The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1918-09-20
PROMISED LAND"
DECLARED IRVING
GREAT ENGLISH WRITER
MADE GLOWING PRE-
DICTION
HAS LONG SINCE FULFILLED
heohIon Visitors In September at Tul.
% Will See Monument To
Irving Who Visited
the Spot in 1882.

AulSd, Okla., AuguSt.-ln the early
thlrtles, the renowned Washington Irv-
ing came over from England and made
tour of parts of the United States.
HIS tour to the southwest included
stop among the Indians at the pres
ent location Of the city of Tulsa. LO-
cal history has it that he paused on
an emlnence about a mile northwest
OF the center of the present business
district of Tulsa, and took a compre-
hensive view of the valley of the Ar
kansas spread out before him. The
following description of the land
scape, and prophecy of the future
wealth Of the community, appears in
his sketches of the American tour:
"This seems to me to be the Prom.
ised Land, flowing with milk and
honey. On the rich heritage of the
prairies will be fed herds of cattle
as innumerable as the sands upon the
seashore. And the flowers that bedeck
the prairies will be paradise for a
nectar-loving being"
This was written October 10, 1892
| about the time of year that the 18th
annual reunion of the Confederate
Veterans Association will be held this
year at Tulsa. The dates of the re.
| union are, September 24-27 inclusive,
or some ten days earlier in the fall
than the dates upon which Irving
wrote his appreciation of the valley
of the Arkansas. Visitors to the re-
union will have an opportunity to en-
| joy the same river panorama, made
more beautiful and promising by mod
ern enterprise and city of $4,000
people. The greatest agricultural
section of Oklahoma is along the Ar
kansas, above and below the city of
Tulsa, land now flowing with milk
and honey, fulfilling the Irving proph-
ecy if not discounting it.
One of the beauty spots around
Tulsa is Irving Circle, on the crest of
a ridge north of the city now beauti-
titled by handsome residences. A
monument has ben erected there COM
memorating the visit and prophecy of
Washington Irving made more than
| eighty years ago. The idea was orig
mated and carried out by w. Tate
Brady, chairman of the General Com
mittee of the Confederate reunion or
| ganization. In the meantime, the
prophecy Of the great English writer
has been discounted many times.
The comparatively ancient settle
| ments of the Indians around Tulsa and
throughout the state are full of in
terest. The footprints of the Indian
have been obliterated by the march
of modern progress, but his name ling
ers. Where he formerly had his tent
ed villages, or wigwam abodes, cities
have been built and towns laid out.
His hunting grounds on the Arkansas
have been converted into rich and
productive farms. Alfalfa has taken
the place of prairie grass, and domes-
tic cattle Craze in former haunts of the
wild beast.
All over Oklahoma prosperous towns
and cities have been built. They are
laid out along modern lines of city
building, and their people are enter
prising and patriotic. Tulsa holds
first place among Oklahoma cities for
enterprise and progress. The city
has grown more in the past ten years
than any other city in the great south
west. 1t is amply able to care for a
large number of visitors, such as at
tend the annual reunions of the
Confederate soldiers. Had it not pos
sessed all Of the facilities for caring
for the reunion, the Confederates
would not have been urged to come
here with their 1918 meeting. All who
come to the reunion will be cared for
in most satisfactory manner.