The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-01-19

ers" and "sooners" waited upon the
edge of the territorial line for the sig
nal from the government officials an
nouncng that the white man may rush
in. and at the drop of the flag they
swarmed in from every direction like
excited people rushing to fire. The
territory was at once peopled, and in
one day had population equal to THAI
of the sagebrush state of Nevada, which
gress.
This sudden springing of territory
into existence in one day has not par
allel in the history of this country. On
several occasions since, on the opening
Of different strips of Indian reserya-
tions for settlement. the population Of
the territory has been increased so per
cent. in one day.
Whenever these "openings" were an
nounced the boomers" "sooners" and
trough riders" would assemble on the
dead line" like boys Mt marbles, Ali
armed. Then the grand rush was made,
and each selected vacant spot of land
where Re might happen to stop in his
mad race, aud by the force of arms he
the effect that he had located It under
the law opening the territory to settle
ment. Many murders were committed,
and there were thousands of litiga.ei
titles. and many of them are still in
court.
In the majority of finstances the lands
located by these "sooners" were not as
valuable as those in the countries they
had left. But the desire to get lands in
a new country lured many of them
| away from better opportunities. The
land and town site spectators founded
towns upon the government lands thus
located and made fortunes. Several Of
the boomers combined their govern
ment locations into one town site and
thus made corporate town half as
large ION paper) as Chicago. Lots were
sold by the hundred, almost equaling
the late unlamented California boom.
and embryo towns and villages sprung
| up everywhere. Finally many of them
| were turned into ranches and others
were left to the prairie dogs and jack
rabbits. Some of them, however, grew
into Importance. Towns sprung up in
day with 1000 or 1000 population.
where the day before the wild Indian
hunted deer. Within a week the lew
town was business center" with one
or two newspapers, dozen saloons and
| as many dance houses"
Some Of these "cities" doubled theil
population in one day and others lost
almost rs rapidly, when new sections
| were opened up or rival town secured
the county site or a railroad station.
The 'dugout" and cottonwood shack -
or "shanty," has given way to substan-
tial buildings, many Of them of brick.
and the once frontier" settlements
now have electric lights and all modern
conyeniences. Those that were loca ed
in unwisely selected neighborhoods are
but sad wrecks of tumbledown shan ties
remindful of human wrecks who have
spent aimIess lives because they started
wrong Where Guthrie, the territorial
capital. now stands the bowling coyote
and jackrabbit were the only settlers
in the spring of 1880. On the day that
the country was opened for settlemeu,
30. 900 people camped upon the ground
This had been selected for a town site
and capitol. hence the grand rush. Oi
course all of them could not get town
lois. and those that did held them I
the muzzle Of q Winchester until ;
public mes.lng wsssield and Ia" aud or