Volume 18 , Issue 36

Walking With Old Sweet Sadie

Did your ancestors ever tell you the story about the Sand cyclone that swept the prairie near Enid at a terrific rate, near Enid, Oklahoma Territory, 22 September 1893? The following appeared in The Chanute Daily Tribune,, Chanute, Kansas, 22 September 1893, Friday, on page 1: "Sand Cyclone."

Found on Newspapers.com

The sand cyclone continued with unabated fury. The wind swept across the prairie at the rate of forty miles an hour, carrying the pulverized sand into every nook and corner, ruining stocks of goods and rendering life itself almost unbearable. Notwithstanding the storm, the people were making an effort to erect temporary booths in which to do business. There were already several stores doing business, and a contract for a two-story building was let, and on Oklahoma avenue several wooden structures had been built and occupied by merchants. The townsite survey had been completed and the engineers would furnish the past that day, after which the filing of claims on city lots would begin. There was no question that many contests would be made. The board of trustees had selected an arbitration committee whose duty it would be to hear the contests and it was believed that a large portion of these cases would be satisfactorily arranged without resort to any other tribunal.

Register Patterson, the urbane gentleman from Georgia, had not been accustomed to such a state of things as then confronted him and the work consequently progressed very slowly. AT 6 the night before there were 5,000 people in line and it was not likely that the force of clerks could receive and register those already on the ground within the next six weeks.

Residents at the government town were becoming dissatisfied. Goods had to be hauled from the railway station to this point. The expense of this work was great, and many people, who first settled at the new town, were looking about here for lots on which to locate business houses. All the choice lots on Oklahoma avenue in the Guthrie addition, which would be the main business thoroughfare of the city, had been taken, and the Cherokee Land Co. were disposing of the property owned by them so rapidly that the platted district, west of the track here would soon be transferred to actual settlers. The best of water was found all over the townsite. Everybody was cheerful in spite of adverse weather, and it may be safely said that Enid City was going to the front with wonderful strides.

Good Night! Good Luck! Remember, "Love conquers Hate!"
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