The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-04-22
CELEBRATE
new STATES
BIRTHDAY
/ i Tod.y Is 18th Anniversary Of the
Wohd-F Famous Rush into
ODD Oklahoma
EGG CASES SOLD
AT $40 APIECE
While Lumber Was Worth $lO0
a thousand Stories Of Con-
flicts with "Sooners"

Associated Press to The Evening Times.
Oklahoma City, Okla, April 22.-In
Oklahoma City and other towns of the
new state celebrations are being held
today In commemoration Of the eigh-
teenth anniversary of the opening of
"old" Oklahoma to settlement. Thou
sands OF ''89ers who took part in that
memorable rush across the border ON
April 20, 1889, will gather to recount
the experience of that famous strug-
gle for homes in the ':land of the fair
god"
Eighteen years ago today Oklahoma,
soon to be state, had its beginning.
A scene like that enacted at its open
ing to settlement will never be enact
ed againA 1t is unique dn history. 1t
was a contest Of endurance, OF determi
nation and brute strength, in which the
fittest survived. At noon on the day
of the race a signal was given and an
army of thousands of men, women and
children rushed across the border in
eager quest of land. All sorts and con-
ditions Of people, with every variety of
conveyance, were included in the mot.
ley throng. The race was to the swift
and the strong. Every man was law
unto himself. Nerve and endurance
were at a high premium that day.
Today the old settlers, the 'S9ers, are
the aristocracy of the new state. Among
them are to be found many men of
wealth who came to this new Ell Do
RADIO almost penniless and in eighteen
years have amassed fortunes.
Along with the legitimate settlers
there focked into the new territory
hundreds of gamblers, soldiers of for
tune and politicians, anxious to get In
on the ground floor of the plumber
bund. Some of these are now wearing
stripes, some are in their graves and
others have reformed and become re-
spected citizens.
At the time of the opening the terri
tory was without law, the organic act
under which members of the first leg
islature were elected not passing until
the following year. Facing such con-
ditions, with reign Of anarchy immi-
nent, the settlers formed provisional
governments in the various cities that
sprung up from the earth in some ap-
parently miraculous manner. After
few days lives and property received
as good protection as they do today
Guthrie was at first the Mecca of
those who desired to establish them
selves in business. The early arrivals
found nothing but railway station, a
frame shack to be used as land Of
ftce and tent that served as the head
quarters of United States marshal.
Those who reached Guthrie first were
mainly sooners, and there were over a
thousand of these on the ground when
the first train pulled in from the north
on Monday, April %. AS a result near
ly all of the more desirable lots were
staked when the legitimate settlers ar
rived. No restrictions were placed on
the number of lots a man might stake,
this being limited only by his ability as
a buffer. The principal difficulty ex-
perienced by the Guthrie sooners was
in finding boards to visibly signify their
Ownership" Egg cases were split in
to pieces and sold at SO each. The
proprietor of a lumber yard might have
reaped fortune in a day. AS it was,
when yard was opened on the third
day lumber sold for 500 a thousand
feet. - - '"al f''.'
Restaurants and gambling '.hells"
were the first business ventures to be
established. Both reaped harvests.
Square meals at dollar apiece con-
SlSteu OI d slice OI DaCOu, al eSS OI
doubtful age, two or three slices OF
bread, none too fresh, and coffee serveu
in tin cups without sugar or cream.
Within week or two all this was
changed, and fcOdstuffs became cheap
er than In Kansas towns. The exorbi-
tant prices charged during the first
few days led scores of people to order
large supplies of groceries. When they
arrived there was no place to store
them and they were almost given away.
The water supply was problem for
many days and was hauled from the
Cottonwood river and sold for five
cents a glass. Owing to the rush at
the temporary postoflice, it was almost
impossible to buy stamps and many
spectators did good business in SELL
Continued ON page ~