Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-12-12
TO BE A GREAT STATE
Indian Territory FeAirest Country of the Southwest
--What Rock Islanders Doing There. Of

man made the town" could be no more
| fittingly exemplified than down in In
dian Territory, where a party of Rock
| Island gentlemen are energetically en-
gagged in making the pioneer history
of a great commonwealth of the flu
ture, and causing cities to spring up
as if by magic, out of cotton fields
and rows of corn that dot the beauti-
full hill and plain in this, the fairest
country of the great southwest.
That Indian Territory is destined to
be one of the greatest states of the
union, none who has studied its won
derful resources will doubt Blessed
! by nature with perfect climatic con-
uitions. a soil more fertile than the
richest of the great agricultural
states of today. It's development is
held in check only by the supposed
safeguards thrown by the United
| States government around its Indian
wards
| These hindrances to the develop
ment of the territory are fast passing
away, and e'er long the last of these
will vanish and a bright, new star will
| appear in the armament of states that
will add lustre and glory to all the
rest. The Coweta Courier gives the
| following concerning the town of
Coweta, one Of the trio of towns es-
tablished by the Rock Islanders, the
other two being Broken Arrow and
Porter:
Bryan said. You may burn the cit
les and they will spring up again, but
destroy the country and the cities
will fail to rise Here in the west,
with a country rich in natural re-
sources, and a fertility of soil that
will produce anything grown in the
east, and many things the east cannot
produce, immigration comes like a
flood tide as fast or faster than legal
restrictions to immigration are re-
moved, and cities spring up almost in
a night. All the miracles of the world
come to light in the western coun-
tries. The star of empire, as Kingsley
well said. moves westward Aladdin
with his lamp must have worked his
wonders in the west. for in the east
things are of slow growth. But in the
west cities spring up in the night, and
while the world sleeps the country so
changes that it seems new land in
the morning.
IF railroad construction is an indi-
cation of the future development of
country. the Indian Territory may
look forward to a very promising flu
ture, as the past year has seen more
actual construction of transportation
lines in the territory than in any 9th
er part of the country. After numer-
Gus surveys by different roads, the
Katy was the first to put under con
struction and operation the line of
road from Muscogee to Tulsa. thence
westward to Oklahoma City. This
road, leaving the main line few miles
north of Muscogee, taps one of the
most fertile and productive portions
of the Creek Nation, traversing as it
does the rich valleys of the Arkansas
and Verdigris rivers. While this cOun-
| try was already thickly settled, it was
necessary TO have a line of road with
stations conveniently located to ena-
BILE the country to develop to its full
est extent.
ION this line of road, approximately
| so miles in length, it was decided to
| have three towns, and the contracts
| for locating the stations were let to
the Arkansas Valley Townsite com
pany. with headquarters at MuscOgee,
the officers of which are Guy Bow
man, president; j. F. Darby, vice pres
| ident; w. S. Fears, secretary; c. +.
| Lynde, treasurer, and every one Of
whom is a rustler and a gentleman of
strict integrity and honesty.
The central station of the three
the townsite company located one
half mile from the original govern
ment survey of Coweta, and the new
townsite was plated on high ridge
between the station and the old town
of Coweta, and Guy Bowman. the
president, Il man whose word is as
good as a government bond, and of
whom every citizen speaks in highest
praise, was put in charge of the com
pany's office here.
Located on an elevation sufficient
to command a splendid view of the
surrounding country and insure prop
er Distinguishing equally distant
from Muscogee and Tulsa, and sur
rounded by agricultural land unsur-
passed in the territory of sufficient
scope to support town of 5000 pop
ulation-COweta is in every respect a
| fitting place for the location of a
town which bears promise of a flu
ture. In this connection it might be
said that the townsite company was
influenced to a considerable extent in
locating the station at Coweta by the
fact that there was already a trading
post established here; further, that
the residents of COweta promised to
pay the company a bonus of $1,000
and give them loyal support in build
ing town; and without doubt a
thriving and prosperous town will be
built here.
''The townsite was plated less than
a year ago, the railroad reached the
town in June, and constructive work
proper began about three months ago.
What year ago was a cotton field is
now a growing town. The townsite
survey covers 240 acres. The first
building was erected by the TOWNSHIP
company, which they still occupy for