People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-09-15
POINTS ABOUT THE STRIP.
Over Five and Half Million Acres for
Settlers-Oklahoma's Size.

Settlers-0klahoma's Size.
GUTHRIE, Ok, Sept. 12.-Thousands
Of eyes are now cast in the direction
of the Cherokee country, the greater
part of which will be open to settle
ment at noon September 16. Hundreds
of thousands of persons who do not
intend to seek lands in the new terri
tory are studying its geographical
location, and merchants of that section
to which this latest land of promise is
tributary are calculating upon the
probable volume of trade.
All of the 6, 33S, $50 acres of land de-
clared open are now part of the ter
ritory of Oklahoma, and much of it
has been for some time, though not
open to settlement. The reserves set
aside in the presidents proclamation
for the Usage, Kansas, Ponca and
Missouri Indians have been a part of
Ok ahoma since the formation of the
territory in 1890. The unoccupied
portion of the Cherokee outlet, which
forms the section thrown open to set
tiers, has been a Fart of the territory
of Oklahoma only since the issuance of
the presidents proclamation, August
O. last.
Of the total number of acres-6, 1885,
95O-declared part of the public
domain after noon September 16,
there have been received l52, 100 acres
for allotments to Indians, 1880 acres
in reserves, 1000 acres for the Indian
school reserves, and one-ninth of the
total number, or 7O9,Ss3 acres, have
been received for public schools and
public buildings. This leaves $780,
627 acres actually open to the settler.
His jurisdiction will extend also over
the public reserves or in all over 9, 7O7
square miles of territory.
The extent of this tract is not cas-
lily comprehended without COMPARE
son. 1t is equal to the combined area
of Rhode Island, Delaware and Con-
necticut, with LAY square miles to
spare The area of Rhode Island is
1880 square miles Further it is
larger than Massachusetts,, New Jer-
sey, New Hampshire or Vermont 1t
is a trife less than one-seventh the
size of Missouri, and not quite one
eighth the area of Kansas, but Kansas
has an extent of over $4,000 square
miles
The entire tract forms less than
one-fourth of the area of Oklahoma,
which is larger than any one of the
twelve smallest states in the union.
Its location is along the Southern
boundary of Kansas and the Northern
boundary of the territory and in the
Northwest corner. Its width from
north to south is fifty-seven miles and
its length from east to west about
three times its width. The
area of Oklahoma, 30, 1923 square miles,
as given, includes No Mans Land and
the Indian reserves and alotments
and excludes the Cherokee outlet.
There is another feature regarding
this new land that is interesting. The
act under which the territory of Okla
homa was organized stipulates that
"any other lands within the Indian
territory not embraced within these
boundaries shall hereafter become a
part of the territory of Oklahoma
whenever the Indian nation or tribe
owning such lands shall signify to the
president of the United States in a
legal manner its assent that such lands
shall so become part of the said ter
ritory of Oklahoma, and the president
shall thereupon make proclamation to
that effect" Thus it is only a ques-
ton of time until the Indian territory
shall be'a thing of the past, and will
be merged either into the state or ter
ritory of Oklahoma, or made a sepa-
rate state.