Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-10-03
SANTA FE ISSUES BOOKLET AD-
VERTIsING THE TERRITORY.
DESIGNED FOR HoMEsEEKERs
GOVERNOR BARNES TELLS AN IN
.TEREsTING STORY
Booklet Tells of the People, Crops,
Live Stock, Indebtedness, Schools,
Churches and Prospects
Fund of Invaluable
Information.

GUTHRIE, o. t., Oct 2.-(Special) The
Santa Fe company has just issued little
booklet entitled THE Truth About Okla
koma," which contains more information
concerning this country and its resources
than anything of the kind ever published.
1t is after the order of the booklet that
that company has just published on
What's the Matter With Kansas" and
its object is the same-to attract the at
tention of homeseekers TO the Southwest.
Governor c. NJ. Barnes takes up one page,
telling about Oklahoma as he sees 1t. He
Gays:
1T has been but seven years since Okla
homa WAS created a territory, yet it is to-
day one of the most talked about and read
about portions of the United States.
In these seven years, 1t has made greater
progress than have most commemorative
in three times that length of time.
AT the election last fall 5000 votes were
cast-1l,OO0 more than in Florida and 22,000
more than in Delaware, and the territory
outranks a dozen different states in popula-
tion.
Oklahoma has never had boom, and
has never suffered the consequent collapse.
1t has been a steady growth and progress
from the start.
bIeSseu Will aDunQa0l crops during lHe
year, and with still better prospects for
the future, Oklahoma farmers are pros
porous and hopeful, and the prosperity of
the farmer has brought prosperity TO all
other classes.
Business is reviving in every channel
large amounts of the products of the soil
are going to outside markets, outside cap
ital is coming in to seek investment, con-
siderable building is going on. both in town
and country, and the outlook for the fut-
ure is indeed bright for Oklahoma and her
people.
mo portion of the United States to-day
offers a more inviting home to the home
seeker-farmer, business man, or artisan
and nowhere is there a better field for the
safe and profitable investment of capital
Under the caption, .'The Inhabitants
Thereof" the book says:
Americans are IN the majority. The pro-
portion of citizens of foreign birth is very
small The population is largely composed
Of settlers from the bordering states of
Kansas, Missouri and Texas When the
first run was made the Southern states, as
well as Colorado and California, were well
represented of late years the heaviest
and Middle states, consisting OF well-to-d0
farmers and stockraisers- There are few
reservation Indians and several negro col
onies-a small fraction of the whole Ihe
yirile American is in the saddle, and he
rules wisely. The present population oil
Oklahoma is 10000"
Speaking of the 1898 wheat crop it says
THE 1895 wheat crop is conservative!
estimated at 100000 bushels. 1t is dilll
cult TO comprehend such large quantities
1t may assist to know that this crop woul'
require more than I5OOo freight cars, o
average size, equal TO $50 trains OF TWEEN
ty-five cars each. Put these trains IN
line and they would extend a distance
nearly $50 miles, or from Chicago 10 Bur
lingame. kas.
pay off mortgages, settle up back bills a
the store, buy mother a new gown and tn
psrlor and a new buggy in the barn. Whel
all debts have been adjusted and purchase
made, the remaining dollars will snuggl
up In a convenient bank vault.
The cotton crop, according to the book
last year aggregated A,0C0,Oto
The corn crop is usually consumed a
home. 1t is fed to cattle and hogs and i
that way the farmers realize a big prof
out Of it. II is impossible TO get reliabl
statistics as TO the number of million bush
els raised for 1898 but IL was the larges
crop ever raised in Oklahoma.
The territory is a great fruit country.
The live stock industry is spoken of thi
Cattle still form an important part O
the resources of this territory. The coun
ties of Woodward. Beaver. d. Day, Roge
Mills and Greer are mainly devoted to tn
grazing of cattle. The Panhandle branc
of the Santa Fe affords excellent transpor
tation to Eastern markets. Here the long
horn and the shnrthorn and the dehorne
feed during the long summer days on grass
es whose richness has no equal The an
nual round-ups are interesting affairs.
Large herds are also fattened on tn
Indian reservations east and south. An
almost every farmer has bunch of hog
and cows and steers of his own: These Ia
ter are Dastured on wheat fields from Nc
vernher until February. then turned int
the alfalfa pastures until the new grass ar
''The hog raising section is mainly CON
posed Of the timbered lands of Pawne'
Payne, Lincoln and Pottawatomie countie
where the animals run in the woods an
feed on nuts and mast, the final touch bt
ing put on with corn
In discussing other matters of interest II
booklet says:
Taxable property. $4,000 900 in 1897, rel
resentinS a real value of double thu
amount. or $500 for each man, woman an
child. No wonder they have forgotten VIII;
hard times mean down in Oklahoma.
"The bonded Indebtedness of the territor
proper is a mere bagatee, only $500
The general fund indebtedness is $4,000
Such debts as have been created by citi.
ard school districts are within the abilit
of the communities to carry.
''The little red schoolhouse is a conspicI
object in the Oklahoma landscap
forming. with the churches. a guarant
OF future stability that is worth more TO II
citizen than mere assets of acres or do
lars.
of GEO. the Presbyterian. 1,5o0. the Pr
testant Episcopal 800. the Methodist Epi
copal $500. the Friends 1000. the Congr
Eational 200, the Roman Catholic 1l0T
the NJ. e church. South. 1900 and Il
Baptist $500. Other denominations a
represented. but no figures of their mer
bership have been made public.
THE Sunday schools have 1900 pupil
and the Y. Z. S. c. +. membership is 50
THE prominent secret orders numb
from 500 to 800 members EACH and n
in fiourishing condition.
THE editor is largely in evidence Whe
ever few dozen people are gathered [
gether there he sets up his printing pre-
and forthwith booms the town and coun
of his choice. Much of the prosperity
Oklahoma is due to the persistent advt
tising done by the local newspapers. The
are ten daily publications, eighty week
and twelve monthly
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