Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1906-05-03
THE MAN WHO DID 1T.

a write'up OF the Baxter springs
mining district would not be com.
plete without something being
said of A. W, Abrams. II was this
gentleman who made the first strike
OF ore in what is destined to be the
greatest zinc producing section
in the world. To be sure, the strike
was accidental. but Il was made. II
was because a we'll had gone dry
on his daughters land that Mr..
Abrams secured the services of Oh
Youse to drill the well deeper. In
sinking after the water, zinc ore
was struck. II was Mr.. Abrams
who organized the Iowa and Okla.
homa Development Company, and
did lot of development work. 1t
wac his faith in the existence OF n
big mineral field in the locality
which induced others to become
interested.
Mr.. Abrams came to Baxter
Springs in October, 1887. He came
here from Fulton. Kansas; he came
to Fulton from Oregon, where he
had been engaged IN the saw mill
business. Mr.. Abrams settled in
the Quapaw reservation, where he
had right, and built himself u
home. He saw that the uuapaw
Indians did not know how to man.
age their affairs. They did not
seem 10 know how to make money.
They had allowed the white man TO
trample. them under foot, so to
epeak. The white man had stolen
their grass, wood, and anything
else he wanted. Mr.. Abrams de-
cided to correct this abuse, 90 he
had the lands surveyed and allotted,
bearing all of the expense himself.
Each Indian received 240 acres of
land. He had the allotments approx.
ed by the Department, and Congress
passed an act providing that the
Indians could not sell their lands
for twenty five years, but they could
lease their lands, three years for
agricultural purposes, and ten
years for mining purposes. The
easy graft for the white man was
at an end. He could deal with the
Indian; he could use his land, but he
must pay for il. Since that time
the Quapaw Indian has been in "a
measure independent; he has had
an income from what belonged to
him. The 0uapaw Indians owe
their prosperous condition to Mr..
Abrams.
Mr.. Abrams has made success
in life. He is today comfortably
fixed. Besides owning, with his
family, something like twelve hun
dred acres of as good land as can
be found anywhere, and il is all un-
derlaid with mineral, as recent de-
velopment work has shown, he
owns just north of this city one OF
the most beautiful country homes
in the state of Kansas. He has a |
very interesting family, three sons
and one daughter, and he is a great
man for home. Mr.. Abrams and
his wife are very hospitable people.
He is a sd degree Mason and
Knight Templar, has studied law,
and practices before the depart
ments at Washington.
At the present time he il devoting |
his time and attention to the devel- |
opment of the Baxter Springs min.
ing district. He is interested in the
Mozaska Mining Company, the
other members of the company be-
ing his wife and daughter, Miss
Maude, aud Chas. II. Gregory. In
this property wonderfully rich
run of ore has been developed, and
it is the intention of the company
to put in all of the money necessary
to make the property productive 10
a large degree.
But to the untiring energies Of
Mr.. Abrams we credit the wonder
ful development of the camp. Had
the find been made by come men il
lie doubtful if very much would
have been done in the way of de
velopment.