The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1901-07-31
Dan pesaY IS OPTIMISTIC.
The Well Known Newspaper Man
Describes the New Country.

timately acquainted with the topogra.
ply Of the Kiowa and Comsnche
lands from personal observation. re-
flutes the common idea that the new
country * Undesirable generally for
farming purposes. In an interview
Mr. Perry says:
Most people are 10 the habit Of
thinking OF western and southwestern
Oklahoma as a barren prairie country
with only. perhaps a little timber along
the streams This idea is very err
roneous, as there is no better timber
in the territory than here is in he
reservation that is opened TO settle
ment There are several large tracts
of what would be designated timber
lands, not only along the creeks, but
IN the brake at the head Of the num-
erous tributaries that fiow inc the
Washita river. Post oak, burr oak
end black jack cove the most of this
rough upland, yet there ls some ash,
blackberry and red bud
Along the strains the timber grows
much larger and, in fact there are
some dense forests where the growth
Of timber is immense. TEere are trees
in those forests that would compare
favorablly with the historical big trees
OF the older states. In the deep can
yons on the head of Sugar creek there
are burr oak trees from 4 TO o feet in
diameter, yet they do not grow tall
like burr oak further east While Il
is not generally known. or accredited.
yet there is a large hard maple orch
ard in Devils canyon on the head Of
this same Creek. For many years
members of the Wichita and Caddo
tribes OF Indins have made sugar here
every spring. This is the only grove
OF sugar trees that we have ever
heard of in either of the two terri
tories, or within four or FIVE hundred
miles Of his grove. Some people who
have visited this orchard claim that
these trees were planted here by the
Jesuit missionaries one hundred years
ago. bu there is nothing about the
trees to suggest the hand of man.
Travelling over the northern part of
the Wichita reservation looking out
across the country you imagine that
you are on level prairie without a
d 20,
come to a deep canyon forty or fifty
feet deep, and one or two hundred
yards wide. They are so steep that It
is impossible to cross them with a
team in certain places. and It is often
necessary to travel for miles to the
head of almost every kind of timber,
including cottonwood, elm. ash, wal
nut and blackberry, but what is more
valuable than all others is the fine
red cedar There have been several
car loads of these cedar logs shipped
to Germany, where they are used TO
make lead pencils. This timber is very
valuable and it is a shame to cut so
much of it as has been used for wood
fencing. Taking it altogether, the
Wichita reservation has more good
timber in it than any part of Oklaho-
ma that has been heretofore opened
to settlement, and, we doubt not. many
houses viii be constructed out of ma
tive lumber"
But the biggest trees that we have
seen in the Wichita reservation were
on tributary to Cobb creek near
where Judge Kirkpatrick's alloting
outfit was camped. We measured one
big cottonwood tree that stands in
the midst of a deep forest near Cobb
creek This tree is twenty-four feet
in circumference one foot above the
ground and nineteen feet in circum
terence six feet from the ground. II
maintains it's size without a limb for
thirty feet when it branches cut in
two gigantic forks, either Of which
, would make a big saw log We don't
} know how high this old tree is, but
it takes a good shot gun to kill an owl
from It's topmost branches. II any OF
our readers should be inclined to be
Z skeptical as to the size. of this tree
: we would refer them to Judge Kirk
patrick. Lew Hornbeck, or any mem
Der of the alloting force who was pres
ent and helped MS take the measure
5 ment Near this tree there is an elm
= fully five feet in diameter aad many
other large trees.
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