The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1919-04-24
Romance of Oklahoma.
By Mrs. Kate Strong.


A part of the P. E. o., program
February 18th.
History and romance are made SO
fast in Oklahoma that we cannot
keep track of it, SO many changes
take place without us approaching
what is happening. There are few
things more exciting or remarkable
than when in 1895 oil gushed out OF
the earth on an Indian homestead IN
Oklahoma 81 barrels ,r of oil oil 81 were Tege
the production in that vicinity alone
. is estimated at OO,000,0OO barrels.
One section u years ago. was the
hunting ground of the Indians at the
present time it is a network OF
| pipelines and the whites far out
number the Indians; cities have
sprung up over night and marvellous
Drumright, Miami, clifton and many
W Watched ! It It a: all with With stoical eyes,
thousands of them have been made
wealthy, yet to them the romance OF
it all is tragedy. What is pro
gress; to the white man it is hasten
ing the end Of the red man and es-
pecially the five civilized tribes who
we're to have their land as long as
grass grows and water runs.
Oklahoma is land of fair men
and brave women; you see. have
somewhat reversed it since the right
| of suffrage was granted us in spite
Of President Wilson's protest, but
he has the one woman, and that ends
the matter with him. hope we
can show them all how brave we
can be when once we get busy re-
laws that have been made for man
alone. We hope to try our hama
uuelling some Of the evils they have
let rest by the wayside SO long. One
thing in particular | hope, we can
remedy, will be to pass a law pro
hibiting the wearing of such scanty
apparel as adorned the governor
Okiahoman; but perhaps just an
inch wide strap over the shoulder is
sufficient to hold up the twelve inch
dobice If l have any romance to
this l had better be coming back to
my subject.
Oklahoma can puff up, swell up,
slip up and make the biggest show
down for a short time then she col
-lapses and looks like there is moth
the first rain comes with a pour
down it revives her like magic. But
very often with her frequent sand
storms she sets housewives to Weep
ing, sweeping and sometimes damn
ing their wonderful romantic sue
cessful country, but she with her
hand hills, cedars. red buds, sweet
singing mocking birds, chiggers and
mosquitoes which infest her treach-
erous South Canadian river is
double romance when you have to
manipulate the itching bites for two
or three days after a days picnic:
but when autumn comes in Okla |
homa and so, beautifully paints her
autumnal foliage in all the colors of
the rainbow in all it's translucent
beauty and glory you forget 1t all.
Also there are here her ranch lands
in spring covered with browneyed
daisies and in the fall with B. l..
nettles and sandburrs which are not
at all angelic, then the Indian sun
dance, mellon and corn dance, their
teepes so quaint and picturesque to
newcomers to Oklahoma. Some say |
God was absent-minded when he
made Oklahoma with such a tumble |
of gray, white and red sand and in
other places nuts, berries, coal
mines, salt mines, zinc mines, sul-|
phur springs, bromide springs, ro-
mantle women, lean women. fat
women, handsome women and best
Of all, good, true p p. O. women /
dwell IN romantic Oklahom1.