The times., 1901-04-08
THE NEW OKLAHOMA LANDS.
The f<foyvn and Wichita Reservn-
tisn~ to he Opened Soon.

me h1Owa ana NAchttn HesfrNh-
items to BE Opened soon.
WICHITA, Kan. April Few persons
except those on the ground can realize
the interest taken in the Indian lands to
be opened for settlement in few months
south of Oklahoma, and to become a part
of that Territory. All over Kansas young
men. old soldiers. and even women are
preparing for the struggle for claim.
Campers have been along the border for
months. and prairie schooners' are
moving southwark all over this State and
Nebraska Letters pour in from all parts
of the East. and from Minnesota 20 South
Carolina, telling of the writer's desire TO
locate a claim. and asking advice and in
formation.
a question asked by every prospective
settler is whether or not the time-hOnorcd
plan of making a run is to prevail this
time. Oklahoma Territory was opened in
that way, and the opening of the Chero-
kee Strip in 1898 was also a foot race. In
the latter case the persons who went in on
crowded freight trains running twenty
miles an hour found when they got to the
interior towns that people were already on
the ground This caused doubts as to
the honesty of this plan. and there is
great deal of dissatisfaction over the pro
lowed this time.
The public is well Informed as to the
Kiowa lands, but the Wichita lands, or
County l." to be opened at the same
time are practically unknown. The lat
ter are unexcelled in the West for fer
tility and beauty The reservation lies
between the South Canadian and Washita
Rivers and is forty miles long from east
to west, and thirty miles wide. The lands,
like the Comanche lands. lie to the west
of a line drawn north and south through
the central part of Kansas and Nebraska,
but the droughts are not so severely felt
as in the same longitude farther north
The reservation is inhabited by the Wichi-
tas and allied tribes, about 1000 souls, and
contains 100000 acres of land, $50 square
miles. About 10000 acres are allotted.
leaving 500. 600 for school and homestead
purposes. There are about 3,i0O quarter
sections for settlers, and nearly every one
is tilIable and fertile, something that can
not be said of the Kiowa and Comanche
lands owing TO the Wichita Mountains
A surveyor who has been over the county
says: mo finer lands can be found than
those in this reservation. 1t is well wa
tered, has an abundance of timber, and
most of the land is rich productive soil.
/ never saw finer lands than the Cana
dian and Washita River bottoms, and all
the staples of agriculture, wheat corn,
cotton, etc, can be produced on almost
every quarter-section, while the scenery
is among the most picturesque in the
West"
1t is believed here that If there is a race
for the lands at least ten men will strug-
gle for every quarter-section. Most of the
claims have already been spotted by
the campers along the edges, who know
exactly the place for which they will run.
1t is plain that with ten or a hundred
men racing for each quarter-section. the
weak, the women and the old soldiers,
will be defeated, and those who most de-
serve homes Will probably get none. The
Texas contingent will come up from the
South; the Kansas and Nebraska hordes
will go in from the north, and the thou
sands of OklahOmans, who failed 10 get
locations in the other runs. will be pre-
pared to race for the best claims with
full understanding of the direction and
distance In all the reservations to be
opened there will he about i, 900 claims.
The Indians have taken many of the best
already, and are 20 take hundreds more.
The difficulty of keeping out the soon
ers as are called those who go in ahead
of time, is manifest.
The anti-run element favOrs some kind
of lottery. One plan is for each claim
to be entered on a card, and to permit
every person who has not already lb1
acres of land and has never taken up
homestead. to enter by depOsiting the nj
inS fee, Sl4. and have a card with name
written thereon. There is to be one wheel
for the claims and one for the names, and
then a drawing. But it is evident, that,
instead of having ten or hundred claim
ants for every quJrter-Sect1on, there
would be a thousand, for all over
the nation people would try for the spler-
did prize, especially when there would he
nothing 10 lose. Every claim will be worth
s2 600 But the problem is. What IS to be-
come of the vast amount OF money de-
posted for filing by those who do not
VIM The Government cannot take it,
and there is no provision for returning
it. Then, too, IL is urged that Ii is hard
ly fair TO allow the man who sits at ease
| in New England and can afford 10 buy
himself hCme, the same opportunity as
the poor settler. who has taken himself
and family. in a wagon, and driven TO the
| edge of the reservation. in the hope OF
obtaining a home. The old soldier. too.
would have no better chance than the
rest.
The arrangement for opening the towns
| is excellent, and will effectually do away
with the scramble that was seen in the
opening Of the other reservations. The
Government has located all the county
seat towns to be laid out in the new res
ervations. and they are numerous enough
to make the need of others very light for
some time. At the opening an auction
sale will be held in every location, only
one business lot and one residence lot
being purchasable by any one person.
The money Will go into a fund for the
erection of school buildings. public build
ings, street improvements. and other pub
lie needs. Thus every town viii start
with full treasury, and with its build
ings provided for.
The allotment of the lands to the IN
dans is progressing rapidly. They are
taking their land O60 acres each) in
three-mile strips along the river bottoms.
1t is believed that there will be no delay
after the appointed time for the opening,
August 8; indeed, the date may be set
earlier than that. The time and the
method of the opening are in the hands of
the President. and his action is awaited
with keen interest by thousands of anX-
ious would-be settlers, both III the vicinity
of the lands and far away.