The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1905-03-31
LETTER
FROM The WEST,
Il 4. Collier Writes of Okla
ssaoma And of Maury Coun-
tians Living There.
Flqt her, Okla. March 26, 'O5.


szEseat Our country so / shall give few
a&&ctS and send the m To one of the best
izxOers 10 Tennessee, The Columbis
Herald. The Herald is very welcome
ssei tor 20 several homes 10 Indian Terri
ary and Oklahoma. 1t arrives Sun
1E&y afternoon and there is a rush TO the
asaSce TO be the first to get it. IL gives
sd the news of the county, so it is like
sEs6Szag a long letter every weeS.
s5st we had the editor of the Herald at
gEse head of one Of our county papers.
-xasrs are three published 10 our county
asszS. but they cannot be compared with
the Columbia Herald.
This new country was opened TO set.
ssteaaene 10 1901 and was divided into
=tlree counties. Comauche, Kiowa and
g<sSAo. These. with Greer County, en-
BrzGe an the Southwestern portion of
fsxIahoma. Before it was opened to
seeFzement il was used for grazing land
altogether. The Swift Packing Com
ss@1y had big ranch here and one
rsmassd see nothing but cattle. The XII
os~sa, Comanche, Apache and two or
Eheae other tribes of Indians were al
IoLfed i6O acres each, and the remain
Ser, except 100000 acres held for pas
assre over thirteen thousand homes Of
z69 acres each that went into the big
SArd lottery, as it was called. On the
eta Of 5uiy, 1901 the registration be
s@saa and lasted ten or fifteen days
Khere we're something over 10000 PEG
pie % register acd take a chance for a
Rnrne. There were not but two places
&C oegistration. FIT. Sill and FL Reno
4 t. ~ a. a
Ssz "a asataii town of three or four thous-
SSzgs1. I cannot picture to you the place
duelng the.time: bat thing of a town
esE1g sige trying to take care Of thirty or
Eowty shousaud people. Every train
~ - packed Just as long as one could
aGnzad and ffom forty to nifty % top of
xSse coaches. / saw az many as two
5zu1dred come 10 on hst-cars at one
&szse- lie was dry, too, and the duet was
szssa@e six inches deep. Water was al
zzast worth It's weight 10 gold. But
s4zss peoo!e wanted homes. That time
xasssed by, and but few we're killed and
ribbed, and to day il looks like a coun-
Cry that has been settled for several
ERaEB.
About 30 per cent Of those that drew
sa<was, soon sold and they were not long
Merchants, bankers, clerks aud men of
ssgsxy trade came out and took a chance,
sSx @haSe that drew farms heId them un
I'll they could sell
Farms sold from $50 to $500 a few
months after the drawing, and to day
ehey are worth from 81 800 to $4,000
~6<Ezcky No. L." took HE farm just west
az IHwton and it is valued at 1000
Ia Oft
E1awton is our county seat and has
about sen thousand population. 1t is
Igzsg three years old. Is has three rail-
gwa2s and business of all kinds is push
Emg RIGHT ahead.
A SHma, OO0 system of waterworks has
wasSaug1g been completed and 0,CG0
zsFyuyThouse is under construction now.
Three big cation gins, two ice plants,
&Asuee elevators, big Touring mill and
n9snerous other factories.
'lsonanche County IS about four
eSznes az large as Maary County. OK
&aaucana lie nearly as large az Tennessee
sE0d onty has 26 counties, while the lat
ser has So. There is yet some land oDen
IN Aatry IN the Northeastern part of the
SexEe near Kansas and Colorado, but u
~ sso dry for farming but god for
gyaxTnQ-
Merchants report good business the
spzS& year Say they do not make bad |
Ewszg@ when crops are good. One man |
1nn Nne that be would not lose $15, and |
sse has S. 900 stock Of dry goods and |
gvwcerIes and doee credit business. |
We have several Tennesseans here, and |
z kAQe met a great many from Maury |
CsSunty. Mr.. John W Wesiner, from |
90 DxAa han Hno uu
Farm leased one mile from Fletcher. |
Hfss SISTER, Mrs. Cam Simmons, came
saut a few months ago and will keep
Ssaesse fnr him. Also Mr.. Charlie Sim
"a ans bis mother and sister, Miss Eva, |
rr1speA few days ago to MAKE Okla
5usma their home. Mrs. r @. Lynn. Of |
sawdust Valley, and Mrs. Henry Kinzer,
# Davidson, Okla, spent Christmas |
EsaEa Mr.. and Mrs. q VI. Collier.
Messes. W. f. McKennon, G.. w.
" iehoIs, M, A Fly, e.. N. McKennon, |
xrw w. O. Parsons, Marshall Kinzer
anzG 8. 3 Kinzer, OF Columbia, also Lee
<zaxDor and Mr.. Cheek, of Culleoka, |
hawe paid rs a visit In our Western
kanuss We have had one OF the worst |
wimeers ever experienced. The ground |
E@s covered for SIX weeks with snow |
assad ice. About fifty thousand head OF
E@t1le persisted during the cold spell, |
Sgx& the Losses we're mostly on the big /
ramGAes, where it was almost impossible
IN get feed TO them.
Well someone wants to know about
Exhe GOdians. Yes, you can see them |
sxny eieae you will come into town. The
neo dress as We do. bat the women
ASA tally wear red shawl, or blanket. |
zrsand them and carry the baby strap
o%R to their backs We have no negroes.
Il speseen but few 10 the last four years.
shali describe my town, Fletcher,
xzd will close: 1t is on the st. Louis
q San francisco r. r. twenty miles
&er1h east OF Lswton and thirty miles
sSSatb west Of Chickasha, Ind. Ter.
. age three general merch sndise stores,
bacdwars business, drug store, q big
sae1o1Rip, livery stable, an elevator
snz&er construction and 20 saloons. The
saky t0wn 10 the county that has voted
k cat. Is Fletcher. Have one X. +. ID.
mats out Of town. We need Touring
,zS1i and think is a good location for
Ma, as thsre 10 lots of wheat grown
sran1d here. Wheat looks fine now
md bids fair to make big yield. |.