The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1895-05-31
MAD RUSH FOB LAND.
Fifteen Thousand Men Race For
$50 Klokapoo Claims.
Scores of Contestants ON Each Of the
Claims-S0Oners Get the Pick of
Lands-NO Serious Trouble
Reported.

OKLAHOMA CITY, o. T., May Is
Sharp at noon at least Is, 600 men, with
a large number of women, made ths
grand rush from all sides of the Kick.
spoo reservation for the 45O odd claims
open to white settlers. In less than an
hour after there were score Of contest
ants on each of these claims in addition
TO the sO0ners, who had already taken
possession Of the lands long coveted by
them.
The scenes at the opening were pre-
cisely similar to those at previous open
ings. There was the mad rush, the wild
yelling and the mishaps more or less
serious. So far as is now known no
lives were lost in the race.
Race Was Intensely Exciting.
Sweeney's bridge, on the north fork
Of the Canadian river, in township 70,
was one of the principal points of en-
trance to the new land. There were 800
men gathered and just before noon
there was suppressed excitement as the
minutes licked off nearer and nearer
the hour. Watches were held in one
hand and the lines tightly grasped in
the other. The scene that followed the
shout $50" was intensely exciting.
The first man to dash across the bridge
was in little buggy drawn by pair of
bays, The horses were tense with ex.
element. The driver brought his whip
down. shouting at them, and the horses
bounded across the bridge and off up the
road with good start, running away.
Following, eight horsemen jostled one
another on the narrow bridge, trying to
pass each other They whipped their
horses and struck at them and at each
other, and at last got across and scat.
tered, racing like mad.
The recklessness Of the drivers has
seldom been equalled. Men were hat.
less, their faces and foreheads wrinkled
with the strain. As the yard became
clear the wagons and horsemen in the
road came on behind, rushing pell nell
and in } minutes the last wagon had
passed over. The air was full of dust
and the sound of the shouting men and
the rUmbling wheels got fainter up the
road. About half mile northeast of
Sweeney's bridge the road passes
through a narrow lane of trees. Here
an awful jam occurred, delaying the
racers 10 minutes. Men behind saw
their chances for a claim pass away
right there and cursed like mad. The
jam was finally Strengthened out, how.
ever, and the men were off again.
Two Town Projects Consolidated.
Wednesday nlghtit was made evident
to many Of the boomers that all could
not get claims, so it was resolved to or.
ganize towns, About midnight a big
crowd left Sweeney's for Dale, and as
the procession went along large addi-
tions were made to the ranks. Two
towns had already been projected.
Olney and Aurora. A council was held
between the projectors Of both towns
and it resulted in a consolidation of in.
terests, the new town to be called Nc
Loud, in honor Of the general solicitor
Of the Choctaw road.
The procession, 5000 strong, then
took up the march to Douglass Mills
ford, at the section on which McLoud
was to be. At the head of the enter
prise is DR., j, W.Gillette of Perry, who
was chosen mayor. Green B. Raum,
Jr., Of Washington, son of the ex-gen-
eral pension agent, is a leading member
Of the town organization. The site of
the town is a sandy bank covered with
cactus and underbrush. At noon the
crowd passed over the ford in a quiet
way and drew lots for positions on the
town plat. Wagons with groceries,
liquors and cots came in, tents were
erected and stores soon opened, restau-
rants and hotels were running and a
new town had been born.
The Kickapoo opening was much in
the nature of huge farce. At 1910
nearly all the claims had from 10 to %
claimants On them and those farthest
from the line were which from the
border in 50 minutes. On one section
there were nearly 100 claimants, vino
had run in from both borders and those
who were sOOners. The honest run.
ners combined TO drive the sooners of
and several fights occurred.