The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-09-17
The Cherokee Strip Boomers Now
Find Themselves in Des-
oIats Waste.
They Had Anticipated a Land
Flowing With Milk and
Honey.
There Isn't Even Enough BRd Water for
Ordinary PurpoSes-rhers WAS
Mighty Rush.

ARKANSAS CITY, Knn., Sept. 1G.-Fiye min
utea before noon 75000 men and women |
were gathered on tho north and south |
boundaries OF the Chorokee strip, awaiting
breathle,sly the sigma! which should an
nounce She arrival OF tho hour when tho
possession of land in that modern Eldorado
should pass fvom the ownership Of the gov
ernment into that OF its individual oitizens.
Some mounted thorouRhb' ed rncers, some
the less feet but sure-footed COW ponies
some bicycles, others buRRies and wagons.
The thronR was made up OF ali classes.
from the shrowd hnancior and real estate
Spectator to the sturdy Young farmer,
bent only on securing Il homestead for him
self and family.
| Az the minutes decreased TO seconds reins
vsre tiGhtened. girtha einehed Htirfnp
straps looked after. and every 10 uscle was
drawn tense, qniverinR with excitement.
When, exactly at high noon, at a signal
from the commanding officer, the revolvsrs
OF Uncle Gsm's representatives rang ont
the signal for the start. pell-nel heter-
skeltsr. hurry -skurry, tho great speculative
army rushed aoross the Iins and raced for
home ana fortune.
The chivalry which reinquiahed placas In
| lins to women all disappeared in the scTam-
BILE for actual rosulta and tho women had
to take their chances with the men in the
race. Ii s 10 their credit that some of
them made as good showing in the strua-
gle as ths alleged lords of creation. reach
ing the goal in time TO pit desi ed
bits of mothor earth.
Boomer trains, loaded with townss.era,
MI hair fnr han 10
twelve mics m hour, whils hotsemen
! passed them. waving thei hats in dersioD.
AS a train pulled into q townste the boomers
swnrmed out of the cara like ants and In
fifteen minutes what was merely a waste
country became a ropulous community
lnnCnerable fights over lots resulted, end
in the absence Of other means of settlem en- {
the right of might carried the dav aud the
stronger took possession, Ients went ~.
town meetings were held. officers elected,
and ia an Incredibly short timo q full
fedged municipality hGa sprung into exist
ence.
Meantime out on tho prair!es farmers
continued tho race for homesteala, iaaYinR
the women folks to follow IN the slow NOV
ing prairie schooner, bringing the aonsa-
hold implements and shelter. until such a
time az permanent abode can be erected.
EnoaRh peonle made the run TO fnrnish
each of the 81, 500 homeateada with an
| occurant and give every towngits 800 in s.
hnbitants. Ovet 125.OOo certificates wore
| issued but as a large number took home
| stead and towns.ta certificates. the number
| of certificates does not represent the mum
| Der of boomera. 1t 10 estimated thst
25.OOO raced ffom Arkensus Cltr. Is 600
| from Caldwell. 1000 from Orlando, 1900
from HennesHy. ~ % from saltwater, 8 900
from kiowa. 5000 tiom HumsweI. and
5,C83 to 5000 from other ponts--in ali
nearly double the number which raced into
| Oklahoma.
| The greatest rush was In che easte-n
strip. which contains the most fertile land
in the entire reservation. Perry, on the
Santa Fs, Is the moat favored .ownBite.
Milfo DIS and Pond Creek, on tbs Rock
Island, are objective points for tue hua-
dreds who made the run from Caldwell
| Arrived in the strip the throng found
desolete waste. Most of the hay had been
cut off, snd what remained was either
bu' ned off by rairis fires or ecorched
| brown bv the drought and sun. Cteeks
had run dry, and the Arkansas and Cimnr-
ron rivers nearly 30. Tiers will bo great
| suffering for lack of waite. In some plaees
it is almost impossible to obtain; in others
it has TO bc hauled many miles, and then Ia
Of poor quality. probably entAilinG much
sickness. ! he wotk OF digging wells in the
sandy soil is very slow. ana they will have
| to be put down q hundred to n hundred an d
fifty feet to securs water. 1t is estimated
that to-day's tush numbered l75, 000 souls.
The strip has been added to Oklahoma,
which now. therefore, has ample o opulation
to Justify Its demand for statehood.