The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-16
ASTOUNDING FIELDS
IN INDIAN TERRITORY
FOR AMBITIOUS MEN
Unprecedented Opportunity for Acquiring
Wealth and independence Now .
. Exists There.
LAST LAND THAT IS NOW
OPEN TO THE LAND SEEKER

at first to be the simplest kind of q |
but practical experience has
proved it decidedly otherwise. Every acre
Of that vast area had to be appraised in
order, that no favoritism be shown, every
and every dispute over chosen allotments
settled, and 1t was for the general super
vision of all this work that the Dawes
commission was appointed.
BY the terms of the treaties with the
five civilized tribes. all coal lands, tim
Der lands, and town sites are segregated
and reserved by the government for sale
or lease to white purchasers, the pro-
ceeds to be partly divided among the In
for educational and similar purposes,
after all such segregations have been
disposed Of.
Of this area the town site property is
either already sold or now on sale, and
white citizens Of the territory residing
in the towns are property owners. Farm
ers, stock raisers, and all other residents
OF the country merely occupy their land
by lease, and all Of this country land,
with the exception Of railroad right Of
ways and few special segregations for
Indian schools, seminaries, and other in
stitutions of that order is allottable.
: Up to the present no patents have been
issued to Choctaw and Chickasaw citi-
zens, though many have passed the period
OF probation and are practically certified
owners. Out of total allottable acre
age Of II, 653,152 in these two nations,
3,775,722 have been allotted. Affairs in
the Creek and Cherokee nations are not
quite so we'll advanced, while the Sem
mole settlement is almost completed
Provisions for the Indians.
When an Indian receives patent to his
land he will be allowed to sell off the
part not reserved as a homestead, one
fourth In one year, one-fourth in three
The question Of granting him permission
to sell all but his homestead reservation
at will Is now,-under discussion. The
homestead may be held during his, life
time, not exceeding twenty-one years.
II he Is living at the end of that period
he may follow his own inclination re-
garding its disposition. The homestead
| embraces 100 acres of average allottable
land. - f.. ~. .;sr -'.@r-a,, ~, -.
The total area, therefore, which will In
all probability be put on sale at ridicu-
lously low prices in the course Of the
next few years, possibly the next few
| months, Is approximately two thirds of
! the entire territory. =
The homestead reservation would en-
brace nearly. one half the entire area If
| all the land were allotted, but the Dawes
commission has estimated that after
every lawful Indian citizen has received
his land patent there will Still be Con-
siderably over 100000 acres to be dis
| posed of, and for that reason the per-
J centage of inalienable Indian property
3. is greatly reduced. This remaining acre
age will be sold to white settlers at pub
! lie sale. g.
TO the prospective homeseeker, who
desires to own his property in Indian
territory there are, then, these two al
ternatiyes-to purchase outright imme
d1ately either farm or ranch land from
that area known as. residue Just de.
scrtbed, or town property where. values
are already jumping at an inconceivablt
rate. or to walt until the expiration Of
time prescribed BY law before the &C.
QUESTION Of. lands from the Indians Ii
4 possible. In either case it is easy to SET
the; advantage to be gained by being or
the ground. II the latter alternative
would seem to be the most desirable, tn,
fact must not be forgotten that Indial
territory today>cholds out the same in
oucement which has been attracting tn
hester for several years. In waltin,
1or ownership one need not be idle.
Oil Fields of Territory.
What the future of the territory will
develop In the way Of oil fields is secret
Tor long time religiously. kept from til
public. The general belief has been tina
the OIL belt Of Texas extends entirel
across the territory and will in time en-
rich this country as it has already en-
riched Texas. There are nun erous indi
cations Of OIL to be found. In numbe
. OF places oil wells have been put dowr
ana the result has always shown that oil
exists IN paying quantities. But the mo
ment 1t ts demonstrated that oil is there
the, we'll is plugged and 1t is given on
mat, while some oil was found, it di
not pay. The matter Is held in abeyanc
until title toIthe property can be secured
! One million acres Of timber Is sure to b
great source Of wealth as soon as th
white woodman is given the freedom {
the forest. Little need be said of It
In fact, little can be said OF it except ths
: : It. Is there In abundance and in yariet
! suitable for all building and manufactul
ing purposes-ptne, oak, hickory, elu
maple, ash, walnut, blackberry. and pt
d can. The record Of the Dawes commi.
:, sion showing commercial timber .segre
= = gated, places their estimate Of me-
= charitable pine alone at !. 203, 900, 900 fee
y The most important town Of the Chicl
= asaw nation. is Ardmore, which Ii,
: southeast Of this town and close to Il
! Texas border. It has population
: 11,0O0. It. IS situated in the heart
the best Chickasaw agricultural land
,. and supports twelve wholesale and sevt
manufacturing establishments.
: One of Many Prosperous Towns.
3 Ardmore is one of the many Indian te
S ritory towns which have proftted by Il
e experience Of the earlier town builder
a The streets are broad and plenty Of roo
p is allowed for growth. The town ma
Il and no doubt will reach metropolit,
n dimensions, but because Of the perfecti,
Of the original plan upon which 1T W
q laid out the liability Of traffic congesti
will be minimiZed when that time q
= rtves.z There are about 100 retail stor
p OF all descriptions, which do a hustlil
business, not to be wondered at when
! is considered that the town has groy
OF from 6,100 to its present population
ID the past twelve months. From its ear
n est days Ardmore has taken first homo
III as a local cotton market. In one seas
~ the local dealers purchased 50, 600 bal
- from growers in the Immediate vicinia
\, This does notinelude cotton shipped in
IN "a en- ~