The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-04-22
OKLAHOMA 'seERs cELEskArE
NEW STATES BIRTHDAY

9th
Oklahoma City, Okla, April 22.-In
Oklahoma City and other towns of the
new state celebrations are being held
today in commemocration of the eigh-
tee1th anniversary of the opening of
"old" Oklahoma to settlement. Thou
sands of 'S9ers who took part in that
memorable rush across the border on
April %. 1889, will gather to recount
h experiences of that famous strug-
gle for slomes in the land of the fair
god"
Eighteen years g today Oklahoma
soon to be a state, had it's beginning.
A like that enacted at it's open
ing to settlement will never be enact
ed again. 1t is unique in history. 1t
was a contest of endurance. of deter.
minatlon and brute strength, in which
the fttest 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
conditions of people, with every varie
ty of conveyance, were included in
the motley throng. The race was to
the swift and the strong. Every man
was a law unit 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 Dorado almost penniless and in
eighteen years have amassed fortunes
Along with the legitimate settlers
there locked into the new territory
hundreds of gamblers, soldiers Of for
tune and politicians anxious to get
in on the ground 1oor of the plumber
bu1d. Some of these are now wearing
stripes. some are in their graves mi
others have reformed and become re-
spected citizens.
At the time of the opening the ter
ritory was without law, the organic
act under which members of the first
legislature were elected not passing
until the following year. Facing such
conditions, with a reign of anarchy
imminent, the settlers formed provis-
ional governments in the various cit
les that sprung up from the earth in
some apparently miraculous manner
After a few days lives and property
received as good protection as they
do today.
Guthrie was the first the Mecca of
those VINO desired to establish them
selves in business. The early arriv-
ais found nothing but a railway sta
ton, a frame shack to be used as a
land office and a tent that served as
the headquarters of a United States
marshal. Those who reached Guth-
rie first were mainly 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, nearly all of
the more desirable lots were staked
when h legitimate settlers 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
experienced by the Guthrie sooners
was in finding boards to visibly signi-
fly their Ownership" Egg cases were
split into pieces and sold at $40 each.
The proprietor of a lumber yard might
have reaped a fortune in a day. AS
it was. when a yard was opened on the
third day lumber solo at 500 a thou
sand feet.
Restaurants and Gambling "hells'
were the first business ventures to be
Both reaped harvests.
Square meals at a dollar apiece con-
sisted of a slice of bacon, an egg of
doubtful age, two or three slices of
bread, zone too fresh, and coffee serv-
GU III II cups WlClOuJ sugar Vi CTedul.
Within a week or two this was all
changed and foodstuffs became cheap
er than in Kansas towns. The exorb-
liant prices charged during the first
few days led scores of people to or
der large supplies of groceries. When
they arrived there vas no place to
store them INT they were almost Civ
en- away The water supply was a
problem for many days and a haul
from the Cottonwood river and sold
for five cents a glass. Owing to the
rush at the temporary postofice, it
was almost impossible to buy stamps
and many spectators did a good bust
ness in selling the red labels of Uncle
Sam at a dime apiece.
Within a few days dozens of saloons
gambling houses and dancing halls
we're running in full blast and finding
patrons. A tent containing a
plank placed on two barrels were all
the fixtures needed to Engage in the
saloon business, and only a govern
ment license was required. Many Ii
quor dealers dispensed with the tent
inc carried on their business in the
air. All sorts of gambling games
fourished and many pioneers who had
intended to establish themselves in
business lost their mony and return
ed disheartened to the state. the first
religious service was held on the third |
by a cowboy evangelist" He
became the butt of a large crowed of
iokers and hit the trail out of town on
a ony that had been given a dose of
-hoky poky."
Texas Pythians Celebrate.
I'll 40 = I