The Washington herald., 1909-06-20

N<AcN GAdl4Is OrALdl.f yAllc A9--4L sEeilsS the
irony of fate that the meaning Of Okla
homa should be The Red Mans Land"
One by one the different Indian tribes
have yielded up their lands 10 the ae-
gressive white man. In a decade the
Apanhes. Arapahos. Caddos, Comanches,
Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws. Chicxasaws,
Seminoles, Sac. and Fox, and many
smaller tribes have added their domains
TO the estate of the white man.
The lands Of the Osages will be the
last 10 go under the hammer. This pow
erfuI tribe once possessed the lands os IN
empire bounded on the east by the Mis-
sissippi, on the north by the Missouri. on
the south by the Arkansas, and on the
west by the dying rays OF a setting sun.
To-day they are stripped Of all. save a
county IN Oklahoma
This land for years has been known as
the Usage Nation. but in granting State
hood TO Oklahoma Congress caused it
TO become Usage County. 1t Is 10 the
northeastern portion OF the state, and
is bounded on the north by the State OF
Kansas. The Arkansas River skirts
about l3O miles Of its western and south
ern boundaries. and IS the recipient Of its
contribution Of waters from a dozen or
more small creeks and rivers that water
the interior. Along the course OF the
great river on the west and south, and
along the meanderings Of the various
streams that empty into 1t. lie the finest
lands in the American Eden.
Area 2,207 square Miles.
The area of Usage County is 2.297
square miles. or over !. 10000 acres. It is
247 square miles, over I5s,0oO acres. larger
than the State Of Delaware. and nearly
twice the size Of Rhode Island. The
mean elevation Of the lands in Usage
County IS SIC feet. and il is estimated
that over 20 per cent Of the surface is
tiIlable
Here and there in these rich bottoms
will be found fine land IN cultivation, oc-
cupied by some one under a lease from
the Indian approved by the United States
government but the bulk OF fine acres
silently await the coming Of the white
man. Until recently the lands were held
IN common by the tribe and were con
trOlled by the Department Of the Interior
Cattle raisers. who needed great tracts
Of land to Craze their herds upon, secured
leases and got them approved at Wash
ington. and for many years the Usage
lands have pastured from $4,000 20 sO0.-
900 head of cattle. The departments ef-
forts TO allot this land have always met
with resistance by the stockmen who were
reapjng fortunes by pasturing the lands
at merely nominal rental, and the cat
lemen always had friends in Congress-
At last Congress passed an act prOvid-
ing that the lands should De allotted In
severalty by July l. 1908 The allotment
commission has finished the work and
the surveying has been completed. Each
Indian IS now IN possession of his land
The population Of the county under the
Federal census OF 1907. taken as a prece-
dent 20 Statehood, shows 1872 people re-
siding in the county.
Railroads Run Through.
The Santa Fe Railroad traverses about
fifteen miles Of the western portion OF the
county. The NJ. X. & T. Railroad runs
through the county from the northeast
TO the southwest. and the Midland Val
ley crosses the country from the south
east 60 the northwest. The NJ. K. & T
also has q line running from Cleveland.
southeast 10 Tulsa. Muskogee. and other
towns. connecting with the NJ. X. & T.
main line from St Louis to Texas. the
city Of Cleveland being also on the N, X.
& T. main line from St. Louis and Kan
sas City, to Oklahoma City and Texas
points
Cleveland is directly across the Arkan-
sas River from the Usage line. and Is the
best place for one TO stop who wishes
70 look for good lands in Usage County.
The city has a population OF 1900. with
fine hotels. theaters. churches, schools,
waterworks, sewers, gas plant, electric
lights. &c. and has free wagon bridge
over the river for the accommodation of
the Usage citizens who come to Cleve-
land 70 trade.
The United States government provided
for only four towns in Usage County
Pawhuska. HOminy, Gray Horse. and
Foraker-but there win be no lack of
town sites, for the Oklahoma town-slte
CRATER Is indigenous to the country and is
70 be found not only in favored localities.
but viii found a town In the most i'm
probable regions and then go on a spe-
cial train, If necessary, TO Eastern cities
to sell his worthless lots 10 unsuspectfng
parties. He is now at work in Usage
County, and viii in a few days offer lots
for a trifie which he makes his dupe feel
sure will be worth double the money in
thirty or sixty days.
He Provides Industries
He always provides for smelters, cotton
compressers, oil mills. brick plauts. tiling
factories. and all other enterprises. in
Guiding new railroads, in his towns. but
they seldom come The public should be-
ware OF the Oklahoma town-slte CRATER
and his plausible story. Recently 1000
lots were sold in a new town site bv ad
vertisTng 100.O0o000 cubic feet OF natural
gas per day within a radius of ten
miles" when actual test drilling had
shown neither gas nor OIL in that locality
and every foot OF that gas was at a
well-wnown town about ten miles away
Too much can hardly be said regarding
the character of the soil I'm Usage County.
II is rich beyond conception. and adapted
to the growth Of cotton. corn, wheat. bar
ley. rye, alfalfa, oats. fruits Of all kinds.
and brings two crops OF potatoes each
year. Potato culture Is a great industry
along the railroads, where they can be
shipped without too much hauling, the
normal yield for the two crops being
from $50 20 100 bushels an acre where they
are well tended and about 80 bushels to
the acre where they are Indifferently
tended. This has been about the average
for the four OF five years that they have
been extensively grown in this locality.
Cotton grows IN great luxuriance. pro-
dueing a superior long lint, and yielding
from a bale to a bale and a half on the
best lands under proper cultivation. Corn
seldom fails 70 yield from IS to 90 bushels
10 the acre. Cotton. corn, and potatoes
are the principle staples. but almost any
thing win grow and produce in surprising
abundance with but little cultivation.
There are but few good farmers in the
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