Volume 17 , Issue 36

16 September 1893 - Stillwater A Paradise

"The Atcheson Daily Champion," out of Atcheson, Kansas, Saturday, 16 September 1893, was reporting on their front page a couple of headlines: "Ready For A Run," and "Stillwater A Paradise." It was Herculean efforts to give every Boomer a certificate. And there was rejoicing on every side. Doings at the new booth in Arkansas City - Stillwater in Oklahoma, a paradise by comparison - Plenty of water and shade.

Found on Newspapers.com

Arkansas City, Kan., Sept. 15 (1893) -- Thanks to the relief afforded by the interior department, a little late, it was true, but not too late to be of avail, there was now every prospect that all the homemakers and prospective lot owners gathered here would be made happy over the possession of certificates.

There was rejoicing on every side when it became generally known that Secretary Smith had given orders that a booth should be established in town. Chief Clerk Jacobs, who was on the southern border, received a telegram early in the day from the secretary, ordering him to come here at once, establish a booth in town and hire all the clerks necessary to register every man. He at once wired to his subordinates to hire a room in which to place the booth, and a big store which had been used as a lodging house since the boom had been on was rented and the cots taken out. Twenty-four clerks were engaged and tables and chairs for their use were given by one of the furniture stores. Mr. Jacobs took charge of the arrangements himself. Special Agent Womack also received a telegram from Washington and came up from Guthrie, but when he found Mr. Jacobs here he went back to hurry registration at the southern booth.

As early as daylight the streets were filled with eager homemakers, hurrying about to find the location of the booth. A man named Leonard, who had a store in part of the building at first secured objected to the crowds in the alley back of his place. The boomers only laughed at and chaffed him. This enraged him so that he threatened to move out of the building and to use force to drive the men away. Another room had to e engaged and valuable time was lost.

Stillwater A Paradise

Stillwater, Ok., Sept. 15 (1893) -- The nearest approach to a paradise of the boomers in this country was at this point, twenty-two miles east of Guthrie. This town had no railroad and the journey there was over rough and rugged roads and across dusty plains barren o tree or water; but once there the home seeker found pleasant camping ground, wood and water plentiful and a town of 2,000 people to draw upon for food and supplies. In front of him in the promised land was a region diversified by hill and dale, timber and grass and, running streams and copious springs. The ground may not yield so readily to the plow as that nearer the Santa Fe railroad, for much of it was backbone of bills and unfit for agriculture, but this was after all a blessing for out of the hills came water to nourish the valleys and prairies. There was also better water than Orlando and other booths on the southern border.

Stillwater was a county seat, well ordered and all governed, and the strong local pride which prevailed compelled the authorities of city and county to take care of the strangers and see that they do not fall into the hands of thieves. Some gamblers appeared on the ground early int he week, but they were kept under such close surveillance by the officers that they were unable to turn any dishonest tricks and most of them had gone back to Arkansas City and there was but one game running that day and that was faro. The shell game, the chuckaluck, poker and monte men had all departed. The difficulty of getting to Stillwater had also had the effect of keeping the crowd down. All reports to the contrary notwithstanding, there were not to exceed 10,000 persons in camp there and an actual count would probably reduce it 25 percent. They were mostly from Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and other southern states, with a mixture of Missourians and Kansans.
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