Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-08-23
A d" City Of the Plains

"h4NH ctfi4IS up III IISill vi tue
plains, to become the scene Of busy
strife, and then subside like the base
less fabric OF a dream.
Last week, the dispatches inform US.
people from all points Of the compass
were crowding III, and Mccoy street
and Googoo Avenues, the two staked-
out thoroughfares, were rapidly be-
coming busy marts OF population Of
over 1900 people. A few days before
there were but two buildings on the
government TOWNSHIP Of half section,
which had been cut up into building
lots awaiting for an auction SALE
They were the lard Office and a ma
tional bank, small frame structures to
be located soon as sites could be pro-
cured. Last week, soon after the rush
began, there were over 800 business
houses on it-tents and the frailest
kind Of shacks, but adequate for the
business Of the growing city, the stores
increasing of course in strict accord
with the demands of trade.
When the selling of business lots
began, the interest became so intense
that several bloody encounters result
ed in the effort to obtain possession Of
the vantage ground. The orders of
the government were to keep off the
town site, during the drawing, and
consequently Mccoy street and Googoo
avenue were one-sided streets, with the
places Of business on the quarter-sec-
tions, to be selected by Miss Beals and
Mr.. Wood, who drew the capital prizes.
They could do no business, and an
alert individual made an appeal to To-
cate his tent on the north side OF Nc
Coy avenue, on the government town.
site. His request was granted and in
five minutes his stakes had been
driven and his tent was dragged across
the street, and this was the signal for
a general stampede to the forbidden
ground. In less than half an hour
fully four hundred tents had been
moved across the two thoroughfares.
and tents lined the "curb" mile on
Mccoy street and half that distance
on Googoo avenue.
Ice sells for five cents a pound by
retail at Lawton, and water at FIVE
cents a bucketful or fifty cents bar
rel. All efforts to strike water by bor-
ing on the townsite have been futile,
but enterprising prospectors have sue
ceeded in tapping currents on other
sections from which the present sup.
ply comes. Their monopoly is, how
ever, but temporary, for they have no
title to the lands on which the wells
have been driven.
1t has been decided to elect Miss
Matte Beals Marshal of the little
mushroom metropolis. 1t had been
the intent to elect " Bat" Carr to that
Office, but he developed such an aris-
tocratic and despotic streak before
fairly indicted into Office, that the
citizens persuaded Miss Beals, one of
the richest citizens from having drawn
q choice of location, to accept the DO.
elton, an instance where the Office
sought the woman in the full sense Of
the term, and she will rule by persua-
sion and moral suasion, instead Of the
pistol and knife, as it was feared
would be the policy of the little mu.
nicipality.
Lawton already has o. wholesale
liquor house, daily newspaper, a
gambling den, "bearded lady" and
"Wild Man from Borneo" show. For
tune tellers are numerous and Gypsy
camps have pitched their tents on
Googoo avenue, or the benton side of
LAYTON. just now all the fakirs are
heading for the city Of the hour, with
all the enthusiasm which has marked
the rise of many large towns on the
plains, with no thought of the NOR
row, which may set the stream in some
other direction. Fortunate indeed
would it be for many should its deca-
dence begin before fortunes are placed
in bricks and mortar that will long
remain as monuments of the folly OF
the throng when blinded by the
glamour for speculation.
EvidAnf Rluudar ~ n Raunrfor