Evening star., 1939-04-23
Fifty Years Ago
In the Stur
The Rush to
OkIohomo
In The Star Of April %, 1889, is printed
the following dispatch from St. Louis,


oLI.L.. tory, which was opened at
noon on that cay:
Special dispatches from the country
say that everybody is on the qui vive to
make a grand rush across the line into
the land Of Canaan at noon today. Five
hundred dollars was yesterday offered
and accepted for feet horse at Purcell.
The horse was purchased by Tom Hor-
ton, a man who expects to reap q claim
now proposed to be taken up by town
site company which expects to build
across the river city which will in the
future rival Purcell. AS many fleet
horses are being brought In from Texas
and Kansas the race will be most excit-
ing. as they fly across the country, the
goal stake, the prize claim.
There is as much, If not more, strug-
Cling for town sites as for sections. It is
said 80 town companies are going for
Guthrie, about that number for Okla
homa City, and about 20 for Kingfisher,
while there are applicants for sites on
almost every section. This makes the
average settler swear. The trouble be-
tween town site companies promises to
be as dangerous as among the claim
hunters. There has also been brewing
for the last day or two an animosity be-
tween the Northern fellows and Texans
especially, including some colonists from
other States. Once within the strip men,
either on foot or In wagons, are to be
seen almost continually going southwark.
There were no soldiers or officers Of any
kind to prevent their entering the coun-
try. Some were In camp on the banks
Of streams. The women were cooking
the meals and the men were shooting at
either marks or game.
Few persons know said an old
boomer, who was encamped on the Okla
homa line. what dangers I have gone
through to reach here. My party had q
cowboy guide. and when we came to the
Chickasaw we were compelled to pay q
man $3.50 to swim the stream and bring
us little boat in which we could cross,
and we then pulled our rig across and
swan our teams. The same thing had to
be done at South Fork We gave our
guide 500 and If he gets us well located
he gets $50. Another party paid their
guide $780,
"The first train south on the Santa Fe,
consisting Of is coaches, arrived yester-
day, and there was not standing room in
the coaches. People filled the spaces be-
tween the cars and clung to the steps.
One enterprising boomer rode in on the
cowcatcher. The crowd cheered him as
the train entered the depot There were
about l 400 people on the train. Arrivals
yesterday numbered at least 5,00O OF
this number one-third went south to
reach the line Of Oklahoma in order to
be ready for the word 60 Others went
to Purcell. Railroad officials are greatly
worried over the prospects of moving so
many people. The sidetracks are filled
with nat cars, cattle cars and q gravel
train also is in the collection, none Of
which will be below demand. Everything
on wheels will be utilized If necessary.
Thieves are busily ut work on the
trains, and many . poor boomer has been
heeced Of his all.
Last night there arrived at Oklahoma
City . queer looking crowd bearing
deputy marshal papers, thus emitting
them to enter the country. There were
seven in all in the party. One man was
70. He wore fine broadcloth suit of
clothes and carried q gold-headed cane.
There was not one in the party who had
ever made an arrest, and 1t was stated
that the aggregate capital Of the crowd
was over $1,000 900. They rode down on
Pacific car and alighting from the
train showed their commissions as deputy
marshals. properly signed and attested.
and 30 the soldiers, much against their
will. were compelled to permit them to
remain. Their evident intention is to
form some town site. It is thought that
there are over 80 deputies now in and
about Oklahoma, who. at noon, will turn
In their designations and accept them all
by themselves, each individually, and turn
private citisenA They viii then take
claimS."