Volume 9 , Issue 38

An OkieLegacy Centennial Moment

The Alva Pioneer, dated Friday, Sept., 22, 1893, M County, Alva, O.T., publisher W. F. Hatfield & Oscar Habelein, Editor., had this to say about a week after the 1893 Land Run and their first edition: "The Alva Pioneer was established on Saturday, September 16th, 1893, but this our first issue is dated September 22, 1893, because our regular publication day is fixed on Fridays."

"Evidently our friend Grover made he mistake to set the opening day of the Strip one day to late and thereby prevented us to have the paper ready for distribution as soon as the first flyer set hoof on the townsite of Alva."

Salutatory
"With this our first issue we greet all of our fellow pioneers who located on the townsite of Alva, in M county and northwest Oklahoma generally on the memorable Saturday, September 16th, 1893.

We have made the "run" from the line with you, we drove our "stake" at the same time you planted your little flag on the virgin soil of the beautiful Salt Fork valley, or on the green slopes and grassy planes of this portion of the great American continent. We came here to seek a new home or a broader field of usefulness to our fellow citizens as well as to ourselves. We know that we have struck the right place, it is our intention to hold one stake, and herewith offer our hand of friendship and good fellowship to all who come here for a like purpose.

We are laboring under similar disadvantages to establish ourselves as the pioneer publishers of Alva, as all of those enterprising settlers and business men who went to work almost instantly after their stakes were set to establish themselves here, and in many respects we have obstacles to surmount known only to the pioneer newspaper man.

We have at the present moment hardly time to expand in lengthy explanations and transparent promises, and only say, here we are; here we propose to remain; we will help you if you help us, your interests are ours as well; let us join hands and work together from the start to make Alva the metropolis of northwestern Oklahoma.

The possibilities of our young city and surrounding country are great, and with the firm will and determination evinced (sic) by all the settlers and business men since the opening of the former Cherokee outlet, we are bound to succeed to make Alva a business centre of great importance and the surrounding territory one of the most promising parts of beautiful far-famed Oklahoma.

The "Alva Pioneer" will be devoted to the interests of Alva and M county particularly, and Oklahoma generally. It is our aim to make it a newspaper in the true sense of the word. We will strive to merit the good will of all who aim to make our city, county and territory their future home. Our first aim will be to point out the advantages and possibilities of our new home, so that home seekers and investors may be fully in formed where to locate.

We propose to take an active interest in the organization and the development of our home affairs, and while we intend to keep our readers posted on current topics we frankly admit that at the present time we deem it more important to attract men and money, than to wrangle with political problems or to advocate measures calculated to benefit but a few. The present administration, both national and territorial, has been fortunate in the selection of gentlemen to act as public officers at Alva at the present time.

Time and circumstances prevent us to give them in this issue a more extended notice, but we hope to be able to do so next week. We will aim to keep our readers posted on all matters pertaining to the Land office, M county and the City of Alva, and feel confident our gentleman officials will cheerfully give us all assistance in their power to enable us to do so.

It is our intention to make the "Alva Pioneer" the leading paper in this part of the Territory, and if we receive the good will and support of our people, we aim to merit and hope to receive, it will soon enable us to present to the public a sheet more gratifying to ourselves as well as of more importance and real benefit to the community at large, than can be reasonably expected from this initial number of the "Alva Pioneer."
  |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

---