Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-10-11
WILL BE A NEGRO STATE.
Oklahoma Shows Great Preponder-
ance of Black Settlers Among
Its Settlers

The growth of Oklahoma has been
one of the most remarkable in the his
tory of American territories. A few
years ago it was a barren wilderness,
inhabited only by savage Indians and
lawleSS white men; today it is knock
ing at the doors of congress for admis-
sion TO the union as a state. When
it is admitted it will have larger
AfrO-American population than any
state of its size and population in
the union outside the southern states.
From figures furnished to the Mem
phis Scimitar by Peter Flynn Oliver,
a reputable lawyer Of Ell Reno. who
went to Oklahoma from South Caro-
lima a few years ago, 1t is learned that
the Afro-American population num-
bers $4,000, there being $3.50 in Blaine
county, 1900 in Kingfisher county,
S,40O IN Lincoln county. 10000 in
Logan county. the remainder being
scattered in all the other counties.
The total property holding of these
people is $685. 26. divided as follows:
Five million four hundred and eighty
eight thousand one hundred and
ninety dollars represented by 5S4.919
acres of farm land; S37,4OO repre-
Sented by town property, and 1887, 736
represented by personally. Comment
ing on these figures, Mr.. Oliver says:
The land in Oklahoma is largely
raw and the price l place upon it is
extremely low. Settlers have hardly
begun to build deliberately, and the
majority of the pioneers brought with
them no personally worth mentioning
save their teams when they first came;
some came even teamless. The per
sonalty valuation IS, therefore, very
low. If you could have seen this
barren country. however on April %.
1889, then gone away, and dropped
down upon us today, you would be
wonder-struck at the metamOrphosis.
The dug-out the sOdhOuse and the
shack are being rapidly replaced by
beautiful and comfortable homes for
man and beast The estimates | hay e
given you are for Oklahoma, excluding
other portions Of the old In0ian terri
tory. There is a large Afro-American
population in that portion of the terri
dreds of thousands of dollars. The
Creek and Seminole nations have more
African than Indian blood in their
veins. and Governor Brown, of the
Greeks. shows his African more than
his Indian blood. He is a man Of
education and wealth. The Kickapoo,
the Kiowa, the Comanche and the
lon dc n
soon for settlement. The next move
will then be upon the five civilized
tribes, who own their lands in COM
mon. Then the whole Indian terri
tory will have been swallowed by the
white man Many lots of black men
help in the swallowing.
The Afro-Ameridans have settled
in some parts almost to the exclusion
of the whites. Langston City was
founded by E. F. McCabe. who was
once auditor Of Kansas, a man OF
great resource and energy. The
streets, avenues and boulevards Of
Langston City are named in honor
Of prominent Afro4Americana 1t
supports a weekly newspaper called
the Herald Mr.. McCabe projected
another town, but it has not pros
pered as well as Langston City. Most
of the Afro-AmericaEs in Oklahoma
went there from the southern states,
Tennessee furnishing very large
numbr, and these are constantly
drawing others after them. as is nat
ural and usual in such cases; so it is
possible that when the territory is adj
mitted into the union it will have an
Afro-American population of some
100000. In several instances. when
these men have been menaced by I'M
friendly Indians and whites. they
have shown that the courage and deter
mination which carried them into the
territory and enabled them to secure
homes in the wilderness were sufti-
Gent to protect them and their prop
erty.