Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-09-20
START AT THE PISTOLS CRACK
SeVenty.five Thousand Persons Make the
Rush Into the Cherokee Strip.

SHOULD announce TO Jnom Jn6 arrival OF
the hour when the land passed from
the ownership of the United States
government into the possession of
it's individual citizens. All were
ready for the race which would
bring fortune and happiness to some,
disappointment and suffering to others.
All expected the fortunes, and all were
ready for the race for lands. Some were
mounted on thoroughbred racers, some
on the less fleet, but surer footed COW
ponies, some bicycles. Others made
the race in buggies and wagons. An
air of strained expectancy pervaded
the throngs and each was eager for the
signal
Bang! bang The revolvers of the
United States army officers who have
the affair in charge gave the signal to
start and the race for homes is on.
Seventy-five thousand men and women
rush over the boundaries and into the
coveted land as if their very lives,
rather than the mere possession of
farm or town lot depended upon their
going. The shouting of the men, the
screaming of the women, the neighing
of the frightened horses, the crack
ing of whips, the creaking of
prairie schooners, the rafting of wheels,
the clatter of hoofs and the explosion Of
firearms combine to make confusion
of sounds in keeping with the general
confusion of the start and to render the
scene one of indescribable pandemo-
MUM. After the line is crossed and the
racers spread out over the strip, excit-
ing contests take place. Here is a neck
and neck race between hOrsemen who
have all selected a certain lot in a GER
tain town site as the only thing worth
hoyino II, tho VIII n1n pp11ntru Tho 10
is alluring and each horseman puts forth
every effort to snatch the prize Here
a choice farm is the stake and the race
is equally exciting Here the racers
come upon a gully over which they can
not urge their horses. They abandon
their animals, trusting to luck to find
them again and make for the goal on
foot, stumbling over rocks, wading
streams and climbing precipitous banks
in the mad race. Here women engage
in race for prize and there men and
women are chasing over the prairie for
the same piece of land.
Along the railroad tracks the boomer
trains loaded to the guards with town
siters are creeping along at a snail's
pace, it seems to the anxious passen-
gers, while fleet animals outstrip the
mighty iron horse, handicapped by be-
ing forbidden to exceed twelve miles
an hour. The horsemen shout deri-
sively as they pass the trains, and some
of the more hotheaded passengers pile
off of the cars forthwith, scamper a dis
lance into the prairie and squat upon
the first vacant patch of 100
acres which comes in their way.
AS a train pulls into a town
its load and the townsiters swarm over
the land like an army of ants The
plot of ground which fifteen minutes
before was nothing but surveyed
patch of prairie with not an inhabitant
becomes a populous community. In
Vulnerable disputes, many alterations
and some fights take place. There are
no officers of the law to interfere and
the lot seekers are too busy with their
own affairs to mix in other peoples
business SO the fighters fight it out until
one is capacitated while his victor
captures the prize. Immediately lot
is claimed, stakes are driven, in some
cases tents are erected and in a few in
stances town meetings are held, officers
elected and before the thing seems
possible municipality has sprung into
existence.
IN the meantime out on the prairies,
the farmers continue their race for
homestead prescriptions. The head of
q family and his sons of legal age make
the race on horses or on foot if the
horses are not numerous enough to 90
round, while the women folks" fol-
low more leisurely in the prairie
schooner which pitches and rolls about
on the broken prairie like q sure enough
schooner in a rough sea-
From the line south of Arkansas City,
a number Of young men make the race
on safety bicycles. They need safeties.
They had practiced for days riding
over the rough prairies in preparation
for the race. A deep gulley, a minia-
ture canon parallels the north line of
the strip about three miles interior.
Across this it is impossible for the
cyclers to ride, and those who had out
stripped the horsemen are obliged to
dismOunt and take what they can find
north of the gulley.
Enough people make the run to fur
nish each one of the 81 800 homesteads
with an occupant and give every coun-
ty seat and town site at least ], 800 in
habitants. 1t is estimated that 5000
people made the race. 1t is known that
over 125, 900 certificates were issued
from the various registration booths but
the majority of the prospective settlers
took out both homestead and town
site certificates so the number Of
certificates does not represent the
number Of settlers. It is estimated
that %, 900 people made the race from
Arkansas City; $4,000 from Caldwell;
IL 900 from Orlando; 5000 from Hen
messy; 1000 from Saltwater; 5000 from
KioWa; 5000 from Hunnewell and from
5000 to 5000 from other points. The
total number nearly doubles the crowd
which raced into Oklahoma when that
territory was opened. The weather
was all that could be desired for the oc-
casion. The sky was clear and a cool
north wind was blowing briskly, but
still not with enough force to raise the
dust which the settlers had come to re-
gard as necessary component part of
the strip atmosphere.
The greatest rush was into the east
ern portion of the country which con-
tains by far the more fertile and best
watered farming land in the whole strip.
Perry, the townsite on the Santa Fe
was the faTorite destination Of the spec
ulators but Milford and Pond Creek, on
the Rock Island were the objective
points of hundreds who made the run