The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1890-11-01
A TRIP TO OKLAHAMA.
Elktonians Among the Cow Boys.

ElktOnlans Among the Cow BOyS.
Two of Elkton's enterprising business
men Mir. Joseph L. Wells and Edward
Taylor returned on Saturday last from a
flying visit to the West, aud give glow
ing accounts of the business activity and
life of the points they visited. They left
Philadelphia on the previous Sunday
afternoon at 4.25, and in just twentyfour
hours landed safely in Chicago, from
which metropolis of the prairies they
started bv the Sante Fe Route for Okla
hama City where they arrived on Tues
day evening. They were surprised at
the activity and business growth of this
1000 inhabitants. 1t is of course marked
by all the primitive features OF IA frontier
settlement the houses being one story
frame structures, many of them being
built of sod. AS far as the eye can reach
extends stretch of level prairie with
very little wood except along the
grow. The prairie is we'll watered and
the growth of grass is abundant and on
which cattle fatten rapidly. Each Cow
Boy brands his cattle and turns themout
to range the praries where they Craze all
the year round. While at Oklahama
they were the guests of two Cow Boys,
VIM. Taylor who left his native state of
New Jersey when sixteen years old and
settled on the Frontier, and VIM. Nc
CURE who was born in the West. Our
travellers met them on the train before
reaching Chicago, and in that spirit of
free-masonry that marks Western life
and Western habits, they made ready
acquaintance. On their invitation our
EIktonians accepted their cordial hospi
talitY, and staid with them while az
"Oklahama'. The praires soil is black
and rich. They grow wheat, corn, and
cotton. They SOW wheat however with
out blowing, using sharp toothed drill
to cut the sod; and by which they raise
from ten to twelve bushels OF spring
wheat.
They found them generous and whole
souled fellows, quick to resent an injury,
and kind and hospitable to strangers.
They raise from So to 40 bushels corn to
the acre. Corn now sells there for 60 cents
per bushel. Their crop was short this
year. They raise sod cotton, about
ola bale to the acre. They drill it first as
they do wheat, without ploughing, u.s.
ing a m achine something like drill, ex-
cspt that the teeth are further apart.
This machine which stirs the surface of
the prairie, is the only one used in pre-
pairing the ground, neither plow nor
harrow being used. The cotton is being
picked now, and attains growth of
about four feet. Corn is also planted on
unplowed prairies, and stands about as
high as in the Eastern States. They cut
the ear off the stalk leaving the fodder
standing and turn the stock in on it. On
Wednesday morning they paid visit to
theChickasaw tribe of Indians located on
the opposite bank of the Canadian River.
There they meet a man named Samuel
Johnson half breed, with his wife and
four children, He has ranch with
about ten thousand head Of cattle, and a
thousand head of horses and ponies.
The land he occupies he leased from the
Indians, but like all others who hold
lands in the Indian reservation, he will
soon be compelled to vacate it. he now
being engaged in gathering his cattle
preparatory to leaving. There are about
800 Indians on this reservation, the will