Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-09-22
4 RUSH FOR HOMES.
THE CHEROKEE STRIP THROWN
OPEN.
Mad Scramble Over the Prairie
seventy five thousand People in
Line Every body for Himself
Suffering From Heat and wan,
Of Food.

A telegram OF the 10Th from Ar
kansas City, gives the following ex-
citing details OF the opening of the
Cherokee Strip" to settlement.
People had been gathering on the
boundary for days past, and when the
hour of noon, last Saturday, all were
ready, eager, waiting for the signal to
start. There were fully $4,000 people
many OF whom were women. Some
were mounted on thoroughbred racers,
some on less fleet but surer-footed
ponies, some on bicycles, Others
in buggies and wagons. The throng
was made up of all classes, from the
shrewd financier and real estate specu.
lator to the sturdy young farmer
bent on only securing a homestead
for himself and family. AS the min
utes decreased to seconds, reins were
tightened, girths cinched, stirrups and
straps looked after, and every muscle
was tense with quivering excitement
When exactly at high noon, at a sig
nal from the commanding officer, the
revolvers OF Uncle Sans representa-.
tives rang out the signal for the start
pell-mell, heller skelter, hurry-skurry
the great speculative army rushed
across the line and raced for home and
fortune. The shouting Of men, crack
ing of whips, rattling OF wheels, clatter.
of hoofs and explosions OF firearms
combined to make confusion oil
sounds in keeping with the general
disorder OF the start, and to render
the scene one of indescribablc pande
mUnium.
The serried ranks broke, the rush
ing boomers spread out over the strip
those best mounted in the lead
There were collisions and mishaps
here and there, and break-downs OF
vehicles, dashing not only the boom.
ers but their hopes to the ground
Some horses refused to cross deer
gullies, and their riders abandoned
them and continued the race on foot
or made long detours to avoid bad
ground. Here was a neck-and-neck
race between horsemen who had
chosen the same town lot or quarter
section of farming land: stumbling
over rocks, banks, on they go. The
chivalry which relinquished places in
line TO women had all disappeared in
the scramble for actual results. Wo-
men had to take their chances with
men in the race. 1t is to their credit
that some of them made as good q
showing in the struggle as the alleged
lords of creation, reaching the goal in
time to pre-empt desired bits of moth.
er earth. Boomer trains loaded with
townsiters crept along, being forbidden
to exceed IL miles an hour, while
horsemen passed them, waving their
hats in derision. AS a train pulled
into townsite, the boomers swarmed
out Of the cars like ants, and in IL
minutes what was merely waste
country, became populous COM
munity. Innumerable fights over
lots resulted, and in the absence oi
other means of settlement, right OF
might carried the day, and the strong.
er took possession. Tents 60 up,
town meetings are held and officers
elected, and in an incredible short
time a full.fedged municipality has
sprung into existence.
Meantime, out on the prairie the
farmers continue the race for home
steads, leaving the women folks to
follow in slow.moving prairie schooners,
bringing household implements and
shelter till such time as a permanent
abode can be erected. Enough people
made the run to furnish each OF the
81 600 homesteads with an occupant
and give every townsite 5000 in-
habitants. Over 125,OO0 certificates
were issued, but as large number
took both homestead and townsite
certificates the number of certificates
does not represent the number OF
boomers.
1t is estimated that $4,000 raced
from Arkansas City, 1900 from Cald-
well, ii 900 from Orlando, 5000 from
Hennessy, 1000 from Saltwater, 5000
from Kiowa, 5000 from Hunnewell,
and from 5000 to 5000 from other
points. in all nearly double the number
which raced into Oklahoma. The
weather was all that could be desired.
The sky was clear, with q cool north
wind. The greatest rush was in the
eastern strip, which contains the most
fertile land in the entire reservation.
Perry, on the Santa Fe, is the most
favored townsite. Milfords and Pond
Creek, ON the Rock Island, were the
objective points of hundreds who made
the run from Caldwell.
Arrived in the strip, the throng
found desolate waste. Most of the
hay had been cut off, and what re-
mained is either burned off by prairie
fires or scorched brown by drouth
and sun. The creeks have run dry
and the Arkansas and Simmeron are
nearly SO. There will be great suffer
ing for the lack of water. At some
places it is almost impossible to OBJ
tain: at others it has to be hauled
MANY miles, and then will be OF poor
quality, probably entailing much SICK
ness. The work of digging wells in
the sandy soil is very slow, and they
will have to be put down to 100 to lou
feet to secure water. The fact that In
the towns the survey was only py