The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1893-10-03
HOW THE TOWN OF WOODWARD
HAS BEEN MALIGNED.
GREAT FRUIT AND CATTLE COUNTRY.
Woodward aud County Forging to the
Front, hut some Towns Would Not
Have 1t That way-some
Points.

tion which may be Of benefit to many:
WOODWARD, Ok, Sept 20, 1893.
10 the Leader.
1t would appear that y county and
the county seat Woodward. has been
given, to use a not very elegant express
sion, the go by or black eye so far as
the Cherokee strip opening is con
cerned.
Everyone who knows anything
about this section Of the country, and
particularly Woodward must know
that in ali probability this country
and Woodward will make one of the
richest counties and the city one Of
the best in the Cherokee strip. just
opened to settlement 1t does not de-
pend purely on agriculture, but has
other interests more important to
make it, Take for instance the rail-
road alone IN the shipment of cattle
from Texas and all the lower country
tributary to this section; examine the
roundhousc sidc tracks, water supply,
depot hotel e-and stockyards The
monthly pay roll Of employees is about
s., 600 1t is also the end of a divis-
/ ion, the Importance Of which will b,
/ increased just rs soon rs the town is
in thorough working order and conoi-
/ tion. Anyone will soon be convinced
that this is the place to settle Also
| the amount of money paid by the gov
ernment for the transportation of
1000, 900 pounds of freight trans
ported annually from this point
to Fort Supply fifteen miles
distance have just been informed
that the paymaster has on the oath
instant distributed seven thousand
/ (S7 COO to the officers and soldiers, the
greater portion of which will be spent
here just as socn as the merchants get
in supply of goods which it is to be
hoped will be very soon; the above
amount has heretofore been scattered
oyer the states for the reason that
everything required by both officers
and men had to be purchased and
shipped either by mail, freight or eX-
press via Woodward.
Any one who will visit Fort Supply
will see what can be done in the way of
improvements, with the two story
buildings of eight rooms each, with
complete water supply, sewerage sys-
TEN, ice plant, and in fact all the most
modern improvements and comforts of
life. Ask any of the men or officers if
fruit and vegetables can be raised,
they will tell you there is no place
in the United States where better
peaches are grown; vegetables are
usually grown IN abundance, melons,
cantelopes, tomatoes of the finest ha-
vor, grass for hay, of which the post
consumes about 500 tons annually, IN
abundance Cattle fat and healthy,
plenty of upland where there is no
doubt Just as good wheat, oats rye
and barley can be produced as in old
oklahoma; there is sufficient iron in
the soil TO make fine wheat, as I un-
derstand it is necessary.
Wild grapes and plums grow along
the border of streams and bottoms .
where they grow wild. 1t has been
my experience after twenty eight
years in Indian Territory, Colorado
and New Mexico, that domestic fruits
of all kinds, tropical excepted,
will yield large crops, and
l,ofnn, l,s q, f.,,. b..,,,. f,,,, I-........
City, s.. Louis and Chicago markets,
with several weeks earlier climate,
what an opening for fruit growing;
II has been predicted and with much
force that this section of oklahoma
Will produce fruit finer, both in flavor
and texture than California and it will
be but a short time when this will be
it's principal competitor, having the
advantage of the short haul to mar
Lets.
One needs 20 go back but few years
tc ascertain what the country is and
has been for grazing purposes What
the troops at IT. Supply been doing
for the past seven or eight years but
guarding the strip and putting ont
cattle, why was it necessary TO do so?
For the simple reason that there is no
better grass for cattle in the United
States. Why is it that this section
mas been so abused by the Kansas CITY
Times IS unfit for settlement? BE.
cause that City (Kansas City, is sec
ond important cattle shipping point
on this continent il is not strange
II should take sides with the cattle
men, and keep out the farmer, but
say there is enough for both. as one
will not interfere with the other. for
the farmer can take hundreds of head
to fatten and it will not interfere with
the tdling of his quarter section along
the stream, by SO doing the cattlemen
will economize in labor, and the COW
boy of the past will have ceased with
the title Of this strip. /,
1t has been known for years that
there are excellent prospects for coal
and good spe linens have been repeat.
edly found both north Of Ft supply
and Woodward, nothing could be done
towards development as all know no