The Kosciusko star. (Kosciusko, Miss.) 18??-1898, 1895-08-30
FROM OKLAHOMA.
F'he Former Editor Of This Pa
per Writes of the Country
He Is Now Visiting.
FEATURES OF INTEREST
PRODUCTS and Prices of Lands,
Kinds of Timber, POpula-
ton, etc,
Oklahoma City, Okla. Aug. %.

Oklahoma City, Okla. Aug. 70.
EpIroR STAR: Though Oklaho-
ma City is situated eight hundred
miles from Kosciusko, | have no
doubt that few notes concerning
the surrounding country, the eli
mate, the products OF the soil, the
people and their customs, will be
Of interest to your readers.
The first Of the great Oklahoma
country was opened to settlement
April ~, 1889. On that day two
cities of ten to fifteen thousand in
habitants sprang into existence,
many smaller towns were organic
ed, every quarter section of land in
the territory was occupied by far
mers-in "a hours Transforming a
vast area of unoccupied pairie into
the seat Of a thriving and populous
civilization. The spirit of hardl-
hood and progressive energy then
exhibited still obtains here, and |
believe Oklahoma is destined to
be leading section of the Union.
Before the opening the entire
country was laid off by govern
ment surveyors into sections ana
quarter sections and town lots
where towns were to be located.
On each of the four sides of every
section a roadway sixty feet wide
was left, which could not be occu-
pied. By this means every farm
(l6o acres) in the territory fronts
on two public roads or open lanes
20 feet wide. Of course the lines
all run East and West and North
and South, SO that the public roads
between the farfaswill sometimes
run IS or 20 miles without a turn.
The great convenience Ct having
reads laid out on regular lines can
be readily seen. In asking one
farmer the way to anothers house
he will be more than apt to tell
you that it is so many miles South
and so many miles West, etc,
Just as the case may be.
The country is mainly prairie
with some timber along the water
courses. Once in while you
come to a skirt of timber off from
the creeks, prairie entirely sur
rounding it, and no other woods in
sight Most of the timber here is
low and scrubby with limbs close
to the ground. Large and vigor-
Gus trees are rare. As to the va
neties, I'll wager that Micken
Thompson, August Smith, or any
other timber men Of Attala couldn't
name the kind of trees we have
here. 1t seems that here is every
other kind that wont grow in Miss
lsslppl. We have considerable
cotton wood, scrubby postoaks and
blacklacks, some walnut, but the
other kinds are a mystery to me.
Thirty miles West of here cedar is
SO plentiful that crossties are made |
from it in vast numbers.
Every 100 acres of land in the
territory is occupied by farmer,
making the country more thickly
settled than many parts of Mississ
ippl. Most of the farmers nave
nice white houses, one and two
stories high, with fine barns, wells
and windmills. Frequently YOU
see farms the title to which is in
contest. In these cases the farms
Snow no in provements except two
sorry little shanties or "shacks" in
which the rival claimants will live
until the contest is settled. The
laflns OF 100 acres are valued all
uie uie way from $4,000 to $4,000 and
frequently cannot be bought at the
idtter figures. & curse farms
near the city anff for truck
Saidening or p Necome :
ei!y extension Z, the /
prlce ranging f ecre
down. The SO III
black land that II
|haustlble ca,