The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-04-10

natural selection aud there wasn't
enough left og any town company or
organization to make grease spot.
OF course there were a few boom
ers" or "sooners" trying to locate
and claim lots before the appointed
hour but they were mostly ruu out
or bought cut or kicked out by the
honest settler in very short space
OF time.
Il Just at 12 O'Clock noon a young
and enterprising newspaper man
came over near the land Office and
picked UP few pieces Of boards
and with merry whistle meander-
ed across over to the corner Of this
block and driving stake he nailed
a board across Che top of It in which
he had painted these words;
kansas City Times-We have
Come to stay
But he didn't ssay very ong-but
he stayed long enough to build a
house a house here and he gave it
name which slowed with it for ten
years-the Times building.
About the same hour l passed up
on the highest point on this particu-
lar hill which was near the intersec-
tion of what is now known as Okla
homa avenue and Division street.-The
senter of Division street is the line
between the east and the west half
of this section Here | found an en-
terprising gentleman who had obtain
ed commission ss q deputy United
states marshal and believed that
would protect him in entering the
country in advance of the people gen.
erally who were not favored with
such commissions.
He was lying in the grass--a trus-
Nv winchester along side of him, and
Just on the west side of the line. !
asked him the purpose of his conduct
aud he replied.
that when the hour of IL arrived he
hsould just roll across the line and
claim that quarter section for a
homestead. 1t would have been a
rfch homestead Before noght there
was five thousand people camDed on
it and a city government-without
any warrant of law, established, and
collection Of fees, taxes in the good
old way to which we had all been ac-
eastomed.
Wen this progressive citizen was
soon lost in the shuttle though | be
reve he contester his claim all the
way to the supreme court Of the Uni
ted States at great expense to him
self as well as to the town settlers
and much to their annoyance and de
lay
When the hrst train pulled in from
the north loaded down with prospec-
tive settlers they tumbled off the
cars and rushed in every direction.
The most Of them pushed up that
draw there and the land office be-
came the center Of a thriving popu-
lation IN a few moments. One old
gentleman-a good old man-who
passed into the great beyond about
year ago-came up to my window,
haiding me card on which he had
printed his name and the following
announcement candidate for first
mayor Of Guthrie The old gentle
man never succeeded, however in
getting the office. A party OF young
men settled over there on those three
corner lots, etc. etec.
Before night dozen business
houses had been erected along this
avenue and a banking house had /
been erected and commenced on the
secyond lot from this corner Within
twenty-four hours there was sivteen
drug stores twenty or thirty grocery
tsores, forty or City restaurants all
in successful operation. besides in
numberable gambling deyices-crap
games, wild horse, chuck luck, and /
the good old army game.
Thirty-seyen lumber yards were es-
tablished here within a few days and
from North Guthrie-now the Havig-
horst addition--one mile north and
southland from Capitol Hill to West
Guthrie miles east and west
the ground was thickly settled with
home lot claimants
The camp fires, the blazing torches
the songs and hurrahs gave proof
through night that the boys were