VOL. XXVIII.
INDIANAPOLIS. IND.  OCT. 14, 1893.
NO. 41.
How The.Cherokee Strip Was. ^Opened.
Editobs Indiana Farmer:
Thinking that  many  of your readers
would like to know how the "-trip" -was
opened, I will try and give a faint description of things ai I saw  them.   What is
known as the strip is a strip of land fifty-
seven  miles  wide   and about  180 miles
long, extending from the Arkansas river
on the east to the west line of Kansas.   On
both the Kansas and Oklahoma lines are
improved farms and towns.   There are t wo
or three tailroads throngh it, and others
that stop at the line.   One week ago to day
the 16th of September this was opened for
settlement at 12 m.   Up to the hour of 12
a. m. Saturday no one was allowed to enter
on this land except a strip of 100 feet along
the -whole  line.    Before   any one could
legally enter they had to register and receive a certificate certifying that they had a
legal right to take a homestead or town lot.
For the purpose of registering there were
six booths, 4 on the north line and 2 on
the south.   On the north line the booths
■were located at Arkansas City, Huuniwell,
Caldwell and Kiowa. The tbreefirst towns
are near the east end, and within 35 mileB
of each other. These three places are where
the most desirable land could be reached
from the north line.   Hunniwell is a small
village of a few hundred population before
the boomers began to gather there.   From
before the opening of Oklahoma there has
been an average of a dozen a day of boomer
-rmagons passing.    "What is called a boomer
wagon now   is what  was called   a mover
wagon 30 or '40 years ago.   Some of your
middle aged  readers  can  remember the
line of covered wagons that used to pass
through Ohio and Indiana on their way to
the far west in Illinois nnd Iowa.   There
was no unusual travel until about 10 days
before the opening; then the number began to  increase to  30 per day, then 50,
then 85, and on   Saturday  it  reached 220
wagons and about 50 came on horse back.
Sunday they  started  by daylight, there
' was almost a continued procession all day
and all night.   As near as we could count
there were 377  wagons and 150 on horses.
- Here every section line is left for a  road.
On that day  there was 50   passed in   daylight on ^the road  west of  us, and a large
travel on the other road.   At times  there
would be as high as 25 wagons as close as
they could travel.   The roar sounded like
the noise of a great  city.   Almost every
wagon had as many horses leading as there
were men  iu the   wagons.   There  was a
large number from Nebraska, Iowa and
Missouri.   Some men rode 300 miles  on
horse back.   Some would go down to the
line, look across and then start home again.
At Hunniwell there was nearly a section
of land covered with campers.   The white
covered wagons could be seen by thousands, along the 100 foot strip.   Some had
tents, but most only their wagons.   Along
every stream of water, at every cross road
and farm house for eight miles they were
camped.   At one place where there was a
creek at the cross road they were camped
on both roads as close as the wagons could
stand, for near half a mile there were near
150 wagons at that point.   Every railroad
train run extra cars.
They had a wire stretched a short distance from the registering booths and a
guard, and no one was allowed to enter
the enclosure until bis turn came. Those
who wished to get certificates would fall
in line two abreast. The lines were near
a half mile long out on the open prairie.
There were from 1,500 to 2,000 in line all
the time. It' took about 30 hours from the
time they took their places at the lower
' end of the line until they reached the
booth. They would let half a dozen pass
ln at a time, and then all the line would
move up and keep the ranks closed. If a
man left the line he had to go to the foot
and start again.  At night they would lay
down in their places and sleep. Their
friends carried their meals to them. Half
of them had a jugor canteen of water with
them. Many had stools or boxes to sit on
and umbrellas for shade. "When the yell
was given to move up all would grab their
baggage and move the few steps, then rest
as comfortable as possible until the next
move up. The officers worked as busy as
possible 10 hours a day, but still the lines
kept stretching farther out on the prairie
On Friday they erected another booth and
formed two line_. At Hunniwell there
were about 14,000 certificates issued by
noon Saturday. There were not wells
enough to supply so large a number of
people and animals, and some dug new
wells and several water tanks were started
hauling water. Water sold for five cents
a gallon.
Friday those who intended to run went
down so   as to get a good   place  to   start
from.   On Saturday the most of the wagons were along the border on the 100 foot
strip.   Those who ran for claims went  in
mostly on horse back, carts and spring
wagons.   Many took one pair of wagon
wheels and  the  axles  and   made  carts.
Those who ran had friends to follow after
them with water and provisions.   A short
time before 12 they began to form in line.
As far as the eye could reach along the line
could be seen the long row of wagons and
horsemen.   Then for a few minutes there
was almost a dead silence.   A soldier fired
a shot and   instantly the   horsemen shot
out from the line, then the wagons started.
Thousands of horses and all kinds of conveyances joined in the race.   The sound
was like a great wind.   From Hunniwell
there is a well worn trail which crosses the
Chikosko river five miles south at a ford.
The banks are very steep, so that it can
not be crossed only at the ford.   So all began to head  for the ford.   On they went
across the river and over the hills.   As we
looked south we could see the long pro
cession stretching for miles and moving
south until they passed beyond the divide
and disappeared  from view.   Soon after
the start the prairie was fired on the east,
the grass was short so that it did not move
rapidly.   Tbe crowd  had  mostly passed
before the fire reached the trail where it
stopped.   One wagon  was caught in  the
flames and burnt.   Tbe only one injured
at that place was a man who had his arm
broken by the upsetting of his cart.   As a
person found a claim that suited him he
stuck a stake on which there usually was
a little flag, with the name of the claimant.
Sjme used  their  pocket  handkerchiefs.
At one  place  could  be seen  a woman's
stocking waving from the stake; at another
a child's red bonnet, then again a solitary
man.   But there was sad disappointment
to many hundreds of "sooners," who had
stolen in during the night before and hid.
They had the most of the claims marked
before the hour of starting.   As it was difficult to  find  the  bounds of  the claims
many have several  contestants.    In an
hours time some were plowing the sod and
sowing wheat, digging wells and Inaking
improvements, so to show that some one
was on the claim.   All Saturday afternoon
and Sunday the boomers were hunting for
claims.   Monday the tide turned and there
was the  largest  travel  of  any  day—for
home.   They passed at the rate of 50 wagons an hour. Many are sadly disappointed.
They had their families and all their possessions along.   It is said that on the south
side the crowd was as large as on this side.
It has been estimated that if all the wagons, etc., had been placed in line, side by
side, at the time the signal was given they
would have reached 100 miles.   During 10
days before opening there were nearly 3,-
000 vehicles passed our door. There was
about 14,000 registered at Hunniwell alone.
1 know not how many at other places.
Uncle Sam is not rich enough to give us
all a farm.       - D. M. A.
who have carriei.   1
purpose of thij. yo■,
Chicago, Oct. 14.
A "Word for the Millionaire.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
As there  is  so  much  being  _aid and
written against the millionaire capitalists
and  corporations, I wish  to  say  a few
words  in their   defence.   As  far as my
knowledge of  the three classes goes they
have been an advantage instead of a drawback, to the country and  community in
which they live. Many of them have given
largely   to   our  educational   institutions;
others have founded schools and homes for
the advancement of the poor, who otherwise (that is if they depended on the man
who is worth only thousands) would be
deprived of all  such advantages.   Steven
Girard the first man to my knowledge who
became a millionaire has left a lasting possibility for the elevation of the poor boys
of his city, who may thereby if they desire
become useful  men.   Corporations have
built factories and   railroads and  opened
mines, that have  given  employment to
hundreds of thousands of men and women
who otherwise would be helpless, or driven to agriculture, and so be our competitors instead of consumers.   Our railroads
make the marketing of our produce possible from all parts of this vast country.
As for the millionaire (as our editors
seem to think) being under obligations to
throw his mansion open to the inspection
of the public. I do not agree with him.
Who of us would do it. He has Just as amine them a:
good right to the privacy of his palace as from .the larv.
we'tavS t6 our humble homes. Does the
editor extend an invitation to the poor of
the city to visit his home and enjoy the
luxuries that they can not afford? I think
not. As for the millionaire's gallery of old
masters, let bim keep them for his friends.
We of the country at least have art galleries as large as we can take in with our
vision. I often look at our autumn skies
and think Italy's skies cannot be more
blue; and for the orchestra of the millionaire, we have the birds, and all will have to
admit that nolamount of money can purchase musicians who can compare with the
birds in the wild woods.
As for the farmer he has every thing to
be thankf nl for. For if we cannot sell our
produco for as much as we would like, we
have at least an abundance Ior our own
use.
In another editorial our editor speaks of
the money lender as a shylock which I
think is unjust. "A man is a man for a'
that." Because he has taken care of what
he bas made, and lends it, is he not just as
much entitled to respect as the borrower?
The wise person does not allow himself to
become the victim of the money lender.
The man who is, if we will look into his
methods well, nine times out of ten, be
the one who either spends his time or
money unprofitably.
While I fear I have not done the subject
justice, for it is one on which an able pen
could make many strong points, it may
show to some that there are two sides to
the question of capital and labor, or rather
tho man of millions is not so black as he
is often painted. And if we would all cease
to "crush the flowers that bloom at our feet
in puosuit of the unattainable" we might
see that we have more to be thankful for
than we will ever realize, if we are always
thinking of others who have more.
Justice.
weevil; but many of the foreign exhibits
have an insect somewhat larger than our
common weevil that look as if lhey were
once established in Indiana the farmers
would have a dangerous enemy in their
wheat fields to contend with.   This insect
has been so active here the past few weeks
that many of the exhibits are absolutely
destroyed, and all of them are exposed to
its inroads.   Its advances have become so
bold that several members of the  cereal
committee, of which I had the honor to be
elected chairman, have called the attention of the officers to its operation.   At
first these notes of warning had but little
attention from  those  in authority,  but
being requested and taken to the exhibits
where the insects were actively at work,
one of  the National Commissioners exclaimed  "Why,  I  am  dumbfounded at
this."   The result was that the chief of the
agricultural department will issue circulars that all exhibits be destroyed, which"
certainly is a wise thing to do.   The grains
from the Argentine Republic, Brazil, Russia, Africa, and many of the State exhibits
are alive with this foreign insect.   When
once they escape from the glass jars in
which they have been,  they take their
flight to  other  exhibits  and  there commence their active operations for future
existence.   The   hope   that  our  farmers
? triples will ex-
World's Fair Notes.
World's Fair Letters.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
I was up last week for the third time to
see the World's Fair, and found it each
time more interesting. I stopped at the
Knox World's Fair Hotel, and found it a
nice quiet place to put up at. The proprietors are gentlemen who look after the
comfort and pleasure of their guests, and
as the expenses of going and while they
are so cheap now that everybody ought to
go once, if possible, to see the greatest,
grandest and most varied exhibit that was
ever brought together in the world. Go
once and if possible twice,
tKokomo, Ind. Benj. Raeev.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
' We are here again at the Knox Hotel.
We were here about the middle of June
and were so nicely treated by the gentlemanly proprietors that we could not resist
the temptation to come again. We found
the rooms and beds clean and comfortable,
and one of the most quiet, gentle and intelligent houseful of people one often
meets. We hope all the farmers and their
families of Indiana will give the Knox
Hotel a visit when they come to Chicago
aud the Fair. My husband, E. W. Davis,
is well pleased also.
Respectfully yours,
Mrs. B. A. Davis.   ■
D. S. Maurer, of Clay county, claims to
be the champion pumpkin-grower. One
of his vines measured 307 feet in length,
and it bore nine pumpkins, weighing altogether 212 pounds. One of the pumpkins weighed 61 pounds.
A Note of Warnlngf.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
Having been on duty here for the past
ten weeks as one of the jurors, I am compelled to address the farmers a note of
warning. Many of the farmers that come
here in a laudable ambition to improve
their cereal crops, especially wheat, are
securing samples, and taking them home
for the purpose of growing tbem. The
wheat in the agricultural building is nearly
all infested with an insect similar to the
weevil, and In many instances it is the
Many of the parents of Sims township,
Grant county, held a meeting and resolved not to obey the order of the county
health officer, requiring children to be
vaccinated by the 10th inst., under penalty
of being debarred from attendance on the
public schools.
Mrs. Thomas B. Felkner, of Albion, has
lost her mind. Several years ago her husband was rendered helpless by a stroke of
paralysis. Mrs. Felkner was the ministering angel, giving to him a care and devotion unexcelled, and the strain has
proven too great, mentally and physioally.