The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-09-26
Onward. and Upward
4 Motto of Pioneer News
paper Is Guiding Inspi-
ration of Muskogeeans;'
Built Upon Ashes of Mis-
fortune.

n NUSKOGEE, Okla, Sept N--(Spes
cal when the editor of the Indian
Progress. on October q, 1875. published
NJ first issue at the new settlement OF
0uskoeee. Indian territory, he chose
II his motto the cry. "Onward and Up
ward" That slogan, printed in large
type across the front page OF his crude,
fosr- page weekly, guided the rough
e3oNeers and town builders that came
N 6Qn years in their struggle to erect
Z Metropolitan city in the heart OF a
ts4ekless prairie.
The Muskogce Of TODAY with its w..
~ people. its four railroads and its
MODERN office buildings towering ten
stories above the asphalt streets, knows
Ut little Of that struggle.
Auskogee Just Happened.
Husleosee wasn't born: il Just hap
pened Why it was established. no one
Knows, unless it was here tina, the hardy
engineers pushing the Missouri Kansas
4 Texas railroad through the great
waste OF the Indian territory paused to
give battle to a band OF redmcn who
resented the invasion Of the white man
vino came riding upon his great horses
Of steel.
N II was where they sat down 10 rest
thAi these engineers constructed rail
road station, which they had been or
dered to place at intervals throughout
the territory, and ordered their sign
pslnter to place upon il the name Mus
kogee. About the little station. as far
q the eye could reach there was no
siga Of habitation. 1t was on Christmas
day. 1877, that the first locomotive
IT General Grant" safely crossed the
nswly constructed bridge across the
Arkansas river and pulled up, putting
end snorting from its effort, at the sta
Tia. Muskogee's history Us reckoned
iron that day, but the Muskogee of 1877
Vas not even established on the same
spot As the Muskogec of today A. W
Robb, a merchant OF Gibson station, had
70 more than moved his building. stock
md fixtures to the new Muskogce than
again, for some reason unknown, the
. sailrosd engineers tore down their sta
tioa and moved il over mile further
sssth. Nothing daunted, Mr. Robt
again pulled up stake and followed
Shortly afterward Joshua Ross joined
~ and began selling general merchan-
dlse from his RED Front Thus tn,
growth Of Muskogee began.
Creek Agency Near.
Three miles away, on Fern mountain
was situated the Creek Indian agency
, tAe rendezvous OF white man and red
Nsa, bad and good, for miles around
Tie agency bravely struggled agains
~ new rival for two years and the
cave up the ghost In 1873 J. A. Pattet
~ moved his store from the agenc,
- nuskugee and the little settlemen
tniled behind him. Then the agcnc,
i)1elf moved to Muskogee.
: More than once in the pioneer day
Was the existence Of the village threat
md Indeed, It was only the keen wi
q . restaurant keeper who had stakeC
z ~ al in the new settlement that save,
Nuskpgee. The Indian agent, VIII
1eaked upon his charge as a field fo
elpIoitation, plotted to move the agenc,
end with Il more than half the town
His brother had appropriated a tract o
ground twelve miles to the south. Their
Tie new agency was to have been bull
oad the brothers were 10 have grow,
rich through their monopoly. Plan
4 psogYessed smoothly and q we'll wa
dug on the new townsitc. The restau
rant keeper heard Of the drilling Of tn