The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1889-04-26
TIL. Oklahoma cruxs.

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The Oklahoma Craxe.
The Genes attending the settlement of
Oklahoma are unprecedented. The desire
for homes:eads in the new land amounts
to frenzy. A few incidents hereto append
ed illustrate the remarkable state of feel
ing which took complete possession of
enough people to make u state at a single
bound,
AT . o'clock on the morning of the 18th
Capt. Hays camp at Arkansas CITY was
getting ready to accompany the boomers
across the Cherokee strip. Nearly 81 1000
boomers were there. They were ordered
to move i'll III orderly manner along the
established traits. The procession was
accompanied by twenty or thirty reporters
OH ponies. The Chicago camp began
moving in line the night before.
Capt Havs had received instructions
from the war department to permit entries
into the strip at y o'clock ON the morning
OF the 18th. The south bridge across the
Arkansas river is the most direct route to
the strip. being just three miles from the
border. The road is narrow, with a hedge
on one side and Il wire fence on the other.
The RAIN nude tho mud hub deep. Be-
Tore dark Wednesday night this three miles
of rond was blocked with wagons and i'm.
passable either way. Many families slept
In the wagons. which stood up to the hubs
IN the mud. A large party from Welling-
ton. kah., constructed IL pontoon bridge,
which IS portable. dthcy crossed streams
ON ii. Thursday morning fully 400 wagons
were along the line and strung all the way
to the limits of Arkansas City, where there
We're quo more. Their was n hesituncy
about the start. Orders were given by
Capt. Hays to wait untilS O'Clock. when an
oiderley would give The warning. 1t lacked Il
few minutes before 8 O'Clock, when a
Kansas City man called out: why should
we wait any longer? Follow me" and
drove across the line upon the reservation.
a 'r'mendons shout went up. from the
oomer and they went forward and over
the line. The shout Was taken up all
along the line and the entire cayalcade
moved forward. Williams. from CHATEAU.
qua county. Kansas, with his wife and five
children, were the first settlers to follow
the Kansas City men. Soon 1000 white
covered wagons were in motion. From
an elevation five solid miles of wagons
could be seen, and as the caravan went
over the undnlating prairie it presented a
sight probably never to be seen again.
lerched on n cracker box in the first of
ten wagons from kingman, Kan., Dan
Skies flung The American flag to the breeze.
AS far as it could be seen it was hailed
with patriotic shouts. For three hours
the wagons crossed the strip line and
moved slowly toward the promised land.
On the outside of almost every wagon,
strapped to the sides, We're plows. house,
hold goods and farming implements. Ex-
ira horses and lunches of cattle followed
the wagons. often driven by women and
children. One farmer had built a house
from the bed OF his wagon. 1t was shin
gled, and a stovepipe leading from n mod
crn cook stove made acomplete apartment,
Three miles of the road from the Arkansas
river along the Ponca trail IRE in a fright
ful condition and it was the most discour-
aging for the settlers. But these men are
not made of the stuff TO turn buck. Diff
cultics OF all kinds were met and overcome.
the most neighborly feeling existed and
each rendered the others all the assistance
possible.
AT 10 O'Clock OH Thursday, the 18th, the
start across the Cherokee strip was made
by the boomers encamped Mt Caldwell.
The Intention had been 10 start on Friday
morning. but owing the condition of the
trail because of the heavy rains of the last
few days Capt. Woodson, commanding the
company stationed there to repel the in
vaders, determined to give the colonists
another day to cross the strip. By 10
O'Clock fifty wagons were drawn upon
either side of the little bridge where the
old Reno trail crosses the line. At lust 10
O'Clock they We're permitted to start. The
troops rode slowly i'll front, the wagons
stringing out i'll single file, making the
start OF n long procession that continued
to pour over the little bridge into the land
OF the CherOkees all day long. About 700
wagons left Friday.
The report from Wellington says: The
stream OF prairie schooners moving south.
ward has not diminished. The streets of
the city are filled with boomers and they
continue to pour i'll from the northeast
and west. frequently six TO twelve wagon
and teams included in one outfit.
Such emigration vas never before Wit
messed in this section. Old settlers IA
mlliar with the Cinlarron river, which all
the settlers entering Oklahoma from the
northwest much cross, say its waters are
very high and it is as much as u mans life
is worth to cross it i'll its present condi-
ton. Its bed is composed in a large part
of shifting qnicksand, aud where q safe
crossing can he made to-day. tomorrow
i'll nil probability the same place would be
a death trap. Many settlers who intended
to go from here with teams will 90 by rail.
being fearful of serious accidents in ford
ing this river.
Preparing to- Count Noses,
The president has appointed Robert P.
Porter, of New York, superintendent of
the census.
Vacation Appointments.