The Indiana State sentinel., 1893-08-30
THE OUTLET TO BE OPENED.
Saturday, Sept. Is, to See the Influx
of Homeseekers.


Cleveland has issued proclamation
opening to settlement and homestead
entry on Saturday, Sept. 16 at noon, all
the lands except those especially re-
served. recently acquired from the Chero-
kee Indian nation and the Tonkawa and
Pawnee tribes in the Indian territory
known as the Cherokee outlet.
The lands now open to settlement are
divided into seven counties. After re-
citing the law and treaties with the In
dians under which the land was ceded to
the government, the proclamation ~e-
scribes the tracts reserved for county
seats of the several counties. In each of
these county seats, four acres are re-
served for the site of a court house to
be designated by lot and block upon the
official plot of survey of said reserva-
tion for county seat purposes. hereafter
TO be issued by the commissioner of the
general land office; reservation to be ad-
ditional to the reservations for parks,
schools and other public purposes re-
quired to be made by sec. % of the act
of May 2. 1890, in counties NJ, N. o and
p. and in addition to the four acre
reservations for county seat purposes,
there is an additional reservation of one
acre for site for land office
The land districts are to be described
as follows: The Perry district, which
embraces all of counties X, p and @,
townships 20 north, ranges 1 west and
i, z, and east, which are by law
added to Payne county and that part of
Pawnee reservation in townships Is and
19, north, ranges and east. The Enid
district embraces all of counties L and
hn Alrra 1fet,- -, 1F
county NJ, and the Woodward district
embraces all of county n. The land Of
fees for the districts are to be located
at the towns after which the districts
are named.
With a view to preventing one per-
son from obtaining any advantage over
another in making homestead settle
ment, rules and regulations have been
prescribed substantially as follows:
A strip of land 100 feet wide around
and Immediately within the boundaries
of the lands now opened is set apart
and entrance upon said strip is per-
mitted prior to the day for the opening
of the lands. Upon this strip booths are
to be located and clerks from the gen
eral land office detailed to take charge
of them. The booths will be convent
emily located upon the regular lines OF
travel, five on the northern and four on
the southern boundary of the outlet and
will be opened for business at noon Sept.
10 and be kept open each business day
from a. m. to II m. and from 1 to s
p. m. until discontinued by direction of
the secretary of the interior Each party
desiring to enter upon the lands for the
purpose Of making a homestead entry
or soldiers declaratory statement, or
settling upon a town lot will be re-
quired to first appear at one of these
booths and there make a declaration
showing his or her qualifications to
make such entry or statement or to set
tie upon a town lot. If the declaration
proves satisfactory TO the officers in
charge Of the booth, certificates will be
issued by. such officers permitting the
party who makes the declaration to go
in upon the outlet at the time fixed for
the opening. Parties making these dec
larations will be required to make oath
before the district land officers or other
officers, who may take their homestead
affidavits, that all the statements con-
tanned in their declarations are true in
every particular. The officers of the
United States are expressly charged to
permit no party without certificate to
occupy or enter upon any part of the
outlet. The land offices will be open for
business at II noon on the day of the
opening.
Now that the presidents proclamation
opening the Cherokee outlet has been
issued. the work of constructing land
office buildings and making other prepa-
rations for the opening day will be
pushed with vigor. Contracts for four
buildings, one each at Enid, Woodward
Perry and Alva, have already been let
at a cost of $40 Army tents will he
also been ordered sunk at each of these
| places. and other accommodations for
| the public arranged for.
Secretary Hoke Smith has now under
| consideration a number of applications
| of parties for permission to enter the
| outlet prior to the day set for the open
| ing in order to esta blish stores of vari-
| Gus kinds.
The maps showing the locations of the
various town sites, land offices. land dis
| tricts and reservations are now being
| printed and everything is expected to
| be in complete readiness by Sept. l6
| Nominations for the local land offices
/ will likely be sent to the senate tomor-
row. The question of town site reserva-
! tions was not finally disposed of until
| shortly before the proclamation was sent
| to the president It was learned that a
scheme was on foot to take advantage
| of the law authorizing allotments to sew
| enty Of the Indians to settle upon lands
| adjoining town sites. To prevent the
] consummation of this scheme Secre-
| tary Hoke Smith. after eleven of the al
| lotments had been made and approved,
| changed three of the easternmost town
| sites to points some distance from the
| original locations. As at present To-
| Gated there are no allotments near them.
| Several other schemes were detected to
/ thwart the purposes of the government,
| and it is believed that the chances OF
| fraud have been reduced TO a minimum.
| ARKANSAS CITY, Kas., Aug o.
| The presidents proclamation opening
| the Cherokee outlet to settlement Sept.
| 16 was received here by boomers and
! citizens alike with great rejoicing. A
/ big demonstration was made tonight. 1t
1 consisted of a parade composed of the
/ militia. boomers, prairie schooners,
| mounted men and men on foot, headed
| by a brass band. Bonfires blazed all
| along the line of the strip. and in many
| places in the city, and some OF the pros
! pective settlers even went to the eX-
| pense of setting of fireworks in honor
| of the occasion.
| The boomers are all busily engaged
| in getting their horses into training for
| the run. In the cool of every evening
| the broad roads leading from Walnut
! river and from the Arkansas river to the
They run races and heats, train their
horses TO jump and make them swim
| the river. Sometimes hundreds of horses
| are out at once for exercise.
| Many will make the run In buggies
| and sullies, the latter built heavy and
| strong to withstand the joIting over the
| prairie. These viii be hitched to run
! ming horses, which are particularly
| adapted to makeing a long, steady race
| in good time. The vehicles of the boom
ers are all excellent of their kind and
most # them look new.
| Now that the day for the opening has
| been officially proclaimed it is believed
homeseekers will flock to the line by