The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-09-17
INDIANS WELL PAID
Few Of Aborigines, However,
Kept Money That Uncle
Sam Paid, Very Long
TODAY is A WHEAT BELT
Bulk of Cereal Crop in State
Produced in Counties Of
the Famous strip"

By G.. NJ. SARCIIET, PONCA CITY.
Throughout that vast domain thai
was added TO old oklahoma TERRI
tory when the Cherokee strip wat
opened to settlement In 1893, wab
celebrated yesterday the goth birth
day Anniversary OF thnt event. The
cherokee strip extended from the
eastern limits of what Is now Paw
nee county 10 the eastern border OF
old Beaver county or NO Mans
Land" and its width was from the
kausas border southwark TO Payne.
Logan, kingfishor and the counties
that had just then been carved from
the Chcycnuc-Arapaho country. Orig
innlly, according 10 no lees prominent
historian than the late Gov. Tom
Ferguson, NO Mans Land" had also
been portion of the Cherokee strip.
but when old oklahoma was opened
in 1889 this strip Of land---stretching
west ward across the north end OF
the Texas Panhandle 20 New Mexico
and ColomdO-hRd become "a part qf
Oklahoma ns Beaver county.
Grover Cleveland had been presi-
dent OF the United States the second
time hut lust six months when the
Cherokee strip was opened on Sep
tcmbcr lG. 1893. by his proclamation.
Hokc Smith OF Georgia was secretary
of the interior In Clcycland's cabinet
and eK- K-Governor Swineford of Nlr-
giuia, then also governor OF AlasKa,
was the man sent to Oklahoma by
Smith TO lay out the land office
towns which would also become the
county seats,
The Cherokee strip contained
/ C,UI4,230 acres. Il has since become
] lrs "a ha ttsh I'D
|of Oklahoma. II existed originally
| I'm order that the Cherokee Iudidns
might have q strip of land over
which they might travel 10 tho buf-
falo hunting grounds without mo-
lestntion from other indian tribes.
n grew out of one Of tho old treaties
between the United states govern
mout and the CheTOk kees, made OF
May 90. 1929. at Washington. u. G.
In consideration for the CherokceJ
turning this land to the government
90 that It might be opened in 1898,
the Indians were paid SS,300,000 ~
five annual inatallments beginning
March T. 1895, with interest NJ
per cont on deferred payment; and
I'm addition 100000 was paid to tho
CherokocH Immediately, with S110,-
600 TO the pRwnces and Tunkawas,
both OF which tribes having already
located on reservations within tho
strip
Had Been Cattle Paradise.
The Cherokee strip had long been
"a caltlcmou's paradise. prior 10 the
opening I'm 1898. and tho cat'lemun
and all their organizations fought
bitterly all efforts to open the land
To settlement II ia told that news
papers. published along the border
lu Kansas carried columns of live
stock and cattle band advertising,
after the organization Of the Chero-
kee strip Livestock association, and
10 was charged that the editorial
opinions of thes' papers seemed to ne
CorrcspOndingly affected. and that
every paper thus patroni2ed became
ardent iu opposition 20 the opening
OF old oklahoma In 1859 and Of the
strip iu 1893.
Tho cattlomen had been taxed by
tho Cherokee Indians, who owned
the strip, at the ratio OF 81 per head
ON all cattle pas.urod within that
arDg Tho cIttemcn felt that this
tlv w1s oNorbit1nt and IN the earH
rU of 1850 o. was the cause of an
rNiDu 'un dispute. In December, of
that year however, iho Cherokee
council reduced tho tax 20 40 cents n
head FOR grown stool, and 2j cents
per hoad for ycarilngs On March
c0,vtNuEn on PAGE THREE.