The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-05-27
Goal Of The Immigrant
Indian Territory Offers Splendid
Opportunities 10 Settlers
They Are Coming.

MuSkOBccs L. l., May <A.T ~
summer and fall Of 1904 will wit
ness the greatest immigration t.
Indian Territory Of any year in tn
history Of the Territory Thou
sands Of those who will come viii
be entirely ignorant Of the condi
ltions, areas and people here. TIL,
total land area Of Indian Territory
+ is 81, 600 square miles. The popu
lation in 1890 was ISo, 1871, in 1900
was 392 600, an average yearly IN
crease Of 2I.76 per cent. AT this
rate the population for the yeai
1908 was 657.Ss5, and at the closs
Of the year 1904 will be 796,o34
There are $1,000 Indians and 20,
600 negroes on citizenship rolls.
The only school system in Indiar
Territory is that of the triba
schools maintained by the severa
tribes. This has been augmented
this year by an appropriation ol
SIoo, 600 by Congress, which will
be used to strengthen the tribal
schools, establish new schools and
provide for attendance of white
children at all tribal schools. In all
the towns there are public schools
maintained by taxation Each
town directs its own school system
and pays the expenses. 1t is esti-
mated there are 100, 900 school
children in the territory.
There are 200 newspapers pub
lished in Indian Territory, twenty
Of which are dailies. There are
forty-hve presidential postoffices,
according TO the report of 1908 and
the gross receipts Of that year end
ing September so, were S22o, 900.
There are 63o fourth class postof-
fees. This makes a total of 67s
postofhces, which is a greater num-
Der than found i'll one third of the
states Of the Union. Since the cen
sus Of 1908 there have been $50
postoffices established.
The per cent. Of the population
engaged i'll agriculture is exceeded
in only three states, Mississippi,
Oklahoma and Arkansas. There
are now 232 banks in Indian Terri
tory. One hundred of them are
national banks. All Of these have
been established within the last
fourteen years and within the last
two and a half years there have
been established sseventy-hve ma
tional banks, FIVE times as many as
were established in all the New En-
gland states combined.
In 1900 there were a, 500 miles
of railroad in Indian Territory.
There is now Z, 500 either in opera
ton or under course of construc-
ton There has been more rail
road building in Indian Territory
and Oklahoma within the last
three years than in any other two
states in the Union combined.
There are now six railroad COM
panies building new lines in Indian
Territory
The available farm land in In
dian Territory is estimated at fif-
teen million acres. These figures
are taken from records of the
Dawes commission. OF this, IS
per cent. was in cultivation last
year. There will be an increase Of
at least five per cent. this year.
There are about two million acres
Of land where pine is found in COM
mercial quantities and there is an
abundance of hard woods of all
kinds. The latest statistics obtaina-
bic gives the value of farm animals
at 55 million dollars. Other farm
products are valued at IS million
dollars. There was one fourth
million bales Of cotton raised last
year, which was about twoithirds
of a crop. It is estimated that, on
account of an increased acreage,
100, 900 bales will be raised this
year. There were thirty-eight mill
lion bushels of corn raised last
year. Potatoes will be one Of the
leading crops. Two crops each
year on the same land is the rule.
1t is estimated that the farm lands
Of Indian Territory are worth 500
million dollars, exclusive Of mil
lion acres Of coai land and the pine