The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-25
How Towns Spring Up in a
Night in Oklahoma and In
dian Ter ritory and Prairies
Become Farms.
FORTUNES QUICKLY MADE
BY LANDS APPRECIATION
Farmers Are All Prosperous,
Are Flush With Money, and
Their Trade Is Rapidly Build
ing Up the Adjacent Cities.
BY HERBERT VANDERHOOF.
Special Correspondence. 49, f..

. Special Correspondence. .a.-
CUSTER CITY, Ok, Sept. 19.-This is
one of the Oklahoma towns that is going
to be heard from. 1t Is not a county seat,
neither is it the largest town in the coun-
ty Of Custer, but 1t Is perfectly safe and
accurate to say that there is no other town
In the county that has brighter prospects
for the future, or whose citizens are more
wide awake to the magnificent opportu-
mites that confront them, and are work.
ing harder to take advantage of them.
The geographical position of Custer
City unerringly indicates that in the
not distant future the hopes and ambi-
t1ons Of its citizens are going to be full
hlled, and that this is destined to be the
center of great trade, as we'll a distrib-
ut1ng and receiving point. 1t has. al
ready, in measure, achieved both dis
tlnctions, but the city, as we'll as the vast
stretch of country tributary to it, whose
trade by natural laws will flow to this
center, is practically in its infancy.
custer City and the county of Custer
are situated in the central western part
e. of Oklahoma, a section that has not been
developed with the rapidity of the north
ern and eastern portions, but in which the
development of the past few years has
been of the most prosperous and stable
character. There is no assignable reason
why this part of Oklahoma should have
Jagged behind other parts in its settle
ment, as the soil, climate, and every other
consideration that proves alluring to set
tiers are here in the same proportion that
they are in every other part of the terri
tory. 1t may be that in the early days of
the settlements there were not the same
railway facilities here that now exist,
but If this was the difficulty, it has been
long since removed, and the railway serv-
ice now IS of the most approved and
up to date character.
Trade With Indian Territory.
There is another reason that is going to
operate to the advantage of this city, and
that is the development OF the Indian ter
ritory. This promises, in a very short
time, to rival the phenomenal progress
that has been made within the past six
teen years in Oklahoma, which, in its
time, has broken every colonization record
al the history Of the world. The north
west corner of Indian territory juts up in
a peculiar fashion into Oklahoma not so
far from Custer county as to put it out
of It's sphere of influence, and already a
considerable trade has developed with the
territory-a trade that exhibits every
symptom of healthy growth.
There are other good towns in this
county. Arapahoe is the county seat,
while other thriving centers are Wealth
erfOrd, Independence, Parkersburg, and
Thomas. All are veritable hives of indus
try, all are growing like weeds, and are
flush with money. And why shouldn't
they be? The farmers, on whom the pros
perity Of this country, after all, depends,
have been revealing for some years in
enormous crops and big prices. Their
profits have been so great that every line
of effort in the surrounding country has
felt the benefit of their affluence. And the
farmers have not been stinting them
selves, by any means. They have been
putting up new houses and farm build
ings, and that has kept the building
trades busy at good wages, while 1t has
created an active market for all kinds Of
building material and hardware. They
have been buying the most modern pat
terms of farm machinery, and that haf
given this branch Of business some years
of fairness. Nor have the farmers beer
any ways chary of indulging in many Of
the luxuries of life, and that has stimu
lated all the various lines Of trade ant
created a general feeling of contentmen
on the part of the mercantile community
Manufacturing Industries.
There Is mighty little homestead lant
to be had in this section of Oklahoma
The county owns 200 quarter sections, o
rather the school fund owns it, and thi
is leased out to farmers Cotton, corn
wheat, hogs, and cattle are the princtpa
products of the farms, and the crops ar
as certain as the cycle of the seasons
Manufacturing industries are taking root
the principal ones being Touring mills an
cotton gins. Among the undeveloped re
sources of this section may be mentione
cement and building stone deposits
which in time are destined to be mos
productive and lucrative industries, fur
nishing employment to large sums Q
capital and thousands of artisans.
1t is not alone by farming that many {
the early settlers and investors have bee
made rich. There are some thousands c
men-and women, too-who have bee
rendered independent by their small in
vestments in town lots in Oklahom
towns. Towns spring up In Oklahoma in
single night, as if by magic, and contlnu
to grow until they develop into thriV
Ing, prosperous cities of several thou
sand population. More money has bee
made by investments in town sites an
town lots in Oklahoma in the past tie
years than in any state or territory in tn
United States, or any other country, fc
that matter. There is not single II
stance in the records of Oklahoma his
tory in which the original purchasers
town lots have not been able to dispose
their holdings a good profits, if they s
wished.
Great Profits From Land.
The profits have come, however, fro
holding on. Take the town of Lawtc
as an example. When this town site W;
offered to the public in 1901 there was NJ
&c. building in sight, and yet $500, 900 in 10
were sold on the basis of $50 each. SIM
that time some of these same lots ha'
sold for as high as $4,000, and their val'
Is still soaring. Shawnee was settled
the same plan, and the lots were sold
the same price, $50. These same lots t
day are quoted at from $4,000 to SIS ,O(
and are eagerly snapped up at those fl
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