The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-01-26

I In the western part of Oklahoma,
| about twelve miles south of the Wichita
| mountain is a beautiful valley In this
valley, the northeast = of section . and
the southeast I Of section %. township
, north. range II west, were set apart By
the government, on August s. under the
general townsite laws OF the United
States for townsite purposes
/ "On the night of August eth, about 50
/ people left AItus. Greer county, Oklaho-
ma, for this place. Sunrise Of August
! Sth. found an excited group gathered
about the corner stone that is at the east
| end Of Broadway, discussing the numbers
Of the land. a name and everything that
| concerned the town IN general, while on
the quarters just west of the town an
other group was gathering believing they
We're on the town and that their neigh
| bOrs were mistaken. Various PROPOSE
lions offered by different people were dis
| cussed with a view OF getting the two
parties together. and TO devise some plan
by which the new townsite could be divid-
Cd equally among those interested.
''The people on the western quarters
called their town Harrisburg. but the
others thought a more appropriate name
could be found. The mountains on All
sides, looking blue and grand in the dis
tance. the gentle slope Of the land to OF
ter creek which skirts the townsite on the
south. The trees that grow along the
banks Of this creek increase in number as
they near the town. thus forming a nat
ural park
The tall mountains in the immediate
vicinity, which catch the first rays of the
rising sun on their rugged heights and re-
tain a rosy glow long after the sun has
gone to rest behind the mountains OF
Greer county. All these things were very
suggestive. so the young Town was chris
tened Mountain Park
Everybody set up some kind Of camp
in the park where wood and water were
plentiful, and everyone held different
opinions concerning the town. 1t was
utterly impossible 10 get people down 10
business, they were an so excited, when
a message came directly from Secretary
Hitchcock stating that the numbers OF
the quarters 1 have named were the ones
set aside for the town. The people seem
ed satisfied and ready for work. This was
the plan adopted by the people for the
dividing OF the town. It was surveyed
and divided into lots. The name of each
man was written on a slip Of paper and
placed IN a bag and wen shaken. then
blindfolded man drew out the slips one
by one and the men went out and select
cd their lots in the order Of the drawing.
But this did not settle the matter for
many stil doubted the accuracy Of the
press reports that were sent here and
thought all was uncertain.
Mountain Park was the center of at
traction in Oklahoma.
Late one afternoon a ragged boy rode
in declaring that he had seen the south
half Of the townsite fled on the day be-
fore. This was followed by a storm OF
excitement and many left but others re-
NAMED determined to stay till the last
In a few days Colonel Peckham. II. S.
Chambers and Mr. Hunter arrived with
a proposition from the president of the
railroad. They offered TO run a road
into the town If the citizens would let
them draw alternately 70 lots This was
agreed to and resurvey was made, and
the day for the drawing was set a week
ahead Time passed slow, when the time
did come everybody was on hand. The
lots had been divided into groups of three. /
The business lots We're drawn first the
railroad taking every other one for -
times Then they drew on the resident
lots, drawing alternately twenty
tines
when the drawing was over every
body went to work making the necessary
improvements to hold the newly won
prizes.
About 5000 pounds Of barbed wire was
put Up in one day. The lots owned by
the railroad We're all marked with small
tents and four 2x4 nailed together TO form
a foundation. These soon gave way to
rock foundations. After about two weeks
Of tent dwelling hammers and saws We're
applied with zeal to the piles of boards
brought in from the neighboring towns
and houses began u appear.
THE Mountain Park Hardware store
was the first to be completed. Other bus
mess houses and private dwellings follow
ed in quick succession.
THE most important question now was /
water. There were several good wells /
in the park but none in the main part OF 4
town but since that time a great many (
wells have been dug that afford good /
supply of soft water
we have two weekly papers. good /
graded school. daily mail. a bank. about I
forty business houses and over 500 inhab- I
itants, and our town is stiu growing and T
when we get the two railroads we are (
expecting, Mountain Park win be the
leading town of Oklahoma"