stakes for town lots,
were we'll on their way along the level
strip Of land east OF the iand-oflice. The
crowd then caught the moving line "f
streets and lots and rushed eastward at a
tremendous rate.
The men h brought along n muslin
sign bearing the words Bank of Guthrie"
were compelled to take up q lot one mile
tack of the station.
The next train arriving from Arkansas
City brought LOO home seekers about ten
minutes later.
The men in this train poured across the
prairie like sn army charging the wing Of
the enemy. They spread out north and
south with axes. spades and stakes and
b-gnn with wonderful energy the location
Of town lots and streets.
The third. fourth. fifth and sixth trains
from Arkansns CITY swellcd the number
Ia as many thousands.
by this tim. the lot seekers had reached
the eastern horizon. In grea Guthrie Is a.
blg as Arkansas City.
When tn. seventh and eight trains came
In. late ia the afternoon. the crowd had
Y flowed all bounds. On the east the
streets aud town lots had been extended
fully TWO miles. on the north n mile and a
hal and on the south nearly n mile. No
attempt had been made to Law out a town
ON the west side of the track, although a
Slope # green prairie vas unmoicsied.
1hi. west land had been all ii ell ON for
h'mest-ads. with the exception Of a
wonderfully beautiful piece Of green
sward just south Of ia. Cimarron river
and west of TIA" railroad track. IL was
the finest str-ici OF ground i'm the neigh.
borlhood.
Men We're not alone in their search for
lots. \ few ladies came down ON trains
prepared To go 10 housekeeping with tents
mud cooking outfits. One lady lost her
tent somewhere ON the cars. She spent
the afternoon looking for friends with
whom To spend tn. night Another lady
who lost her husband in tn. crowd when
th. first rush " as made hunted all over the
toNn site i'm IA stat. of spcechlcss ngita-
ton
Almost with The first rush If the home
seekers from the cars the ,.omescakers
who had started across the Oklahoma
north line at noon In wagons aud on
horseback. began Ia pour into the new
city. Their horse, were reeking Wet from
the hot and furious drive They took
possession OF such town lots In the future
Oklahoma metropolis as they could lay
claim to- hile the lnnd.ofiicc was
hesieg-d hy an eager and determined
crowd OF men waiting to file claims upon
home>t-ads.
As The afternoon wore on, this crowd
grew larger. until Mt CLOSING time il
Teach-d u regular jam far down the line
toward the railroad station.
Bu -iness IN the iand-office went rather
slowly. The register and the receiver did
tn lest hat they could. hu. the pressure
upon them was tremendous. The men
who were waiting to file claims were
forced into line two abreast They car
ried blankets aud baskets OF provisions
WILL hSt 'Ns III -
TO drink from the encin- tank at the rail-
WAY track i'm the rear ~ the iand-ofice.
Dealers in real estate began business before
two O'Clock in the afternoon. One enter
rri>inc dealer had as a background for
the safe transaction Of business n stock of
rifles which had been placed there by the
Government troops IN duty at the land
Office. Near by WAS the tent OF United
States Marshal Needles. The tent was
surmount-J hy a large American dag set
on a young tree flagstaff.
The land-of.ice occupies the most con
spicuou. place IN the entire town site. Ii
is located AT the top cf the slope that leads
eastward from the railroad. Ii can he
seen for several miles in all directions. 1t
is not Vet finished. but it is doing some-
thing more than u land .ofiice business
The Rush From the South.
PURCELL. l. T.. April:a-A bright morn
ing showed Oklahoma in all her glcry as
the boomers made their way down 10 the
river hank and the depot. The hills and
meadows showed fair and green TO the
thousands IF eager pilgrims. From far
away TO the southwark the wagon trains
came winding along the roads and across
the country. Manv had moved their camps
during the night and were already at the
river side. Others had crossed the river.
hut over there the mantle Of charity Is
thrown and no one of all the waiting men
on this side of the river has ever seen any.
body crossing no matter how plainly they
were 10 be seen. They are glad TO see the
invaders return. but will saw nothing
about them hereafter. But there were