The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1909-06-24
Professor Gould Praises
Eastern Part OF State

Eastern Oklahoma is as fair as the
Garden of the Lord these days,
said Prof. Gould yesterday Il am just
back from a trip visiting camps Of
the geological survey over in that
country and / have been wonderfully
surprised at the improvement going
on. There has been plenty of rain,
crops look well and the people happy.
"To a person who has watched the
development of this country from year
to year as l have done, it is little
short Of marvellous. When ! first
Travelled in Indian Territory fifteen
years ago, improvements were few and
far between. There were but four
railroads in the whole country. Towns
were rare. There were not dozen
brick buildings in the whole territory.
Not a section line had been opened,
not a good wagon road had been
built. Lines of travel followed trails,
from one town to another. Except
in the towns there were few white
people. One might travel for days
at a time and see only an occasion
al negro cabin built colse by some
hillside spring.
"All this is rapidly changing. The
white man has come, and come to
stay. He brings with him inevitable
civilization. Towns have sprung up
by magic 1t is no uncommon thing to
see five and six story buildings, and
in Muskogee they are starting one
that is to be ten stories high. The
streets of many towns are paved with |
asphalt. Street cars run out to at
tractive suburbs. The homes are
gas and electricity are used |
for light. New business blocks and |
dwellings are being built all the time
Nor is the country behind the towns
In the matter of development Where
five years ago there was nothing but
herds of cattle, there are now prosper
out farms Instead of oil trails there
are well-worked section line roads. In
stead of the negro cabins there are
modern eight and ten room, well |
painted farm houses. Instead of log
stables, there are big red barns In |
stead of clumps Of jack oak and per
simmon, there are peach and apple
orchards now coming into bearing. In
stead of prairie grass there are crops |
OF corn and cotton.
The transformation has been rapid
and is still in active progress. Farms
are being opened, roads graded,
houses built and all sorts of substan-
tial improvements are going on. The
people who are bringing all this about
are the most intelligent and aggress-
i've in the states from which they
came, They moved to Oklahoma be.
cause they saw its immense possibili-
ties. Most of them prefer to live in
a country with future rather than in
a country with past. They came to
make homes for themselves and their
children.
The character of the people in this
part of the state is in general the same
as that of the people who twenty ,
and ten years ago settled central and
western Oklahoma. They have al
ways been sober, industrious and fru.
gal in their old home and bring with
them ideals Of the old life. New school
houses are springing up everywhere .
and the teachers as a class are equal
to those employed in the older states.
Churches are being built throughout {
The state. The people are determined
that in neither educational or religious
advantages shall they be behind the |