Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1897-07-15

Fields. Now Deserted Of Mankind.
Poets have sung and orators fervent-
ly pictured the ruins Of great cities.
Babylon, Troy and pompeii have been
made the subjects Of the finest and most
lnpassioncd literature known. There
are hundreds Of other buried and for
rotten cities on the face Of the earth
and more or less has been written about
each Of them. The less that is known
the more that tan be written.
When city is bulded in q night and
perishes in the day following, ne II
were, merely as the result Of the.Wild,
feverish chnse for that will-o'-th'-wlsp,
fortune. and the whole thing occurs In
the sight Of the prosaic business world,
very ilrcly does poet, orator or hts
torian bother himself about IT, Such
thing partakes too much Of the COM
monplacc to have any charms for the
sentimentally inclined. Yet the ruins
are eloquent, whether of massive
granite or OF old log, thatch-roofed
cabin. Humanity has been born, reared,
toiled, enjoyed life, grieved and died
in each, and tits this that adds the ever
evidences Of lives Of mortals.
Only about five hours ride from Pitts
burgh stands the mute yet eloquent
ruins Of what was once probably the
most famous city of its brief day In
this country.
VINO has not heard OF Pithole? Every
oil man in the country pricks up his
ears at the sound; at an instant later
a shade of recollection Of blighted
hopes, fearful strainings for wealth,
immense fortunes accumulated, grand
possessions suddenly swept away,
sweeps over his face. Every oil man
has heard Of Pithole.
Pithole's rise, birth or origin was
january 7, 1854. Upon farm in Venan-
90 county some enterprising wild
caters" struck oil. Twas the famous
well, No. 4, U. s., and It was a gusher,
Within two months Pithole was a
borough of 6,OOO souls, and by the mid
die of tnc summer is was a city OF fully
70 O0o.
When the trees commenced to shed
fnei- golden and yellow leaves the great
city. then the third in population prob
ably in Pennsylvania. had reached the
zenith of its growth. There were q
dozen good hotels, three churches and
even two theaters. Each one Of these
institutions was thriving, too. Two
railroads were built to the city and
several others had been projected. All
Of the accessories to big, rich city
were provided in Pithole. There was
nothing lacking which men Of money
and energy demanded.
Landl Why, the land around Pit
hole at that time could only be bought
by heaping gold upon IL and offering
the yellow dirt for the most ordinary
and hum6le-looking stuff which was
supposed TO cover the precious petro-
leum which then hovered around five
dollars per barrel in price. Farming,
Of course, was given up. The tiller Of
the soil gave place TO the driller into
the rock. Farmers sold their farms for
fabulous prices and were made rich be-
yond their widest dreams. Yet some
of them, as is the case with all men,
held back.
One old man owned a farm Of over
200 acres Copeland was his name. He
refused an offer Of 500, 900 for his place,
maintaining that II he sold out he would
have nowhere TO go. Another agri-
culturist OF that neighborbood refused
TO dispose of $50 acres for $75O,000.
He demanded 100000 and wouldn't
take cent less. lie never got a cent
for his land, as it afterward turned out,
for his land, upon being tested, yielded
no oil and he was left TO scratch the
surface of the land for the poor living
he could get from his scanty crops.
Pithole was a great business place
while in its glory. II had stores and
banks and the post Office was reckoned
one of the most important in the coun-
try. A tremendous amount OF trade
was done there. The demand for sup
plies upon the rest of the country gave
il great commercial importance. While
IL had all the places of amusement tina,
could be desired, Il was work-a-day
place. The whole country for miles
around was literally honeycombed by
the interchangeable drillers. Millions
OF dollars were made in and around Pit
hole and millions of dollars sunk into
the earth or squandered in the town IL
self. The life of but too many was OF
that come easy, go easy" sort.
But Pithole is Pithole no more. II
reached its top notch in one short year
and came down almost as quickly as II
| sprang up. The great fire there
hastened It's downfall.
There was nothing Of the Phoenix
about this place. To get into the city
nov you must either climb a fence or
let down the bars. The whole side OF
the place, public buildings and all,
were but three or four years since sold
/ for taxes and bought in by a farmer
for only $1,000. Since then he has
farmed there and most Of the place is
either used to grow grains or as a pas
ture for cottle.-Pittsburgh Dispatch.