Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-30
DIR. C. L. ZIMMERMAN, ONCE
REPORTER FOR THE TELEGRAPH
TELLS STORY OF VESTS GROWTH

-. IL. zimmerman, IL lOIIllSI lliSiil-
ber of the Telegraph staff, who has
lived among the Indians in Okla
home for several years, told some
interesting storiesa of the oil devel-
opments in that part of the United
States. He has kindly set down for
benefit of the Telegraph readers
some observations on the passing
of the old frontier west and the dis
covery of the wonderful oil field
which has made many of the In
dians of Oklahoma and others rlch
beyond the dreams of Croesus. Mr.
Zimmerman also tells of how the
moving picture shows are being
supplied with films produced on the
ranches in Oklahoma. 1t is thrill
ling and wonderful story.-Editor of
the Telegraph
BY DR.. c. l.. Zimmerman, Formerly
of ponca, Oklahoma
Truth is stranger than hction,
so some writer has stated, and IN
presenting a brief sketch of the In
dian and the Oklahoma oil field L
desire to impress the reader that ac-
curacy has been the first considera-
ton.
Indian territory, it is was known
in the old days before the statehood
lected by the government as the
particular part of the United States
on which should be placed over two
thirds of the Indians of the coun-
try. Thus it name, Okla, meaning
red, and Homa, the home OF. DIR.
Vided up into dozens of reservations
here il was that the native Amer
i N followed his old methods OF
living, camping and hunting. Scat
tered over the fertile plains the red
skin roamed at leisure, hunting.
fishing and camping just as in the
days before the frontier was thing
of the past. American soldiers pa
trolled the borders of the territory
and while civilization surrounded
the Indian reservation yet inside
those lines the country remained
just as it had been in days gone by.
Small fields of Indian corn and
wheat were cultivated by the In
dians while the buffalo and wild
game constituted the larger part
of the food. Teepees were used as
dwellings to a large extent and the
primitive methods of living pre-
vailed. Then came the opening of
the Safe to the white man in the
great race of 1889 when all lands
not allotted to the Indian were stalk
ed off and at pistol shot thousands
of men, women and children raced
from the boundaries of the State to
select homesteads for themselves
from the thousands of acres left
unallotted.
To-day hundreds of prosperous
farmers and oil well owning farm
ers can trace back their beginning
to the day when they staked off a
160-acre tract of land and by right
of possession and a big As revolver
held it against all Corners. True it
is that many of the homesteaders
sold out for a few dollars and men
mounted their horses and rode away
leaving land which to-day sells for
hundreds of thousands of dollars an
acre and produces thousand a day
from the flowing oil. while other
acres produce bushels of wheat just
as valuable as oil.
With the incoming of the white
man the country rapidly assumed a
more settled condition. Towns and
town sites sprang up
Early Days on. the open prairie.
of Settlers The canvas-c o v d
and Indians schooner was the ad-
vance guard of the
family and the public school, for
where the family goes there also
follows the public school and the
church. OF course. the country was
wild and woody" Thousands of
heads of cattle were grazed upon
the vast plains and the romantic
cowboy with his chaps and sombre,
his pony and his inevitable gun
were picturesque figures in the
streets of the little towns. Here
his favorite recreation was the
shooting out of the lights of the
CD -
stunts of the movie" man of to-
day. The bad man and the gam
bier" the sheriff" and his posse all
now appeared on the scenes. Fol-
lowed in rapid succession by cleo
trio lights and paved streets. Thus
in a few years we witness the trans
formation of n part of America from
the days of Columbus to the days of
the aeroplane. Not that either one
or the other entirely preponderates,
for one can find just as many COW
ponies as Packards or Fords and the
45-Colt and the broad -brimmed hat
are as common in the streets of the
various towns as the Indian blanket
ed and moccasioned. So 1 want to
assure the reader that the days of
romance in America are not a thing
of the past. The American Indian
as ward of the government has
been educated in the government
schools and then, at least in Okla
homa, allotted from the reserva-
ton tract of $50 acres of fertile
land. In thus giving the Indian his
due the country has done no more
than it should. On this land should
he desire he can with the same
amount of energy as his white
neighbor, raise his crops sufficient
to keep his family in plenty. If
however, he so desires and usually
does he leases this land to the white
man and lives off the rent. Usual
ly the Indian will be found camp
ing with the remainder of the tribe
down along some stream where the
hshing is good: the hunting favor
able and an outdoor life pleasant
Thus there have been developed
among the various reservations the
large ranches and farms of the pros
porous white man. OF these | de.
sire to call particular attention ia
that of the "101" Ranch of "WiId