The Washington times., 1904-05-22
LAND "BOOMER"
off THE EARTH"
Scenes in Oklahoma Never
to Be Repeated.
HITCHC0CK'S NEW SCHEME
Allotment of Tracts Will Now Be Set.
tied in Washington by
Drawing Lots.

The picturesque land boomer. with his
prairie schooner, his fast horse to reach
desirable ground. and his shooting irons
20 hold it against others OF his kind,
VINO has always been feature Of the
opening of Indian and other Govern
ment lands to settlement. has been wiped
of the face OF the earth. so to speak.
Secretary Hitchcock is the man who
has made him a thing Of the past. The
Secretary has signed orders approving
the methods Of opening the Rosebud
and the Grande Ronde Indian reserva-
lions for settlement. and these methods
are those Of the business man of today
rather than those Of the old time pio-
neer. The orders go into effect Mon
day. and the reservations are TO be
opened in a few weeks.
The last opening Of a large tract
Of Government land was in Oklahoma.
and FOR weeks ahead OF the time set
by the Government. the boomer and
sooners were busy. They were en-
camped in vast numbers around the
lines Of the country TO be invaded. Two
regiments Of cavalry kept them in order.
They established huge camps and fast
horses to rush over the line were
brought from all parts of the West.
The cayalrymen fired a gun at noon
one day and a tide Of immigration
went into the territory faster than any
thing of the kind ever happened be-
Tore OF course, there were killings.
Fights for Possession.
disputes over possession of desira bic
quarter sections sent many wouId-be
settlers into the Happy Hunting
Ground. IL whites are allowed In thar
preserve. Towns sprang up, and In less
than month all the good ground had
been pre-empted and half dozen VII
lagos were fourishing. II is said ten
thousand boomers took part in the
rush The -'sOOners." those men who
slipped past the cavalry and hid inside
the reservation lines on ground they IN
tended to pre-empt did not get much
out OF this rush. They suffered in IA
taities because the reservation was so
well known TO nearly all OF the men
after land.
But now the boomer is gone with the
buffalo. the stage coaches. the war par
ties Of Indians and the other stirring
events and individuals that made I'D the
wild west OF other days.
Settled by Drawings.
prosaic bids must be offered for one lot
OF land and that there must be draw
ings for the other Under this plan there
is no use being a boomer One can sit
down in Washington and get his bid in
for the Grande Ronde lands, which com
prise twenty-six thousand acres Of land
in oregon. By August l. when they will
be opened. These bids can be filed in
Washington or at any land Office in
oregon. The land will be sold In 160-
acre lots. The whole tract must bring
500 or the land will not be sold
The plan for opening the old Rose
bud reservation Of the Sioux. the
Hoodwinked battle ground OF the LIZ
tie Big Horn, in South Dakota. where
Custer and his men were massacrcd,
anu where lighting was going on among
tho red men before Columbus sailed for
America. Is similar TO that under which
the old Louisiana lottery was operated
There Is q slim chance for the boomer
anC his gun play here-but not much
Intending settlers must apply a; the
Land Offices. make his deposit and am
6avits and he is then handed a ticket
This method is continued until all Cf
the $4,000 acres have been claimed.
Then there are 20 be drawings at va
rious land offices. The man who has
ticket No. / gets first choice. and the
others follow IN order There Is no
need TO race. And hardly any 10 shoot
The tickets Will be issued beginning
july - Tho drawings are 70 follow
a. soon as all of the tickets are issued.
The orders thus directing things have
fyceu placed on file.