Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-03-13

Editor Trlbune: Some months ago
i read with interest the letters of Mr..
Yegen and Mr. Reade in which they re-
lated the impressions Of their visit
B to the southwest, and having spent
about two months there last summer,
determined that as soon as the adj
journment Of the legislature of the
great Flickertail state relieved the
{ congestion to add few lines relative
to my observations.
June and found that it is indeed the
literal Interpretation of the name, a
city Of beautiful homes; and more
than that. it is a city of. industry, a
wholesale and manufacturing city, a
railroad center, a city having well
paved streets, fine street railway ser
vice, beautiful shade trees and Tm
Z sorry to say it as vile water as have
4 ever seen dispensed through city.
mains.
Eighteen years ago the site of this
wonderful new city was unbroken prai-
rie. Today they claim a population Of
$4,000, a recent police census made it
something over 10000, and it is grow
ing, growing with rapid strides for it
is. the chief wholesale city between
Kansas City and Dallas, Texas.
Nature did far less for Oklahoma
City than for Guthrie, which as far
better and prettier location, "A few
& years since they were about of size
with the balance rather in favor of
Guthrie, but the Oklah Romans organ
lied their noted commercial club, or
perhaps they call it chamber of COM
Y merce; at least they got busy,
preached their town at home and
aboard, offered inducements for rail-
I roads to enter and for the establish
Il ment of wholesale houses, with the
result that their population is about
B thrice that OF their rival and they
claim a volume Of business ten to
D twenty times as great This has been
4 accompl ished by all oklahomans work
4 ing in harmony. IF you don't trade
4 with me you can't miss it to trade.
4 with any other man in Oklahoma
City, is what one hears and it seems
{ to be the prevailing feeling among
business men there. Guthrie has some
fine aggressive workers, but the knock
ers spoiled the plans, and they were
/ still knocking when was there.
Muskogee, /. II. is another illustra
ton Of town made by the united
{ efforts Of its citizens with a finely or.
ganized commercial club, of which A.
G. Trumbo, vice president and cashier
of the Bank of Muskogee, is president
Eight years ago it had but one railroad
and poor business facilities in general |
The Dawes commission was about to
be moved to Wagner, fifteen miles
north at the junction of the Iron Noun
tain and NJ, X. & T. railroads, which |
at that time had a white population
equal to that of Muskogee. The com
mercial club got to work and at the
cost Of $50, 900 erected offices meeting
all requiremnts of the commission,
and thereby saved it to Muskogee,
while Wagner by reason of its failure
& to make few changes in the building
sought for offices let pass its golden
opportunity. Inasmuch as the home Of
4 the Dawes commission was built on
land to which there was no certainty
of title the daring Of these men was
the greater. They then set to work
to secure railroads and instead of the
one now have FIVE.
Mr. Reade spoke Of the claim OF
population of 10000 in Muskogee and
how much smaller it seemed to him.
i was there on three occasions, stop
ping there several days, and had much
the same opinion They claimed
"a 900 in July, and they must have ex-
perienced a growing time, in the
interim, but they're not over modest
in their town talk
In 1902 a passenger on the NJ, K
& q. train asked an intelligent looking
negro on the platform If he could tell
him the population Of Muskogee, and
was met with this reply: Eyes, sab,
4 they is about 5000, sab, besides the
whites, and + have reason to believe
he was well informed. for it is not
long since the whites we're in the mi
nority
Nature has been kind to this land
and has given 1t greater and more va
ried gifts than any part OF the country
I've ever visited, and I've seen both
sides east and west and some Of the
center. However, I would rather have
deed in fee to Fargo than to Musko-
gee and Wagner with South McAlIis-
ter for good weight, with all their
chances for the production Of gas, oil