The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-11-22
POOR LOS Land allotted
The Dawes Commission in SeS-
sion at AtOkd.
THE WORK OF PARcELING HAS BEGUN
Must Fight the Battle Of Life Beside the
White Man.

The Indian Territory at this time
is undergoing what might be called
reconstruction.
The Dawes commission, represent
ing the government Of the United
States, has convened at Atoka for the
purpose Of making treaties and diyid-
iug up the nation, and is succeeding
very admirably. The Indians "happy
hunting ground" west Of the Mis-
sissippl river will, in the course Of a
very short time, be a thing Of the
past. The Dawes commission has
allotted and executed dee6s to all the
property in the Seminole and the
Creek nations, and on February /,
1903. it will establish a government
land ofilce in Atoka, 1. T., and begin
allottirg lands in the Choctaw nation.
There are 1000, 900 acres Of land in
the Choctaw nation to be allotted
among $4,000 citizens by blood and
intermarriage, and it is estimated
that it will take about three years
in which to complete the alotments
in detail. AS soon as the allotment
begins the Indians will be 10 a
position to contract for the sale OF
one-q quarter of their land, and in three
and five years thereafter will be
authorized to sell the remainder Of
their allotment, and as each citizen
Of the nation is permitted to hold
800 acres Of average land, there will
be something like 100000 acres on
the market this coming year. In
many families there are eight and
ten children, which means that the
family will receive from $500 to
5000 acres Of land. After each
Indian receives 23O acres OF average
allottable land the surplus will be sold
by the government OF the United
: States to United States citizens.
The recent supplementary treaty
. with the Choctaw nation authorizes
and instructs the Choetaw Batlon to
sell the coal mines Of the nation
within the next few years, and the
coal mines in this country are
numerous and very rich, and IL is
+ estimated that the revenue received
! from their sale will be up in the
billions OF dollars.
The Indian Territory today is the
last new country in the great west,
and the people throughout the entire
United States are watching with
great interest the progress of the
] Dawes commission in settling up the
. Indian questions.
The present intentions are that the
entire lands Of the five civilized tribes
I will be allotted, and the surplus lands
sold by the government Of the United
. States within the next three years,
{ and this means the opening up to
the United States citizens the great
est opportunities OF their lifetime to
get a home in new and fertile coun-
try. The territory is rich in It's
mines, its farming lands, Its forest
and its grazing land. AT this time
there are thousands Of people coming
= into the Indian Territory, and espe-
: clally to the Choctaw nation, seeking
homes and investments, and they
. are accomplishing the purpose OF
; their coming.
1t is estimated that on the first
day of February, 1908, there will be
5000 people come to Atoka in the
Choctaw nation for the purpose Of
filing on and proving their allotments,
and it will take something like three
, years to complete the allotment Of
the country.
There is going to te great rush
for property there. The demand for
: laborers, contractors and investors is
nheromenal
Mrs. S. P. Creel, Of ST. Louis,
. arrived Thursday mornisg and will be
r the guest Of Mr and Mrs Newt
Potter for several days.
: Miss Mary Bethel returned We'd
:. --.-a 49,. - - ~.