Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1889-04-26

served to make them like drove of stam-
peded cattle. There was vain attempt at
good humor i'll the struggle, which con-
cealed the grim purpose behind, and there
was no quarter shown in the rush for
places. 1t was wild west crowd, headed
toward the new field of enterprise and
DEVELOPMENT, and no one who has never
seen such thing III action can have the
remotest conception of it. Every car
brought up the line was greeted with ire
mendous cheers. as the coaches which
were to be attached to the newspaper spe-
cial were brought out Of the siding, and
there was a simultaneous rush OF two or
three thousand men towards them. They
We're filled TO overtlowing in less than half
minute and {; countless throng was
STRUGGLING FOR PLACE
on the steps. 1t was in vain for the Off
cials to say that the trains would run in
sections, fifteen minutes apart. Every
man there wanted to be fifteen minutes
ahead of everybody and not fifteen min.
utes behind anybody. The first section
made up consisted of nine coaches, the
newspaper coach and one caboose. 1t
pulled out at S:45, railroad time. drawn by
engine 266 in charge of Captain G. II.
Cooper, who has been on the Santa Fe line
for eleven years and is one of the ablest
and most trusted engineers in its employ.
Train Master Faukes was in charge OF the
entire train.
THE FIRST TRAINgFOR OKLAHOMA.
This was the first train that ever ran out Of
Kansas loaded for Oklahoma with settlers
and even those who were disappointed in
getting aboard Of it joined in a wild en-
thusiastic cheer which rent the Kansas air
as the first step toward a realization Of the
hopes and dreams OF years and a reward
for the sacrifices of the past, was taken.
The train ran slowly, as there was great
danger of misplaced rails and switches or
distractions of various kinds placed there
by those gone before and who wanted to
corner the best lands in sight. 1t was
$40 when the sign which marks
THE DIVIDING LINE OF KANSAS
from the Cherokee strip was reached. It
was greeted with a cheer which rolled
from the news car in front to the rustlers
caboose behind. 1t marked the departure
from state government toward a country
where the government is yet to be created
and established. Still the Cherokee coun-
try lay between them and the rainbow
land. There were no Indians to be seen
till after Willow Spring was passed. where
a wagon load Of bucks Of the Ponca tribe
~ III, hn trail ,,os fjoI ~,
shouts and cheers of those ON board the
train. with sulen looks ard gesticulations
of defiance, as not evidently pleas d at the
coming of the pale. faces. Along the
PaWnee trail the train also passed caravans
but some returning toward Kansas At
the last station outside Of Oklahoma there
was a great crowd of boomers who had
forsaken their teams and hoped to gain
time by rail. There being no TO III inside
they climbed to the top OF the coaches, and
the entire train from one end to the other
was lined with them. In this way the
late dead line was reached and passed,
however,
GRAFT TTRANsFORAIAT1ON SCENE
Had begun, and was plainly visible to the
watchers from the train. First came in
together in groups in level places which
diversity Gthe face of the country. 1t was
at once noticeable that teams were not to be
seen in any OF these camps, aud it was
place they had been taken out OF the
harness to be ridden across the border by
hard rides, who We're to locate claims.
THE RIDE OF PAUL REVERE
dwindles into obscurity beside the feat of
horsemanship performed in Oklahoma to-
day. Rides OF fifteen to twenty miles were
made on incredible short time by old
boomers familiar with the country, and
who knew where the desirable lands were
located. The day was cloldless, and far
away on the horizon clouds of dust could
be seen ascending from the hoofs of hun
dreds OF horses rushing toward different
destinations in most cases, but some to-
ward the same. One race for algoal could
easily be distinguished. The riders We're
apparently evenly mounted; We're neck
and neck as tar as they could be seen, and
their eager and intense looks and merciless
whipping We're sufficient evidence OF the
prize they were running after. One sad
died, but riderless horse !sas seen gallop-
ing along the trail, all 0minOus sign of
some accident or fatality which had befallen
rider. Some men were in charge of horses
and We're evidently riding relays towards
the goal, out of the dust which arose to-
wards tho east could be seen, after the
:,
a wagon caravan fully two miles long and
which was being sped to the utmost of its
horses. These caravans were. plainly out
distanced by the horse back riders, and af-
ter several miles Of territory had been
rraversed it was seen the best riders were
winning the best prizes. The smoke of q
myriad OF camp fires, lighted to cook
THE FIRST NEAL IN OKLAHOMA,
began to ascend inaIl directions, and be-
fore, the first train of land spectators
rushed to the future great city of Guthrie,
the farmer had already become the pos-
SCISSOR of a great deal of land, and more
than one furrow Of virgin soil, out of the
land which had never before been tickle0
by the plOw, was turned over to the sun.
1t lacked but a few minutes of 1 O'clock
when the train stopped in front of the
Guthrie depot, a handsome and substantial
editice. Before the train came to a stop it
was seen that somebody was already there,
in fact the town was already we'll pOpu-
lated. Tents were numerous on the entire
slope, and stakes were sticking up out Of
the ground like poles In a bean patch.
Men could be seen racinS in the direction
: of valuable holdings and the scene was as