Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-23
AS BIG AS FIVE STATS.

The Cheyenne and Arrapahoe reservation.
where $4,000 citizens Of the United States
found new homes on Tuesday, is situated in
the Indian territory between the Cherokee
outlet on the north and the Kiowa, Comanche
and Apache reservation on the south. Its
eastern border adjoins Oklahama and its west
crn the Pan Handle" of Texas Its area ia
much greater than is generally understood to
be the case. 1t would make two Oklahonnas or
five Rhode Islands, while the whole states of
Connecticut and Rhode Island could he Sc. in
| 1t and there would still remain room for four
Districts Of Columbia. Itcontains {, 500 square
miles or 1000. 900 of acres. Out OF this the
| resident Indians have been allotted by the
government 500, $50 acres giving to each Of the
Indians leo acres. There was thus left for
general settlement about g. 500 0c0 acres, which,
allowing quarter section or 160 acres TO each
home seeker, wouid accommodate about y, 900
settlers outside of the town sites.
DIM IDEAS OF THE LAND
Very few Of the thousands who have teen
| waiting for weeks on the border and in the
frontier towns for the final rush had anything
but the yaguest idea as to the real character of
the land they were SO anxious to possess. Ex-
ag2erated reports of the wondrous fertility of
the land We're readily believed and were not
easily contradicted, for only very few people
had that intimate knowledge of the country
upon which to base successful contradiction
so when the rush was made the boomers be-
lleved they were entering into a veritable gar
den OF Eden. When they had reached their
claims and had staked them off and had taken
the opportunity to survey their broad acres,
they found that instead of a garden of Eden !,
promised land flowing with milk and honey, as
| they had fondly believed, they had really nos
sessed themselves of n section of very ordi-
nary western prairie land. flowing with nothing
but high grass and very brackish streams,
bitter with alkali. That at least, is what a
great majority OF them found.
Some of the land. as a matter of course-that
along the river bottoms and that 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 settlers. some
OF those who rushed in full of hope will slip
out quietly to take advantage OF the next gift
OF land by the government,
RIVERS AND BOTTOM LANDS.
The Cimaron river runs across the northeas AZ
corner of the new country South of il is the
north fork Of the Canadian river. Further
south is the south fork Of the Canadian river
and still further south is the washita. The
bottom lands along these rivers have 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 piateaus. Over the divides the land he
come level prairies. poorly watered. similar to
much OF western Kansas lands. As between
the two branches OF the Canadian the land il
rather rough, but much of it is good for farm.
ing. The Canadian forks are neither of them
very reliable. The north branch 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 the settlers will encounter in
! raising crops in this Canadian country will be
| from drouth. Those familiar with the country
say the settlers will be fortunate il they raise
one crop in three. The best and riches. par:
OF the new country is along the valley OF
Washita river in county H.
The Washita Is a smaller stream than the
Canadian river, but 1t never goes dry and iss
valley IL always green. There is also some
very fine country along Deer creek which
flows through county II and empsies into the
South Canadian In the Wichita reservation.
The land IN county E, the northwestern
county. Is a part of the great western desert.
1t Is waste OF sand and Is hardly tit 70 pasture
goats on.
WHAT THE INDIANS SELECTED.
very good estimate can be formed of the
deslrabiiity of the land in the differen. coun-
ties from the number Of Indian allotmeuts in
each; for the Ineians have undoubtedly sough,
Tor the best lands. In kingfisher county 1876 al
lotments have been made in Canadian county
$40; in county C 1888; In county f Sc: in
county q ABS; county H 329
THE CLASS OF SETTLERS.
The settlers appear to be, as a rule, ener-
getic and determined to wrest from the stub
born soil better living than they had been
able to gain in their old homes.
Of course there were numbers of shiftless
people careless Of the future who loined the
rush out OF the excitement of the thing; others
were drawn to the lands in the hope or profit
ing by speculation. and still others who 800,
left at the opening OF the Iowa Sac and For
hickapoo and Potttwatomie lands last year and
made another attempt to secure homes
SCARCITY OF THE NEGRO.
The scarcity of the negro is one OF the sur
prism, things of the occupancy of the new
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
sixteen per cent. 1t was confidently expected
that they would comprise fully half of the
home seekers, but the greater part of the negro
settlers gathered at Langston and Cameron the
negro towns that were organized at the time of
the opening OF the eastern reservation a year
ago. From these towns they proceeded most
OF them on foot, to the eastern and southern
boundaries of tho Cheyenne country, where
they all settled as near to one another as posi-
BILE in punches. Nearly all the remaining
negroes entered the lands from the south and
west, having come from Texas There was
no organization among the latter and they took
up claims iniepenent of each other much after
the manner Of the white brethren
THE INDIAN NOT DISTURBED.
The blanketed Indian, amid all the rush
hustle, hurry and excitement, preserved his
imperturbablc indifference. The only thing
that caused anything near surprise was the
number Of white people who entered upon his
land. 1t was the first time he ever came to
know that there are more white people in the
world than Indians. Otherwise he observed
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 enough
interested in the white mans scramble for land
to stay on his own claim to prevent its being
jumped. There was, however, special reason
Tor that.
The Indians are as rule peaccably in
clined. The Arapahoes especially seem very
docile. They never have and probably never
will make much trouble. The Cheyennes. too.
are good-natured enough. SO long az they are
left alone in peace. When they were first mt
on the reservation in 1879, after the famous
and fatal raid through Kansas. they chaffed
under the restraint and caused much trouble.
Since then they have been conducting them
selves very well. They are quick to anger.
however. and resent any imposition upo. their
rights. Let q settler jump an allotment. and
he would not live to drive the first stake In
difference 10 not the only cause Of the Indiana
want Of surprise at the in vasion Of their lands.