Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-02-07
WAS BOUND TO RISE
HOW THE TOWN OF LEXINGTON,
OKLA, HAS GROWN.

On the north side of the Canadian
river, like hub in half wheel of big
producing country, is Lexington, Okla.
1t is town of about 1900 people now.
There are reasons to believe it will
have 5000 or 5000 population in
short time. One reason, says the Kan
sas City Times, is because the Chero-
kee Central and, as some believe, the
Illinois Central, is headed for Lexing-
ton on it's way southwest from Shaw
nee, to which point the line is a settled
matter.
Six years ago Lexington began to
make a showing on the map across the
river from Purcell, 1. L. In spite of a
one mile haul across the river to the
railroad Lexington grew as a trading
point until it evened up with it's neigh
Dor, Purcell, and, in sight of each 9TH
err, with only the Canadian river, like
water ribbon, between, the towns
developed. Six months ago a fire start
ed in Lexington and in five hours gut
ted the business portion of the town.
Instead of killing it that fire has given
Lexington its biggest boost, and today
it stands with frame stores replaced
with substantial brick blocks and new
ones going up actively and new bust
ness Interests coming in in a manner
that leaves but one result possible.
That result means Lexington the
trade center of the southwest Canadi-
an border and a manufacturing point
of some note under present conditions
of the Indian Territory and some big
prospects If the present efforts toward
making Indian Territory and Oklaho-
ma one are successful. There is con-
siderable money in Lexington, and
some big money is becoming interested
in the situation. Twenty-Five thousand
dollars has been raised to secure the
railroad, and a Santa Fe spur from
across the river is a sub rosa PROPOSE
ton under consideration in private
railroad councils as strenuously denied
as it is openly discussed.
Without railroad Lexington Is
drawing cotton and agricultural prod
ucts and getting trade from twenty
five to fifty miles in every direction,
and it is taking more stores and bigger
| stocks to handle the business. What it
will do with railroad is beyond con-
lecture. One hundred and fifty bales
of cotton on a business street in fore
noon looks like money to man who
knows what business Is. At present
Lexington has Il brick plant with ca
pacity of 10000 bricks per day, forty
bale cotton gin and compress, a big
/ CIT nd Of ind tria
growing interests-and fruit Of every
kind here eXcels-are interesting cam
ming factory men. A foundry and ma
chine shop. a planning mill, a cereal
food manufacturing company and sew
eral other concerns are becoming inter-
ested in the situation as presenting
particular attractions.
Lexington is surrounded by as fine
an agricultural country as there is in
Oklahoma. a deep sandy loan from
three to ten feet deep produces corn,
cotton. fruit, vegetables and fine stock
in fields side by side and defies drought
with good water at an underlying
depth of from fifteen to thirty feet
Everywhere through the country fine
crops are seen, and substantial class
of farm improvements is evidence of
the prosperity of farmers, planters and
fruit growers.
Lexington has a good electric light
plant, and bonds are preparing for a
waterworks system to be owned by
the city. Sewers and paving are also
crowding on the heels of waterworks
and will be taken up as conditions
require with the same active spirit
that marks the town in all its growth.
With creditable sense of the impOr-
lance of educational matters, LeXing
ton has crowded school interests and
enjoys the reputation of having the
most advanced school advantages In
Oklahoma of any town of its size. The
best teachers have been secured, and
the enrolment is now about 600 pupils,
as bright and wideawake children as
one will find in any state Every re-
ligious denomination is here represent
ed, and those who do not yet have
churches are preparing to erect taste
full, modern edifices.
The past year over S150,000 has been
put in business and residence building
ulHOllS W HlCl 10 Il Slo
900 hotel building, much needed i'm
provement, that will be appreciated by
the numerous travelling men who
make Lexington and who say it is one
Of the best towns in Oklahoma of its
size in which to sell goods, owing to
the volume of goods sold and the busi-
ness integrity of its merchants, many
of whom, in dry goods. hardware, fur
niture and clothing, carry $4,000 to
$4,000 stocks. All lines of smaller
business are doing well, and there are
many openings for wideawake bust
ness men in this town.
Altogether few places offer better
proposition just now to live, new ener-
gy and capital than Lexington. The
town is growing rapidly. and the sur
rounding country presents attractions
in land prices, quick market and crop
resources unsurpassed by any section
of Oklahoma and equaled by few, and
I'D