San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1889-04-25
tho Rev. William Abbott
A BOOMERS METROPOLIS.
How Purcell spranG Up Like Jonah's
Gourd. and How II WIN withcr.

Gourd, and How II VIII withcr.
Tho present situation or condition Of affairs
In tho Oklahoma movement Is without prece-
dent. and must DO considered ono Of the move
ments most remarkable features Not only
Is the greater part Of the hundreds Of boom
ers that followed Payne Couch and others In
their raids stu alive and In waiting about the
borders of Oklahoma, but there arc really
thousands Of others who, having heard Of the
richness Of the land and Of tho probability OF
It's being opened for settlement, have gathered
beside the old boomers, and sat down comfort
ably cheek by jowl.
A description Of Purcell, tho town from
which this story Of Oklahoma Is written, will
convey an idea Of tho boomer situation
around tho territory. Purcell's history Is
worth telling at another timo. There never
was town like Purcell, and there never will
be another like 1t, at least In the United
States. Think Of 800 people squatting down
on tho border limo Of country and waiting
there for months and even years, constantly
ready to Jump and run across tho limo at
moments warning. Tint Is just what has
happened here.
Purcell will DO two years old on April 20
next. On that day, 1887, tho Santa Fc was
completed to this point. Tho company do
cided to mako station hero because 1t Is In
the Chickasaw nation, and tho Chickasaws
favor white emigration.
After a while 1t was noised about that
whites could settle here. Tho boomers
Jumped at the chance. Tho squaw man own
Ing the claim laid out enough lots aud streets
for city. II Oklahoma remains unopened
for O. year or two longer that squaw man
Robert Love- will DO immensely rich out OF
ground rents. Tho city Is matcrializing at
remarkable rate.
And such cityi There Is no counterpart
elsewhere, although Beaver City, No Mans
Land, narrowly escapes being twin sister In
appearance. The chief difference Is In the
character Of the dwellings. Beaver Ii built,
In great epart, Of sod walls, but thoro is u
smattering Of wooden shGnties and dugouts
Hero, to quote tho barber shop joke, there
are shantics galore, dugouts that go lower,
and tents most glorious Tho variety OF
dwellings, Is even greater. There arc people
n-plenty living In covered wagons. There
aro houses that are combination OF dngout
shanty and tent, and ono that Is conbina
ton Of shanty and wagon.
There Is but ono plnstered house In town.
and that belongs to tho railroad. 1t was
built for tho agent Tho houses arc ceiled,
and tho ceiling Is covered with paper. There
arc no brick chimncys, but tho town mny
boast Of what even Beaver City has not-a
sod fireplace. It Is built against shanty
occupied by negroes.
The houses aro, Of course, oil new In up.
pearance, and, rs rule, unpaintcd. The
most of them arc less than eight months old.
About twenty are In course OF construction
at this writing. Mr.. Lano collects from o.
to S25 per annum ground rent for each
house. Not oxorbtant.
Trade Ia remarkably good. Tho constant
influx of population keeps up tho supply Of
cash. Tho high wnter trade mark was $500
gross receipts at one store In one day.
Tho people nro ms interesting ns tho houses.
EVERYWHERE on the streets ono scos mon with
revolvers and repeating rifles md shotguns
and cartridge belts. At night tho air rc'
sounds with screams and yells and tho sounds
Of exploding cartridges. At tho Clifton
house, an excellent frontier hostelry, the
landlord receives his guests with Winches'
tor riao hanging within tho easiest possible
reach, and double barreied shotgun stand
ing In tho corner Just as handy as the Win
chester. Tho son Of an English gentleman
cleans the spittoons and docs like work for
his board and lodging only. In the dining
room young woman, who hos held All ex'
cellent government place In Washington,
and has letters of commendation from two
senator's and ono from President Cleveland,
serves tho guests for S15 month.
There Is but ono drawback to keep tho
town from blossoming out In tho red hues OF
1.-Two frontier town Of tho sort Of which tho
frontier writer's toll. There Is very littlo red
paint to be had; It Is unlawful to sell whisky
In tho Indian territory. However, there ore
few cider joints Of the Kansas variety, n
few gambling layouts, and ono dance house.
With oil this building, all this tradc, all these
evidences Of material prosperity and future
greatness, the town would go down like a
card house In gale Of wind tomorrow could
tho president declare Oklahoma open to set
tlcment today.
While Purcell Is tho only boomer settlc-
ment, thcre Is not q settlement OF any other
kind within q days journey OF Oklahoma
proper but has hosts Of boomera Their homes
arc easily distinguished, especially In the
Kansas towns by the fran character Of the
structures. II Is really modest estimate TO
say that 10, 900 people are living In dugouts
alone In tho Kansas border towns waiting for
| Oklahoma to open. Perhaps ono should say
| they exist rather thnn live. People read o.
the homes Of the Chilkat Indians In Alaski
and weep for sympathy. Tho Oklahoma
boomer waiting In a dugout for home II
the promised land, Is about as badly on II
dress and home as tho Chilkat Indian. And
yet they ore a cheerfullot. In A. O. McCord1
hotel tho other day lAcCord was o boorner1
| lot Of boomers sat about tho stove when Ih'
| Sun reporter entered.
They're all boomers" said McCord, nod
| ding toward the men, but Solomon In a
| bis glory was not arrayed like ono OF these.
That was true The poverty stricker
boomer docs havo a hard lot, but the boom
ers are by no means all poverty stricken
/ There are men worth hundreds Of thousand
IN whiting. There arc men OF wealth wht
are even living here waiting 10 re what
/ going TO be done. OF course, they are no
/ going TO locate on a quarter section OF land
| One man at the Clifton house Is ready 70 In
vest s2S. 900 In a grist mill just a. soon a
there Is a town in Oklahoma ready for tn
mill. Others will open stores, hanks and rea
estate offices The border towns OF Texas
such as Gainesville and Dcnison, are fun o
| bonner Il Is certain that Oklahoma woult
I have a population Of 10000 within a monn
| were the territory 30 Be opened today. IN
| peopie here say that the popalntiou woult
I reach that figure In two weeks, and that esti
| mate q backed By commercinl travellers VIII
I visit all of the border towns
Such q wfd time - there viii Be durini
I tbe carly days of the new territory VIII prob
/ ably be without n parallel even In tho q
| re9ious of Pcnnsylvania and The mininl
I caups of the pcst, for there never were =
many Tsopis gathered before % make a rush
OF tiss si0ries tod about reoeut raills an
I oouficts With troops little ned be sAid III
s.orias were unfr8o Every day sone o.
I ross over into OklAbomA Soms daEs thre'
o. four wagons 70 ever As many rotufn
/ Tbsy are eTrloring part;sA Nor and toe'
suns one finds c sscioded srot and cAgs
i tu-ou4 r-d srsfles thcra N0w and the1 u
I - q --rsIr~ - ~