The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-07-10
UP-TO-DATE CITIES
THE LATEST STYLES OF TOWN
BUILDING AND ADVANTAGES.
Found I'm the Indian Territory With
short Blocks and Many Cor
ners-Advnntnges Arising
From the Laws of Ar
kansas.

Three years ago there was not
town in all Indian Territory with
regulation exceeding 1000 today there
are five cities whose population rang
es from 5000 to 0.000-Muskogee. Du-
rant, South McAlester. Ardmore and
Tishomingo Other OF the Indian Ter
ritory towns which during the past
year have made rapid strides In growth
are Tulsa. Bartlesville and the mining
towns.
But Il Is not alone the growth of
these little cities that Is to be COM
mended. On the other hand. 1t Is the
class of buildings and the arrangement
of their streets which place them in
class of their own in the makeup OF
American cities. The things which
Rave proven a detriment to the older
cities have been carefully avoided In
most of these Western towns,
Short blocks, wide streets and
comparative absence of frame build
ings In the business sections. are
among the most distinctive features.
The average business block In Musko-
gee is Just little more than 200 feet
in length, and in each of the others
which can be classified as city, the
business section has few blocks over
800 feet in length. Muskogee Is the
extreme, probably having the shortest
In the United States. Denver is noted
for its short business blocks, and its
numerous alleys. but the average
square In that city is nearly twice as
long as that of Muskogee. while a bus
mess block in the older cities, and even
in those Of the State of Kansas. espe-
cially Wichita and Leavenworth, Is
from 500 to 700 feet in length.
| In the residence sections of Musko-
- - lfnr rt-
| ties, the blocks are considerably long
err, but still not nearly of so great a
| length as those of the older cities
However. even the residences are in a
| class not TO be compared with that of
the cities of the States With broad
lawns, and set far back from the street
these residences remind one more Of
summer home than the ordinary
abode of the hustling business man.
The advantages of this class of CT
ties are many and obvious. First. by
reason of the numerous street corners,
property will always be more valua-
BILE than 1t would be otherwise; and,
second, there will be no occasion for
filthy streets and alleys. Then, the
accessibility in case of fire Is not to
| be overlooked. and when the b,ildings
are made higher. as ultimately Will be
done, the cities will naturally have
more sunshine and pure air than is
the case where the avenues are less
! numerous.
Muskogee has the tallest buildings
in Indian Territory; that is, 1t has more
! tall buildings than any other. How
ever, the buildings In that city are
not to be classed as tall buildings, ex-
| ceDt In comparative sense none being
more than five stories high, and the
majority only three story structures.
However, in nearly every territorial
| town the business buildings are so
| constructed as to permit the addition
Of other stories as necessity demands.
What is apparently the greatest dis
| advantage with which the cities OF In
| dian Territory have to contend Is the
absence of a law under which they can
| be regulated This is especially true
in regard to paving. The old Arkan-
| sas statutes under which the territory
is governed provide that the class UNI
der which a city is Incorporated can
not be changed except when based up
on a population guaranteed by a fed
eral census. Also. this same statute
| gives a city under the first class very
little authority in the matter of paw
ing and placing of sidewalks. Hence
| very few of these cities have paved
streets and in moro instances the
sidewalks are poor. or there are none
| at all There seems to be no immediate
remedy. 1t is proable that no fed
eral census will be taken until state
hood is acquired. and this places the
paving proposition. like the demand
for other needed legislation, upon a
shelf for the present.