The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-20
THE NEW COUNTRY DESCRIBED.

States found homes today, is situated IN
the Indian Territory between theiCherokee
outlet on the north sand the kiowa, Com
anche and Apache reservation on the south.
Its eastern border adjoins Oklahomaa and its
western the Panhandle of Texas Its area
IS much greater than it is generally sup
posed to be. 1t would make two Okla
homas or five Rhode Islands. The states
of Rhode Island and Connecticut could be
set down in it, and there would still re-
main room for four Districts Of Columbia.
1t contains about $500 square miles or
four million acres. Out of this the resi-
dent Indians have been allowed by the
government $50. $50 acres, giving to each OF
the 1856 aborigines 100 acres each. There
was thus left for general settlement about
three and half million acres, which, al
lowing quarter-section or l6O acres to
each homeseeker would accommodate
about 1900 settlers outside Of the town.
sites.
Very few of the thousands who have
been waiting for weeks on the border and
in the frontier towns for today's final rush
lad anything but the vagueSt idea as to
the real character oil the land they were so
anxious to possess. Exaggerated reports
of the wondrous fertility OF the land were
readily believed, and were not easily con- |
tradicted, for only very few people had
that intimate knowledge of the country
upon which to base successful contradlc-
the boomers believed that they were en-
tering into Garden of Eden. When they
had reached their claims and staked them
off, and took an opportunity TO survey
their broad acres. they found that, instead
of a Garden of Eden-a promised land
flowing with milk and honey, as they had
fondly believed-they had really possessed
themselves OF a section Of very ordinary
prairie land flowing with nothing but
high grass and streams bitter with alkali.
That at least is what a great majority of
them found.
Some of the land, as matter of course
that along the river bottoms and in the |
valleys-is excellent farming land, but the |
Indians were sensible enough to choose |
most of it. OF the land remaining to the |
white settler, some of 1t was good, but |
most of it was very poor. Many OF those |
who rushed in full of hopes will soon rush !
put, to take advantage of the next gift of |
land offered by the government. The |
Cimarron river runs across the northeast |
Eorner of the new country. South OF 1t Is |
the North Fork of the Canadian river. |
Further south is the South Fork of the |
Canadian, and still further south is the |
Washita. The bottom land along these !
rivers has been all, or mostly all. taken up |
by the Indians. These bottoms are not |
very wide, and the land on both sides of |
them rises very rapidly into grassy plat
eaus. Over the divides the lands become |
level prairies. poorly watered, similar to
much OF western Kansas Between the |
two branches of the Canadian, the land |
is rather rough, but much of it is good for
farming. The Canadian forks are neither
pf them very reliable. The north branch,
the Indians say, runs dry about |
once in five years, while there are times |
every year when the South Canadian is |
nothing but long chain of brackish mud !
holes. The greatest trouble that the |
settlers will encounter in raising crops IN |
the Canadian country will arise from |
Slrouth. Those familiar with the country |
say that the settlers will be fortunate if |
they raise one crop i'll three. The best and |
richest part of the new country Is along |
the valley Of the Washita river in county |
III. The Washita is smaller stream than |
the Canadian rivers, but il never goes dry, |
and its valley is always green. There is |
also some very fine country along Deer |
creek, which flows through county II and |
empties into the South Canadian in the |
Wichita reservation. The land in county |
j., the northwestern county, is part of the |
Great Western desert. IL is waste of /
sand, and is hardly fit to pasture goats on. !
a very good estimate can be formed of the |
desirability of the land in the different |
counties from the number of Indian allot- |
3nents in each; for theludianShaveu ndoubt- |
ly sought for the best lands. In kingfisher |
county 1876 allotments have been made; |
Canadian county, 592; county c, 1,2S3; |
county ID. 459; county f, Sc; county q, 436; |
county ii, 329; county K, none.
The settlers, as observed in the towns |
while waiting to pass to the border aud on |
their way thither, appeared to be, as a |
rule, thrifty and energetic, and determined |
10 wrest from the stubborn soil better |
living than they had been able to gain in |
their old homes. OF course there are |
numbers of shiftless people. careless of the !
future, who Joined the rush out of the eX-
citement of the thing; others who were
drawn to the lands in the hope of proflting
by speculation, and still others who ''got |
left" at the opening of the Iowa, Sac and !
Fox, klckapoo ana pottawatomie lands |
last year, and who made another attempt
10 secure homes at this opening.
The scarcity of the negro is one of the
surprising things of the occupancy of the
new lands, taken in connection with
the numerous reports of the formation of
Negro colonies and their journeying
towards the lands. An estimate by
newspaper man, who has ridden nearly
around the whole border during the past
week, places the proportion of negroes to
the whole number of settlers at only Is
per cent. lt was confidently expected that
they would comprise fully half of the
hcmeseekers. The greater part of the
negro settlers gathered at Langston and
Cimarron. the negro towns that were
organized at the time of the opening of the
eastern reservations ii year ago. From
those two towns they proceeded. most of
them on foot, to the eastern and southern
boundaries of the Cheyenne country,
where they all settled as near to one an
other as possible, in lunches. Nearly all
the remaining negroes holding lands are
from the south and west. having come
from Texas There was no organization
among the latter, and they took up claims
independent of each other. much after the
manner of their white brethren.
The blanket Indian, amid all the rush
aud hustle, hurry and excitement, pre-
served his imperturbable indifference
The only thing that caused anything near
surprise was the number OF white people
Ii was the first time he ever came TO know
that there are more white people in the
world than Indians. Otherwise, he OBJ
served all the exciting scenes without the
least show of surprise or curiosity. 1t was
apparently all a very great bore TO him.
He was not even enough interested in the
white mans scramble for land TO stay on
his own claim TO prevent its being jumped.
There was, however, a special reason for
that. Tomorrow Is ration day at the
agency, and nothing was ever known TO
keep an Indian away from the agency
when there was anything TO eat in sight.
He will loaf around the agency until he
receives his rations, regardless of Whist
may be tfansplring on hls claim. He will
drive away his beef, gorge TO his full ca
paclty, let his claim 10 TO the dogs, and
wait for the next ration day.
The blanket Indians are. as a rule.
peaceably inclined. The ArapahoeS es-
pecially seem very docle Tney never
have and probably never will make much
trouble. The Cheyennes, too, are good
naturei enough so loug as they are let
alone IL peace. When they were first put
on the reservation IN 1879, after their
famous aud fatal raid through Kansas,
they chafed under the restraint and caused