Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-06-04
A Letter From Ex-Mayor Hanna,

Lawton, o. T., May 2lst, 1903.
Editor REPUBLICAN,
After more than a years absence
in what short time ago was the
hunting ground and home of the once
noted Comanche, the writer feels a few
items pertaining to the past, present
and future of this country may be o.
interest to your many readers.
When Congress made its last treaty
with the Apacha, Kiowa and Conan
che Indians in 1900, no white man, ex.
cept soldiers, teachers in the Indian
Schools and Post Traders lived in
what is now Caddo, Comanche. and
Kiowa counties, now one-half is oc.
cupied with progressive, wide awake
and energetic farmers, traversed by
three lines of railroad and dotted
with prosperous and growing villages,
these people coming from almost every
state in the union to make a new
home for themselves and assist in the
development of the great southwest.
While we do not claim this land a
paradise or the climate as the Elysium
Shades, still we have q soil that is
rich, producing plentiful crops of all
kinds of grain and vegetables in
abundance, with q rain fall of fiftytwo
inces, as shown by the government
gauge at Fl Sill.
seventy-tive congressional townships
which includes 480, 800 acres of graz
ing lands Is, 600 acres wood reserve,
u, 600 acres forest reserve and SO, 600
acres In the Fl. Sill military reserva-
ton, 1t being by far the largest mill
tary reservation in the United
States At this time q special effort
Is being made to, secure the annual
army maneuvers with-a good prospect
of success, and II TT. Sill should be
1t will mean the mobilizing of
about Is, 600 regular troops here and
the state militia for period of thirty
days each year. Military men give It
as their opinion that for army ma
neuvers TT. Sill reservation is by far
the best of any in the United States,
having an abundance of good water,
timber, prairie, hills, mountains and
valleys, making IL possible for the
different portions OF the army to exc
cute Its maneuvers without discovery.
A few weeks ago with several others
| made q trip to Craterville and the
mountains. These mountains
are claimed by biologists to be the
oldest in the United States. Crater
Vile is about seventeen miles north
west OF Lawton, situated in beauti-
full mountain park, on the north the
mountains, on the west and south sur
rounded with timber, an abundance of
pure water In springs and mountain
streams making it an ideal summer
outing or winter resort.
st. Louis capitalists have formed a
company to construct q dam near the
town across Cache creek where it
comes through gorge in the noun
tains. This dam Is to be45 feet wide at
the base, 10 feet vide at the top and
20 feet high and is estimated to hold
four billion gallons of water. Near
this town or camp are mines galore.
in fact all the .Wichitas have been
staked. The Florence has been
worked most. A shaft there is down
about loo feet. It is claimed TO show
rich in gold, silver, lead and copper.
Old mountain miners and mining en-
thusiastS claim better and richermines
than Leadville or Cripple Creek.
Legendary and historical records
make it very certain that prior to
Spain ceding to France the territory
west of the Mississippi to the Rocky
Spanish and Mexican
miners worked rich mines in the
Wichitas. Remains of old Span
ish houses are found near Craterville
and when the early prospectors and
miners left this country they filed up
and destroyed their works. The ele-
ments and the lapse of centuries have
completely etfaced all traces of where
these mines were located. With
American pluck, energy and skill
many are, OF * the opinion that soon
these abandoned and lost mines will
be found that are supposed to be very
rich in gold and silver. If ever these
hopes are fulfilled, this country will
become one OF the richest mining dis
tricts yet discovered and. win make
q Denver. The climate con-
ditions here are fine, situated as we
are on an elevated pleateau free from
with refreshing breezes not
hot In summer or cold in winter. Rich
sofia abundance of rainfall win
make this the garden spot of the
southwest. Crops of all kinds are
we'll. Wheat is estimated
will yield from fifteen to twenty bush
els per acre, oats are q fair crop, corn
is looking well and cotton and kaffir
corn just being planted. ... r..
Quite number of northern people
are looking over this country some
buying, ali expressing satisfaction
with the country. and its prospects.
IOwans, seeking homes, why go the
Dakotas, Minnesota and especially to
where the winters are from
six, TO- eight months long, with the
thermometer many times down to forty
degrees below zero. / am unable to
understand when they can come to the
southwest, secure good land at reason
able prices, . healthful and invigor-
ating climate free from malaria, very
little snow with winters OF about sixty
days and always above the zero mark.
From my observations l desire to
say TO my old friends and neighbors,
those that are looking for. new homes,
that you will find better advantages in
Oklahoma than can be offered in the
and when you buy your
ticketsfor tour of inspection have it
readi"get of at Lawtoh, and by do
ing so YOU will be able to see the
eighth wonder of the world, the larg!
est and best town of its age, ever To-
cated and built In. twenty months.
IT w Anna