The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-04-23
OPENING WAS MOST UNIQUE
And the Scene Enacted Opening the
lands to Settlement viii Never
Be Enacted Again-5rief Re-
view Of the Occurrence.
Ardmofeite Special.


terday in comnemoratioh OF the eigh- |
teenth anniversary Of the opening OF |
"Old" Oklahoma to settlement. Thous- |
ands OF S9ers who took part in that |
memorable rush across the border on |
April %, 1889. gathered to recount the |
experiences of that famous struggle |
for homes H. the land Of the fair
god"
Eighteen years ago yesterday Okla |
homa, soon to be state, had its be-
gining A scene like that enacted at
its opening to settlement will never
be enacted again. 1t is unique In
history. II was contest of endur- |
ance, of determination and brute
strength. in which the fittest suryiy.
ed. At noon on the day of the race Il
signal was given and an army OF
thousands of men, women and chill
dren rushed across the border in Gag
er quest of land. All sorts and condi.
tions 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 a
law unto himself. Nerve and endur.
arce were at 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
FL Dorado almost pennlless and In
eighteen years have ammassed for
tunes.
Along with the legitimate settlers
there flocked into the territory hun
dreds of gamblers, soldiers of fortune
and politicians anxious to get in on
the ground floor of the plunderbund.
Some of these are now wearing
stripes, some are in their graves and
others have reformed and become re-
At the time of the opening the ter
spected citizens.
ritory was without law, the organic
act under which members of the first
legislature were selected not passing
until the following year. Facing such
conditions, with reign of anarchy
imminent, the settlers formed proyis-
ional governments in the various
cities that sprung up from the earth
in some apparently miraculous man
ner. After few days lives and prop
erty 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 a railway station,
a frame shack to be used as land
office and a tent that served as the
Headquarters OF a United States mar
shal. Those who reached Guthrie
first were mainly sooners, and there
wore over a thousand of these on the
ground when the first train pulled In
from the north on Monday, April %
Asa result, nearly all of the more desir
able lots were stakod when the legiti
mate settlers arrived. No restrictions
were placed on the number of lot!
a man might stake, this being limited
only by his ability as a buffer. The
principal difficulty experienced b!
the Guthrie sooners was in finding
boards to visibly signify their owner
ship" Egg cases were split int
pieces and sold at $40 each. The pro
prietor of lumber yard might hay
reapod a fortune in day AS 1t was
when a yard was opened on the thir
day lumber sold for 800 thousah
feet.
Restaurants and gambling "hells
were the first business ventures to b
established. Both reaping harvesti
Square meals at n dollar apiece col
sisted of slice OF bacon, an egg G
doubtful age, two or three slices
bread, none too fresh, ard coffee SER
ed in tin cups without sugar Q
cream.
Within a week or two all this wa
changed and foodstuffs became chea
er than in Kansas towns The exorh
tant prices charged during the fir
few days led scores Of people to ord'
large supplies of groceries. Whe
they arrived there was no place
store them and they were almost 81
en- away. The water supply was
problem for many days and was hat
ed from Cottonwood river and so
for five cents glass. Owing 10 Il
rush at the temporary postotiice,