USA > Louisiana > The province and the states, a history of the province of Louisiana under France and Spain, and of the territories and states of the United States formed therefrom, Vol. III > Part 46
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53
(6787) Section IX. "The object of the University of Oklahoma shall be to provide the means of acquiring a thorough knowledge of the various branches of learning connected with the scientific, industrial and professional pursuits, in the instruction and training of persons in the theory and art of teaching and also the funda- mental laws of the United States and this Territory in what regards the rights and duties of citizens."
(6789) Section XI. "The University shall be open to female as well as to male citizens, under such regulations and restrictions as . the board of regents may deem proper, and all able-bodied male students of the University, in whatever college, may receive instruction and discipline in military tactics, the requisite arms for which shall be furnished by the Territory."
The first legislative assembly provided for the support of the university levying a general tax of one-half mill upon each dollar of valuation on the assessment roll of the territory. In addition congress set aside section 13 in each township in the Cherokee strip as a reserve from settlement in aid of the university, normal school and agricultural college.
The university is divided into the following departments or col- leges: 1. College of arts and sciences. These courses lead to the degrees of A. B. and B. S., respectively. 2: School of pharmacy. This course is of two years' duration and leads to the degree of pharmaceutical chemist. 3. Premedical department. Embraces two years of the regular course leading to degree of doctor of medicine. 4. School of music. This department is divided into preparatory teachers', artists' and graduating courses. 5. Pre- paratory school. Embraces three years' study leading to fresh- man class. This school was later on separated from the university and placed at Tonkawa, Kay county.
The act establishing the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechan- ical college took effect upon the territory's accepting the provisions of the "new Morrill Act," an act of congress approved August 30, 1890, whereby colleges starting agricultural experiment stations received certain benefits and annuities. The sum of fifteen thon-
464
THE PROVINCE AND THE ST.ITES.
sand dollars was received from this source. The college was located at the town of Stillwater, which voted the sum of ten thousand dollars in bonds and 200 acres of land. The first session began in 1801 with sixty students in attendance and four instruc- tors. The sessions were held in different church edifices until 1894 when the main building was erected. There are now four stone or brick buildings and three wooden buildings on the campus. The attendance has increased to nearly four hundred, and the endow- ment and apparatus and appliances for use in the mechanical engineering and electrical engineering departments have increased in a corresponding proportion. The curriculum covers many branches, any of which leads to the degree of bachelor of science. There are also special courses in stenography, typewriting and printing. The college has a special course of eight weeks during the winter term in agriculture and mechanic arts.
The first normal school was located at Edmond. Oklahoma county, in which Edmond is situated, donated five thousand dollars in bonds and the town gave forty acres and bonds amounting to two thousand dollars. The building was begun in the summer of 1892. The legislature of 1894 donated additional amounts for bailding purposes and now the school has a fine, commodious structure of brick and red sandstone, which cost fifty thousand dollars. The school is maintained by a tax of one-half mill and one-fifth of the rentals from the section reserved for school pur- poses in the Cherokee strip. The special function of this normal school is to train and equip teachers for their work. The first school year began November 9, 1891, with twenty-three students. The annual attendance now is over four hundred. The school is distinctly a "farmers' " school, the student body being drawn from the farming districts. Five members were graduated in 1897, eleven in 1898, ten in 1899, twenty in 1900.
In recent years two other normal schools have been established. The Northwestern Territorial Normal school was founded in 1897 by the fourth legislative assembly, and is located at Alva, Woods county. This school opened September 20, 1897, with fifty-five pupils in attendance. This number increased in one year to one hundred and sixty-six, and the present enrollment is near five hundred. A splendid building, containing thirty-six rooms, was first occupied September 11, 1899. By legislative enactment, dated March 8, 1901, provision was made for the Southwestern Normal school, which is located in the southwestern part of the territory, and will undoubtedly meet with as great a success as the other schools.
Until late years the colored students were allowed to attend
465
OKLAHOMA, THE TERRITORIAL ERA.
the Agricultural and Mechanical college at Stillwater, but they now have a university of their own at Langston. Part of the Morrill fund was transferred from the Agricultural and Mechan- ical college and given to this institution and it is rapidly progress- ing. It boasted of one hundred and eighty-seven students in 1900.
The Sacred Heart college is the oldest institution in the terri- tory, having been established about 1877 by the Jesuit Fathers at Sacred Heart Mission in Pottawatomie county, at that time an Indian reservation. Its purpose was originally to furnish a school for the Indians, but over a hundred white boys now attend this school.
The Congregational college at Kingston has an annual attend- ance of about two hundred and the Baptist college at Blackwell has a large patronage. The Friends have a number of academies throughout the territory. Other private institutions are springing up on every hand.
The government maintains a number of Indian schools in Okla- homa territory. The largest of these is the Chilocco Indian Indus- trial school which was opened January 1, 1884, on a reservation containing 859,833 acres in what is now Kay county, bordering on the Kansas line and about six miles directly south of Arkansas City, Kan. This school has an average attendance of over four hundred pupils, forty Indian tribes being represented. I addition to the above school the government supports fourteen reservation boarding and one day school for the Indians of the territory. Five Indian mission schools are conducted by religious denominations.
Ilon. Abraham J. Seay, of Oklahoma, and formerly of Missouri, became the second governor of the new territory. He was born in Amherst county, Va., November 28, 1832, removing with his parents in 1835 to Orange county, Mo. Mr. Seay spent his boyhood days on a farm until he was twenty-one. He attended the Steelville academy and subsequently studied law. In 1861 he entered the Union army, serving until the close of the war, and holding every grade from private to the colonelcy of the Thirty- second Missouri volunteer infantry.
In 1872 and 1874 Colonel Seay was a candidate for congress on the Republican ticket and was defeated by "Silver Dick" Bland. From 1875 to 1887 he was a circuit judge, and from 1800 until his appointment as governor he was an associate justice of Okla- homa. Governor Scay occupied the gubernatorial chair about one year, being removed for political reasons by President Cleveland
ITI-30
466
THE PROVINCE AND THE STATES.
in 1893. He has since been engaged in farming, stock raising and banking, and resides at Kingfisher, Okla.
The first section to be thrown open to settlement after the estab- lishment of the territory of Oklahoma was the land lying to the east and southeast of the original Oklahoma district, and occupied by the Sacs, Foxes, Iowas, Citizen band of Pottawatomies, and Absentee Shawanese Indians. The agreement with the Sac and Fox nation was made June 12, 1890, and ratified by congress Feb- ruary 30, 1891 ; the agreement with the lowas was dated May 20, 1890, and ratified by congress February 30, 1891. The agreements with the Citizen band of Pottawatomies and Absentee Shawanese were executed June 25 and 26, 1890, and ratified by congress March 3, 1891. These Indians were given an allotment of lands by the commission appointed by congress for this purpose and known as the Dawes commission. Under a proclamation of the president, dated September 18, 1801, the four reservations men- tioned were thrown open to settlement at 12 o'clock noon, Tues- day, September 22, 1891, and all the available lands were immediately occupied. Two provisional counties were formed out of these lands, known as A and B respectively. Three counties now exist in place of these two provisional counties and are called Lincoln, Pottawatomie and Cleveland.
The second tract to be thrown open to settlement was the Chey- enne and Arapahoe Indian reservation, situated on the west of the original Oklahoma district. Under an agreement made with these tribes dated in October, 1890, conveyed their lands to the United States and accepted an allotment in severalty. The lands of the Wichita and affiliated tribes, which formed a part of this reservation and were set apart by executive order, were not included in this agreement. Congress ratified the agreement made with the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indians on March 3, 1891, and declared the lands open to settlement on a date to be named by the president. In a proclamation dated April 12, 1892, President Harrison set the date for the opening of these lands, viz., April 19. 1892, at 12 o'clock, noon.
Congress had divided this reservation into six provisional coun- ties, C, D, E, F, G and H, which are now known as Blaine, Dewey, Custer, Washita, Roger Mills and Day. The eastern por- tion of these lands, bordering on the original Oklahoma district, was settled immediately ; but the extreme western portion was not taken up at once, being in what is known as the arid belt. The whole western half of Oklahoma, including all of the Public Land strip, originally lay in this arid belt, but as that section has become
467
OKLAHOMA, THE TERRITORIAL ERA.
more thickly settled and the lands cultivated, the arid region has moved westward. Today there is practically no arid belt in the whole territory, except perhaps a portion of the extreme western part of the Public Land strip.
On May 7, 1893, Hon. William Cary Renfrow received his com- mission as governor of Oklahoma, having been appointed by President Cleveland in place of Governor Seay, removed. The new governor was born in Smithfield, N. C., March 15, 1845, and received his education in the common schools of that state. He served in the Confederate army from 1861 to 1865, moving at the close of the war to Arkansas. In 1889 he joined in the rush for the new country opened up in the Indian territory and engaged in banking at Norman. He served as governor for four years, his term expiring May 24, 1897. His inauguration, which took place May 10, 1893, at Guthrie, was a notable affair, the former secretary of the interior, John W. Noble, and other prominent men being present on the occasion.
During the first year of Governor Renfrow's term of office, the Cherokee strip, embracing several million acres of land, was thrown open to settlement. Part of this land was occupied by the Tonkawas and Pawnees, their rights being ceded under agree- ments dated October 21 and November 23, 1891, respectively. The agreement with the Cherokees for their interest and claim to this strip was not effected until May 17, 1893. By an act of congress dated March 3, 1893, these three agreements were ratified and provision was made to throw the lands open to settlement.
Indians who had resided on or made improvements on any por- tion of this strip were each allowed to hold one-eighth of a section and their wives and children a similar amount. The lands of the Osages, Kans, Otoes and Missonris, lying in the eastern portion of the strip were not thrown open to settlement.
Congress stipulated that sections 13, 16, 33 and 36 should be reserved for school purposes. The following counties were named, and county seats provided, viz., Counties K, L, M, N, O, Pand Q, and the county seats named were Newkirk, Pond Creek, Alva, Woodward, Enid, Perry and Pawnee, respectively. County K is now Kay county ; L has become Grant county ; M, Woods county; N, Woodward county ; O, Garfield county; P, Noble county, and Q. Pawnee county. The interior department estab- lished four land districts in the strip, viz., one at Perry for coun- ties K, P and Q, one at Enid for counties L and O, and one at Woodward for county N. Besides the county seats mentioned other town sites which were surveyed and platted were Cross,
408
THE PROVINCE AND THE STATES.
l'onca, Waukomis, Hopkins and Mound City. President Cleve- land's proclamation throwing these lands open to settlement was dated Angust 10, 1893, and the date set when the settlers could enter upon the lands was September 16, 1893.
A vigorous effort was made on the part of the land department to prevent fraudulent entry of these lands by "sooners," and in addition to scouring the strip and ejecting all those who were unlawfully upon the same, it was endeavored to further protect the honest settler by establishing registration booths at Arkansas City, Orlando, Guthrie, and other convenient places, at which it was necessary for the would-be settler to obtain a certificate indi- cating his right to file a claim. But with all these and other pre- cautions adopted, and in spite of the fact that there was a penalty for prior and fraudulent settlement, a large number of sooners secured choice quarter sections.
A vast army of citizens, estimated all the way from 100,000 to 150,000 joined in the rush for homesteads on the Cherokee outlet. The day set for the lands to be thrown open was oppressively hot and there were many cases of heat prostration. The same scenes and incidents that took place at the previous openings were repeated at this one, the only difference being that the number of people engaged was several times larger. In a few hours after the rush began tented cities, each of a thousand inhabitants or more, sprang into being, as if by magic ; in a few weeks frame buildings had taken the place of the tents and the erstwhile cattle lands had submitted to the civilizing influences of the plow; and in a few months the whole strip presented the appearance of a flourishing settled country, with roads, churches and schools.
The second legislative assembly appropriated fifteen thousand dollars for the purpose of exhibiting the products and resources of Oklahoma at the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago. This exhibit was confined principally to agricultural products. The wheat from Oklahoma excelled that of all other competitors and her flour took second premimun. The following is a schedule of the awards given Oklahoma :
Group 1 -- C. G. Jones, Oklahoma City, flour; C. G. Jones, Oklahoma City, wheat; Oklahoma territory, Cleveland county, corn, oats, buckwheat, grass and peanuts.
Group 3-Oklahoma territory, Guthrie, red sorghum.
Group 5-A. J. Seay, Kingfisher, squashes.
Group 9- Oklahoma territory, Guthrie, cotton.
Group 91-Manufactures, Mrs. S. D. Mckay, Guthrie, painted china.
46%)
OKLAHOMA, THE TERRITORIAL ER.I.
The second official census was taken carly in the year 1894, and the following is the result by counties :
Beaver.
2,316
M
16,000
Blaine
5,899
N
2,241
Canadian
13, 259
0
14,294
Cleveland
12,716
Oklahoma
20,523
Day
215
Payne.
13,407
G ..
2,572
Pottawatomie
12,875
K
14,379
Q ....
5,613
Kingfisher.
15,155
Roger Mills
1,023
L ..
14,032
Washita
1,800
Lincoln
14,554
Logan
19, 532
Total
212,635
1,640
P.
7,570
At the time of the opening of the Oklahoma lands to settlement this half of the Indian territory boasted of only two railroads, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad crossed Oklahoma territory from north to south and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad had extended its line as far as Kingfisher. The latter road eventually completed its line into Texas, running nearly in a parallel direction to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa l'e. A short railroad was built soon after the establishment of the territory and connected the two roads above mentioned, run- ning from El Reno to Oklahoma City, a distance of thirty miles. This road was completed in a few years castward into Arkansas and was known as the Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf railroad. In the meantime the Kiowa division of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe was built across the northwestern corner of the territory into the Texas panhandle.
The different legislative assemblies had taken up so much time with the attempts to remove the capital from Guthrie to other tival cities that congress inserted an amendment in the appropria- tion bill for legislative, executive and judicial expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1895, prohibiting the territorial legis- lature from considering any proposition or passing any bill to remove the seat of government of said territory from its location at that time.
The agreement with the Kickapoos providing for the cession of their lands to the United States made September 9, 1891, was ratified by act of congress on March 3, 1893, and by proclamation of President Cleveland dated May 18, 1895, 206,662 acres of fer- tile lands were thrown open to settlement at 12 o'clock noon on May 23, 1805. In six years the small area originally thrown open to settlement had been increased until the lands already settled or
470
THE PROVINCE AND THE STATES.
in process of settlement embraced a veritable empire in extent The acreage of these lands is shown in the following table:
Sac, Fox, Iowa, etc., reservations 1,282,434
Cheyenne and Arapahoe reservation 4,297,771
Cherokee outlet 6,014,239
Kickapoo reservation 206,062
Total 11,801,106
On March 16, 1896, the supreme court of the United States rendered a decision declaring Greer county as a part of the public domain and not the property of the state of Texas. On the same date, March 16, 1896, President Cleveland issued a proclamation declaring the said Greer county in a state of reservation until the validity of the claim of the Choctaw nation to this territory had been duly determined, and warning settlers from entering the county for the purpose of settling on the lands thereof.
The claim of the Choctaws not being allowed, however, con- gress prepared the way for the opening of the lands in Greer county to settlement under the homestead laws, by passing an act "to establish and provide for the government of Greer county, Oklahoma, and for other purposes." Section I of this act pro- vided for the transfer of all public property from Greer county, Texas, to Greer county, Okla., and made the laws of Okla- homa applicable to the said county. Section II declared the judicial proceedings in the Texas courts binding. Sections III and IV provided for the transfer of all pending suits, court records, for the filing of contracts, etc., and for validation of judgments, etc., of the state courts prior to March 16, 1896.
Following this legislation congress passed a law January 18, 1897, opening the lauds in Greer county, Okla., to settlement and giving preference rights to settlers who were occupying the lands in good faith. These prior settlers were given six months in which to perfect their claims. All lands not occupied, culti- vated, or improved, or not included in any townsite or reserve, were made subject to settlement under the provisions of the home- stead law. Prior settlers on townsites were given preference rights, sections 16 and 36 were reserved for school purposes and sections 13 and 33 for such purpose as the legislative assembly of the future state of Oklahoma might prescribe. All lands occupied for religions or charitable purposes, churches, cemeteries, etc., were patented to the proper persons. A land office was established
471
OKLAHOMA, THE TERRITORLIL ERA.
at Mangum in Greer county. The act was made effective on the day of its passage, January 18, 1897.
The election of a Republican president in 1896 caused a change of territorial officers, and Governor Renfrow was succeeded in May, 1897, by the Ilon. C. M. Barnes. The latter was born in New York, August 25, 1845. When still a lad Mr. Barnes was a telegraph operator at Leavenworth, Kan. At the age of six- teen he enlisted in the Union army and served as private secretary to General Lyon in the military telegraph and engineer corps. After the war he was a chief deputy United States marshal of the Western district of Arkansas at Fort Smith ; in 1889 he was given a position in the land office at Guthrie. Mr. Barnes was admitted to the Oklahoma bar in 1893. He took an active part in politics and served in the third and fourth legislative assemblies, in the former as speaker. flis term as governor expired in 1901. He was nominated last spring ( 1903) as the Republican candidate for mayor of the city of Guthrie, which is equivalent to an elec- tion. During Governor Barnes' administration the territory entered upon a period of phenomenal prosperity along all lines, which has continued to the present day.
At the beginning of the Spanish-American war the young men of Oklahoma were eager to serve their country. Permission was given the governor to organize a troop of cavalry, or specially mounted riflemen, to form a part of the First regiment of United States volunteer cavalry, popularly known as the Rough Riders. The following men were accepted by the recruiting officers and served with this organization in the Cuban campaign, participat- ing with credit at El Caney and La Quasima :
Captain-Robert B. Huston; first lieutenant, Schuyler A. Mc- Ginnis ; second lieutenant, Jacob Schweizer.
Sergeants-Orlando G. Palmer, G. A. Webb, G. H. Sands, Jos. A. Randolph, Chas. E. Hunter.
Corporals-Calvin Hill, David V. McClure, George Norris, John D. Rhoades.
Trumpeter-Starr M. Wetmore.
Farrier-Thomas Moran.
Privates-William D. Amirine, Lyman F. Beard, Percy H. Brandon, Fred M. Beal, Peter F. Byrne, Jas. T. Brown, William Bailey, George Burgess, Leslie C. Chase, Forest 1. Cease. Roy V. Cashion, Henry S. Crosley, William S. Crawford, Walter M. Cook, William E. Cross, Isom J. David, Alexander II. Denham, Matthew Douthett, Elzie E. Emery, William A. Faulk, Theodore Folk, Elisha L. Freeman, Edwin M. Hill, Robert A. Huline, Thomas M. Holmes, James V. Honeycutt, Paul W. Hunter,
472
THE PROVINCE AND THE STATES.
Shelby F. Ishler, Edward W. Johnston, Andrew M. Jordon, Wal- ter Joyce, Arthur A. Luther, Henry K. Love, Edgar F. Lough- miller, Henry Lusk, Robert L. McMillen, Henry Meagher, Vol- ney D. Miller, Roscoe V. Miller, William McGinty, Lorrin D. Muxlow, William H. Mitchell, Marcellus L. Newcomb, Warren Norris, William Pollock, Joseph Il. Proctor, William F. Palmer, John F. Page, Scott Reay, Albert P. Russell, Clyde H. Stewart, Cliff D. Scott, Edw. W. Shipp, Francis M. Staley, Clare II. Stew- art, James M. Shockey, Dick Shanafelt, Fred Smith, William L. Taner, Albert M. Thomas, Jas. E. Vanderslice, John F. Weitzel, Frank M. Wilson, Wm. O. Wright, John A. Woodward.
In addition to this troop of Rough Riders, Oklahoma was allowed one full battalion of infantry, which became a part of a regiment recruited from Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma- and Indian territory. The following is a list of the officers of the Oklahoma battalion :
Major-Jolm F. Stone.
Surgeon-William P. Baker.
Chaplain-Job Ingram.
Captains-Harry C. Barnes, Roy V. Hoffman, Robert A. Lowry, Fred L .. Boynton.
First Lieutenants-James P. Neal, Jeremiah J. O'Rourke, Henry A. Platt, Jas. M. Wheeler, Ira I. Morrison.
Second Lieutenants-David B. Arrell, Gordon L. Finley, John A. MeFadden, Simon W. Switzer.
Sergeants-Chas. N. Stewart, Chas. F. Barrett, Jerome S. Workman, Seymour Foose.
Hospital Steward-Ralph E. Morrison.
Oklahoma is nominally Republican, and with the exception of two years, 1897-98, has been represented in congress by Repub- lican delegates. The first delegate, D. A. Harvey, was elected November 4, 1900, and served two years. He was succeeded by Dennis T. Flynn, a Republican, and a valuable and persistent worker for the territory which he represented. The Hon. D. T. Flynn was born at Phoenixville, Pa., February 13, 1862, removing in early life to Kansas. He was appointed postmaster of the city of Guthrie when that town was first settled and early identified himself with the politics of the new territory. He was elected a delegate to congress in 1892 over O. H. Travers, the Democratic candidate, and N. M. Ward, the candidate for the People's party.
He had hardly been scated when the scandals imder Hoke Smith, secretary of the interior, in connection with the Cherokee strip opening were assailed by him on the floor of the house. His statements were decisive and gave him a standing which he has
473
OKLAHOMA, THE TERRITORIAL ERA.
always maintamed, not only with the members of his own party, but with the opposition. It was in this congress that the first "free homes bill" was introduced by him. The provisions at that time applied only to the Cheyenne and Arapahoe, Sac and Fox, lowa, and Pottawatomie reservations. The bill was adversely reported and nothing done at that time.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.