The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-05-23
MATATA STONES
IN THE WICHITAS
aidden Riches Of the Noun
tainS in the KiOwa
Country

There is less known about the
Wichita mountains in the new coun-
try that was wrested from the Kiowa,
Comanche and kindred tribes last
August and thrown open to settle
ment by lottery taan any part Of the
land that has been added to the home
stead entrymen in the past thirty
years.
Not one in a hundred Of the per
sons who secured low numbers in the
great land lottery have ever visited
these mountains and they have only
been seen by the prospectors who
have searched every creyass, canyon
and mountain side for the minerals
that are known to be hidden there in
great quantities. The government by
proclamation Of President Mckinley
in August Of 1901, made $1,000 acres
OF the mountains and plains timber
reserve and the announcement was
made that this. would ultimately be-
come a national park that would for
ever protect the sources OF the
streams and save for posterity the
most picturesque portion Of the South.
west, GF I'D
The mountains that win be con-
tanned in this national park are the
largest IN the Wichita ranges and
heSe a general trend from the south
east to the northeast They lie
northwest OF tn EFT. sin reservation
in Oklahoma The mountain peaks
are found at the edge Of the ranges
and they rise from the plains as
though they had been forced to the
surface by some great upheava! Of a
prehistoric subterannean disturb
ance.
The mountain peaks are great
masses of GRANTEES, pierced with
veins OF shales porphyrites that are
found to be rich in mineral bearing
stratas. The peaks enclosed on three
sides basin that is scanned with
mountain streams and canyons and
that on the other side stretches away
into a site less than year ago was
only occupied by few Indians who
surrounded the reservation at FIT. sill
From their situation and natural ad-
vantages these mountains make an
ideal location for a national park and
those who aided in securing the forest
reserve against the vandalism that
has ruined so many of the great nat
ural scenic parks of the country, did
work that will prove one that they
can well be proud Of in the future.
The highest peaks are about $500 tsrt
above the sea level and their bea,.-
ties are so great that the only reason
that they are not visited by thou
sands, lie in the fact that there are no
means Of transportation to them at
present though this condition will be
changed in a few months as the
Frisco system has two lines of rail
way building to the mountains. one
from Oklahoma City and the other
from the North and which will be
united at Vernon Texas, when com
pleted,
Though the forest reserve has not
been visited by tourists they have
been for a number OF years minera
prospectors who have dared It's dan
gers and who have now increased e
the number OF 1000 or more and wh'
have increased to make perfect ar
rangements for the development of I
new EIdorado in the Wichitas Thes'
prospectOrs, in their exploration
have found evidences that at som'
time in the past there has been sys
beaten from the metal that they re
ported they had found to the north
ward
Evidence Of the former workings G
the mines by these MeMeans and In
dians is shown now in many way
and the cuts that are given here ar
among these evidences. The first
what Is known as an Indian Write
Rock and il was found in canyo
near the present village Of WildmaI
okla. The rock was buried in an e,
cavation by some mineral prospeotor'
The curved line on the rock repre-
sents a mountain stream that rushe
down the canyon and at the poiu
where the raised portions of the roc
shows in she form Of Indian tepee
was found one Of the best miners
veins that has been discovered in thi
section. The man who found thi