The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1900-06-22
GLOWING
ID, scription of th3 KiOwa and
,COmanChe l8nlS.

OKLAHOMA CITY, O. r., JUNE p -
CSpecial. The Times-Journal says:
When a mining prospector tells OF fab
ulously rich finds of mineral or the from
tier boomer describes the marvellous pro-
ductivity of the soil I'm some forbidden
reservation. it is usual TO take their stor-
les with more than grain Of salt; but
concerning the Niowa and Comanche
country soon to be opened we have de
scription of men who are far removed
from the boomer or prospec ctor class, th2t
if made by these pioneers would be class
ed as most extravagant and unworthy or
ere redence. We refer to the reports made
bv army officials AS early as 1894 these
reports began to appear I'm the army rec
ords and up to 1866 the musty records are
frightened here and there by descriptions
Of this country that fills the human
breast with a longing to look upon
land that seemed so fair to those meA
whose business was fighting.
To reach this Kiowa and Comanche
country those officers tramped across the
Mississippi valley through Arkansas and
the Indian territory, or a little further
north through Illinois, Missouri and Kan
and unoccupied and unused, save as
hunting ground. After travelling over the
prairies OF Illinois, traversing the forests
of Missouri and climbing over the Ozark
mountains these army captains with their
commands came upon region that
brings forth exclamations OF delight.
They seem most extravagant in their
praise of of its beauty, its fertility and
mic n
this region, the Wichita mountains, is
rich in gold and copper.
These are not the reports of boomers
but of men who had no interests in any
but faithful description OF the country
as they saw it. They were men Of good
judgment and wide experience.
In 1852 the United States war depart
ment sent Colonel r. b. Macy, and Cap
tain afterwards generaD Mcclellan to ex-
plore the country. These officers with
their command came into the country
from the east. and the following extract
from Colonel Maceys report, begins with
the crossing of the present eastern bound
airy of the Comanche country some thirty
miles south of FIT. Sill
During our march today we passed
small stream flowing into the Red rivel
and directly at the point of crossing, in
a gully washed out by rains, we found
many pieces of copper ore of a very rich
quality lying upon the surface.
Cache creek is a stream of considerab' Q
magnitude, $50 feet wide, with a current
of four miles an hour, flowing through
a valley one mile in width, of rich, black
alluvium, and bordered by the best tim
Der west of the cross timbers.
Soon after we reached the high prairie
ridge, upon which we Travelled to-day, we
came in sight Of the Wichita mountains,
some twenty-five or thirty miles up to the
north. the chain seeming TO be made up
of series of detached peaks, running
from the southeast to the northwests as
far as the eye can reach. Rising, as these
mountains do, upon the max I'd prairie is
olated from surrounding eminenc=s the
form a very striking and pronounced
feature in thetopography of the country.
I'VE are encamped tonight near two
mountains, about three miles from the
river and about one mile west of the
head of the west branch of Otter creek,
near spring of pure, cold water which
rises in the mountains and runs down
past our camp. Our road lads along near
the creek valley, which is from one to
two miles wide, with very productive soil
covered with dense coating of grass
and skirted with a variety of hard timber
"Of course today was northwest Orom
| head of Otter) until we encountered a bol
running stream of good water forty feet
wide and three feet deep, flowing through
a broad, fiat valley about two mills wide
of drak alluvial soil, and fertility OF
which is obvious from the dense vege
tation which it supports"
On the next days travel Col 3nel Marcy
says
Passed along the border Of a swift
running rivullet Of clear water. which is
sues from springs in the mountains and Il
! filed with a multitude of FISH. We alsc
! passed near the base Of a very promi
nent and symetricay mountain, whicl
! can be seen 70 rtwenty miles upon OF,
| route, and is a most excellent land mark
! Several of the genetlemen ascended th'
peak with the barometer, and its altitude
as thereby indicated IS 7Sl feet, abov
the base. Captain Mcclellan has calle
this mount Webster in honor Of our grea
statesman. The valley lying betweel
many of these mountains have a soil tina
is arabic in the highest degree. They ar
covered with grasses which our horse
eat geredily. Thre are also man yspring
of cold, limpid water bursting out fror
the granite rocks of the mountains an
flowing down through the valleys, there
by affording at all times a mosts deliciou
beverage, where we were led to beli=v
from the presentations Of tn Wichita
we could find only bitter and unpalpabl
water.
Following up the course of a ra-vin