The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1914-04-12
EXPERIENCES RECALLED
BY OKLAHOMA BOOMERS
Approach of Anniversary of Opening
of Country Visualizes Those
Other Days

7 10 homestead a piece OF Uncle sam
domain. made preparations to get in
to the rush They decided to eros
Red river and follow the line of Al
old trail into the Potta watomi
country to the eastward of the Liant
To be opened and make the run from
the eastern line They took wagon
bNt Bill rode a horse all the way. |
WIS a good horse and its being goot
was an item in his later success il
getting claim.
The Alexander outfit crossed Rec
River April 8. The crossing was made
at a point in the bend of the river
in what is now Love County, Okla
h1ma leY reached the Canadian
r',er so?lo t. ae before the date set
for the opening They had not been
in a hurry. They crossed the stream
and made camp The next day one
of those sudden raises that have
made he river notorious came up.
the"a were many outfits OF boomers
Oh tile :oi,'h SIDE OF the stream
They were ele5tly worried over the
rise, for some of them knew that
such rises frequently maintained an
impassable stage for more than a
week II that should happen 1t
kould keep them from getting to the
Oklahoma line in time for the open
ing The floods receded, however, al
ter day and half and the wor-
ried boomers got across into the pot
tawatomie country.
The Alexander outfit proceeded
along the east line of the Oklahoma
reservation to point near the Pete
Anderson ranch, where they made
camp. That is almost due east OF
Oklahoma City, 1t was on the old
ease and west trail from Fort Smith
to Amarillo The Rock Island rail-
road has since been built along the
Santa Fe trail in Kansas ThiJ
camp was made April II, and it was
three miles east of the line. The
opening was to be April % Thel
next day three members Of the Alex |
ander party Went shooting and when
they returned to camp in the even
ing there were so many campers onl
he ground that they had difficulty |
N finding their outfit The boom
ars from the eastward had followed |
he trail and were gathering to make |
he run. 1T was an intensely inter
asting week that the party spent n |
for position on the line |
and figuring on the possibility of |
'soonerng" into the forbidden ter
'itorv
1T is an uninterestng story in the
cling said Alexander. 1T is like
he stories OF thousands who came
nto Oklahoma that first day There
aas hardship and poverty. and in
many cases loss of life from expos
ire and disease The shotgun and |
'itle also cleaned their share of lives
mt there was not so much bloOdshed |
Is cne might have expected The |
military forces Of the government p0-
iced the tcl lntry fairly we'll. and IN
he cities sud towns especially there
was pretty good order. II was wild |
md hard, however-the fit experience
or yoong men soch as most of rs
NP,e Among the boomers there
\ ere msny boys. too Young TO home
stead .: inns Many others were just
-! IN; ugh. lit follows that many
maybe most-of the eighty miners
ire still on the sunny side of 80. II |
las been a great experience this
sling Of a state our OF the begin
lings of twenty five years ago in
and poverty. But it has
.een accomplished The prosperity
hat has attended a good many OF the
would probably have
,een their lot if they had gone else
where. The composition that came
With the settlement of Oklahoma was
seen. and the ability that was re-
luired to keep mp was necessarily
worthy, svSl"~
The greatness Of Oklahoma seems
o me to he due as much to the spirit /
lf pioneers and 10 the cosmopolitan
character of the people who came /,
here in the beginning. and who have
Deen coming here ever since as to
any other factor.