USA > Oklahoma > A history of the state of Oklahoma, Volume I > Part 78
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It is said that James J. McAlester, for whom the city of McAlester was named, was the first to take advantage on an ex- tensive scale of the coal deposits underly- ing the Indian Territory. The year 1876 is usually assigned as the date for the be- ginning of this industry in Oklahoma, and the region about McAlester and Savanna was the first to be exploited. Mr. McAles- ter, who had citizenship rights in the Choc- taw Nation by reason of his marriage ties, claimed a large amount of land in the vi- cinity of the recently constructed M. K. & T. railroad, and first opened his mines near Krebs, a spur of track leading from there to the main line. It was at the junction of the branch with the main line that the rail- road station was established, and here the advent of a large number of miners and others quickly built up a town, which was
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named McAlester. In 1880 McAlester was said to have a population of 500, and the coal mine was still practically the only busi- ness outside of the retail stores.
When the Choctaw Coal and Railway Company was organized during the late eighties as an industrial road for the devel- opment of the coal properties of the Choc- taw Nation, the company was unable to ne- gotiate satisfactory terms for the junction of their railroad with the M. K. & T. at McAlester, and as a result they began build- ing their road eastward from a point about two miles south of the old town, and hence called the station and the town that quickly formed about it, South McAlester. By one of the mutations of civic growth, South McAlester has since become the center of population, and the postoffice authorities have recognized this by dropping the "South" from its name, while the old town is now given as North McAlester. General usage with respect to these names is not quite uniform.
In 1890 a United States court was estab- lished at South McAlester, and during the remaining years of tribal government the position of this city as the legal center for the Choctaw country increased the prom- inence of the city among other towns of eastern Indian Territory and also brought to that point a large representation of law- yers, so that many of the ablest members of the present state bar were at one time attorneys at McAlester.
As county seat of the new county of Pittsburg, McAlester continues to be the official center of a rich industrial region. The population of the city in 1900 was about four thousand, and at the recent cen- sus of 1907 it was given as 8,142. The municipal improvements are in keeping with the position and dignity of the city, .and the schools of McAlester and the
county at large have been reorganized and brought to a high state of efficiency during the last few years.
The development of the coal industry and the county as a whole has kept close pace with the extension of the railroads. The original coal road, now the Choctaw, Okla- homa and Gulf line of the Rock Island Sys- tem, was continued east from McAlester to the Arkansas line, west to Oklahoma City, and within the present decade the line from Haileyville southwest to Ardmore. The Fort Smith and Western crosses the northern half of the county. In addition to these steam roads, an electric line con- nects McAlester with the important coal towns of Haileyville and Hartshorne, in the eastern part of the county. Along the lines of these roads are numerous thriving and prosperous towns, and everywhere the min- ing industry contributes to the support of a large part of the population. The popula- tion of this county, according to the state- hood census, was 37,677. Near the Cana- dian river are the towns of Canadian (one of the older settlements), Crowder, at the junction of the Fort Smith and Western with the M. K. & T .; Indianola, Garner and Quinton. Kiowa, in the south part of the county, is also a good business point.
Pontotoc County.
Pontotoc county occupies the northeast corner of the old Chicksaw district, the Ca- nadian river forming the entire north boundary of the county. The population of the county by the last census is 23,057. The Sapulpa-Denison line of the Frisco Railroad was built through this region in 1900, and the important towns and the im- proved conditions of living and industry in the country districts date from that event. Two other railroads have since been con- structed, and their junction at Ada, the
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county seat of Pontotoc county, has made that town one of the advantageous com- mercial situations of the state.
Ada in less than ten years has constructed municipal improvements which many of the conservative towns of the east have se- cured only toward the end of their first century of existence. Ada has a system of waterworks, its streets and houses are lighted with electricity, and the public schools are modern and ably conducted. The cotton compress, gins, oil mill, flour- ing mill, ice factory, brick and tile works, not only increase the sum of business as- sets of the town, but contribute in many obvious ways to the general welfare and comfort of its citizens.
Though Pontotoc county is largely agri- cultural, it also has large quantities of raw material for the manufacture of brick and tile and cement. The Portland cement in- dustry has recently been established, and promises to become one of the distinguish- ing features of the county's material re- sources.
The town of Roff, in the southern part of the county, on the Frisco Railroad, is a comparatively old town. A postoffice was established there in 1890, and Joseph T. Roff, the founder, had located there as a cattleman in 1883, his place gradually grow- ing into a community center for that re- gion. After the building of the railroad, population and business increased rapidly.
Pottawatomie County.
Pottawatomie county as a civil division was formerly county B, erected from part of the territory in the Iowa, Sac and Fox and Pottawatomie reservations, which were thrown open to settlement September 22, 1891. The circumstances of the opening and some of the difficulties attending the
settlement of the new domain are described in chapter XXIII of this history.
The estimated population of Pottawato- mie county in 1892 was 10,000, and the amount of assessable property was fixed at $314,665.78. The valuation in 1894 was $658,343, rising in 1899 to $1,784,488, and in 1907 to $4,776,069.
The population of the county according to the census of 1900 was divided among the civil and municipal divisions as follows : Avoca township 2,321
Bales township 2,453
McLoud town 498
Brinton township
2,661
Burnett township 2,326
Burnett town 98
Davis township 2,165
Dent township
989
Keokuk Falls town 198
Earlsboro township 1,851
Eason township
2,278
Forest township 1,967
Moore township 1,952
Shawnee city 3,462
Tecumseh city.
1,193
Pottawatomie county 26,412
The federal census of 1907 showed that this county had nearly doubled in popula- tion, the figures for that year being 43,272. In the meantime Shawnee had become the fourth city of the state in population (10,955), the population of the other prin- cipal towns of the county being: Tecum- seh, 1,621 ; Wanette, 739; McLoud, 783; Asher, 465; Maud, 575; Earlsboro, 387; McComb, 207; Keokuk Falls, 169; Belle- mont, 118.
Pottawatomie county is in many respects the most advanced county in the state. Others excel it in population, in wealth, in manufacturing and general commerce, and also in special lines of agriculture. The
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noteworthy feature of this county is the character of permanent prosperity and evenness of development which mark its population. Though the county is new, its people have reached a degree of social solidarity that is usually found in much older communities. The temporary and superficial features of a society which is newly founded have given place to the more substantial modes of living, and per- manent prosperity seems to be the lot of the great majority of the residents.
In production of cotton Pottawatomie county is one of the foremost in the state, the crop in 1907 being estimated at 64,000 bales. There are over fifty gins in the county. Corn and alfalfa are raised in large quantities on nearly all the best farms of the county, and while stock farming is not conducted on the large scale of more west counties, the aggregate value of horses, mules, hogs and cattle is very large.
Shawnce.
Shawnee, which is one of the principal cities of the state, took its name from the old Shawnee Town, which before the open- ing of the Pottawatomie country to settle- ment was a community center on the north fork of the Canadian. One of the original settlers of the Pottawatomie country, who came to the site of Shawnee in 1892, de- scribes the situation as without improve- ment of any kind, so that the city really began during that year. By the following year a population of about two hundred lived about this point. The present mayor of Shawnee, Frank P. Stearns, came to Shawnee in November, 1894, and built the first store in the new town.
The permanent establishment of Shawnee as a commercial center resulted from the building of the line of the Choctaw, Okla- homa and Gulf Railroad. The first train
reached Shawnee over this road on the 4th of July, 1895. The builders of this road had chosen to follow the valley of the north fork rather than cross the rolling country about Tecumseh, the county seat. This choice operated with the power of destiny to make a city of Shawnee while Tecumseh, only five miles away, was de- prived of the opportunity to become the metropolis of the county.
During the remaining years of the cen- tury Shawnee made many steps of prog- ress as the commercial center of a fine agri- cultural country, becoming a shipping point and a mill and cotton center. But its real advance to a first-class municipality oc- curred during the present century. In 1900 the population was about 3,500. In 1896- 97 the enterprising citizens of Tecumseh had promoted a railroad line from the county seat to connection with the Choctaw road, and this short line was extended to Asher by 1903. At the latter date this line and the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf were the only railroad facilities of the county.
The past five years have witnessed the greatest development of Shawnee. In 1903-04 the first paving of streets was done, and by 1908 seven miles of paved streets had been made. In 1904 the Santa Fe Rail- road was built through Shawnee, and about two years later the branch of the M., K. & T. gave another connection with Oklahoma City and with southeastern Oklahoma. These railroads added transportation facil- ities that have without doubt been one of the most important factors in the growth of the city. Also the railroad shops of the Rock Island (Choctaw) and the Santa Fe are a local industry supporting a large num- ber of people.
Since 1905 Shawnee has built a fine city hall, has equipped an efficient fire depart- ment, has extended the waterworks and
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sewerage systems, and has practically be- come a new city from the municipal stand- point. The street railway and the electric line to Tecumseh also came within this time.
These are the principal features in the growth of Shawnee during the past fifteen years. It is estimated that Shawnee has about forty factories and fifteen jobbing houses, besides the numerous retail estab- listments and banks. It is impossible to measure the amount of capital and of per- sonal energy and enterprise which have produced such a city within so short a time.
Tecumseh.
The history of Tecumseh begins with the opening of this reservation to settlement on September 22, 1891. The largest group of those engaged in the rush for lands in county B hurried to the townsite intended for the county seat. The lots were occu- pied and the town had a larger population the first day than it has had since. The features of the opening are described on other pages.
Tecumseh profited by its situation as county seat, but its lack of railroad facili- ties during the first five years proved a serious obstacle to progress, and eventually the railroads gave the commercial prestige of the county to Shawnee. Tecumseh pos- sessed some exceedingly enterprising citi- zens at that time, and it was due to their efforts that what was known as the "Air Line" was built about 1897 from Tecumseh a distance of five miles to the Choctaw Railroad. This became a great spur to progress, and since the building of the Santa Fe through this point and the con- struction of the interurban electric line to Shawnee, Tecumseh regained much of the ground lost during its former isolation. Its $25,000 court house and $5,000 jail are the
important public buildings besides the schools.
Pushmataha County.
Pushmataha county, with an area of more than 1,400 square miles, is largely of mountainous topography, and many thou- sands of acres are covered with forests. The population of the county according to the last census was 8,295. During the height of the lumber industry this region had a larger and a very prosperous population, and the towns along the Frisco Railroad were dependent to a large extent on those engaged in lumbering. It is said that the towns of this section have a larger per cent of the native Indian inhabitants than is generally true of Oklahoma towns, which are with few exceptions "white men's towns." The population of the principal towns of this county is: Antlers, the county seat, 854; Albion, 300; Tuskahoma, 200; Kosoma, 200.
Tuskahoma is the old captial of the Choc- taw Nation. Situated at the base of a range of mountains and surrounded by some of the most rugged and picturesque country of Oklahoma, the site corresponds more with the ideals of a council ground for a wild, barbaric race than with the commer- cial needs of a central town. And Tuska- homa has always been such a place, a beau- tiful assembly ground for the elders of the race, but never a town for trade and institu- tions. The railroad was constructed near the old council house, and a station established here, but the village had little business activ- ity except during the sessions of the coun- cil in the autumn, when the chiefs assem- bled from all sides, many of them coming on horseback and by wagon and others by train. The old log council house was still standing a few years ago, but the Choctaw capitol which served during the final days
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of national existence was the finest of the Indian national capitols, having been erect- ed at a cost of thirty thousand dollars.
Rogers County.
Rogers county had a population in 1907 of 15,485. It is one of the best farming counties composing the old Cherokee Na- tion, and it is also situated in the oil and gas district of the state. The resourceful and well developed country contributes to the growth and prosperity of the several thriving towns and villages in this county. The principal towns, with population, in 1907, were: Claremore, 2,064; Chelsea, 1,294; Collinsville, 1,075; Oolagah, 394; Inola, 324; Talala, 307; Catoosa, 303.
A large and probably the greatest factor in causing the development of this county has been the presence of railroads from an early period. At the beginning of the dec- ade of the eighties the Frisco Railroad was constructed from Vinita to Tulsa. In 1889 the Missouri Pacific (Iron Mountain) was extended from Wagoner to Coffeyville. Both roads traverse the entire length of Rogers county, and their intersection at Claremore makes that the principal ship- ping point and the metropolis of the county. About 1900 the Bartlesville-Tulsa branch of the Santa Fe gave railroad facilities to Collinsville in the western edge of the county. .
The county seat town of Claremore was originally founded on a site about three miles east of the battle ground where Chief Claremore was killed. This was on the stage route from the railroad terminus at Vinita to the southwest. The business of the settlement was done by a store and blacksmith shop and perhaps one or two professional men and mechanics. On the building of the railroad the settlement be- came deserted and its inhabitants moved
their homes and shops to the railroad sta- tions some miles distant. After this re- moval the new town was incorporated un- der the Cherokee laws, and in 1898 rein- corporated.
Chelsea, the second town in the county, was surveyed and platted by the authorities of the Cherokee Nation in 1885. One of the national schools of the Cherokees was located here, and in former years, besides the general trade and business of such a center of an agricultural district, the largest single enterprise was a flouring mill. The development of the oil and gas fields of this vicinity was begun about ten years ago. These are among the oldest fields of the state, both as regards discovery and development. At the present time Chelsea has a large oil refinery and has benefited greatly in wealth and municipal improve- ment from the activities connected with this industry.
Collinsville has become a prosperous trad- ing center and the home of several produc- tive industries since the construction of the Santa Fe Railroad less than ten years ago.
Claremore, the county seat of Rogers county, is a brisk, substantial, up-to-date city of three thousand people, situated in northeastern Oklahoma, on the main lines of the St. Louis & San Francisco and the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern rail- roads. The city is located in one of the most fertile valleys in Oklahoma, in which are raised wheat, oats, corn, cotton, cane, tobacco and potatoes. Small fruits also do well and the country has an abundance of good timber. Claremore is the natural and the railroad center of this productive sec- tion, and already is recognized as one of the best markets for hay, grain and all kinds of produce in the state. Several of the largest buyers in these lines from the adjoining states maintain offices here
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throughout the year. The altitude of the place is 650 feet, which insures a delight- ful climate, the nights being always cool and refreshing. An abundance of good water underlies the whole town and can be reached at from 40 to 150 feet. A com- plete system of municipal waterworks and sewers is being installed; one of the best electric light plants in the state is in opera- tion, and as the city lies in the new oil. and gas fields formerly controlled by the Cherokee Nation, an abundance of gas is accessible for domestic heat and light, as well as for manufacturing purposes.
The now famous Radium water, com- bined with her other natural advantages, has made Claremore quite famous as a health resort. To accommodate the numer- ous visitors who take advantage of its heal- ing and vitalizing properties, a number of fine bath houses have been erected, includ- ing the following: The Claremore Radium Wells Bath House, a fine brick structure costing $25,000; Radium Water Company Bath House, a comfortable frame build- ing ; the Bungalow, a combined rooming and bathing house, built of cement block at a cost of $14,000, and the Mendenhall Bath House. Claremore has four first-class hotels and others which are comfortable, but less modern. It has seventy-five busi- ness houses, thirty-five of which conduct their transactions in substantial brick or stone buildings. Its three financial institu- tions are the First National Bank, with a capital of $50,000; Bank of Claremore and the Farmers' Bank and Trust Company, with similar capitals. The deposits of these institutions aggregate $250,000. Claremore numbers among its industries an up-to-date flour mill, a large grain elevator, a brick plant, a broom factory and bottling works. It also has five lumber yards. The edu- cational facilities of the city comprise a
graded school housed in an eight-room brick building costing $10,000, and an academy, also conducted in a fine brick building, the staffs of teachers being well appointed and the courses covering a full nine months. The Presbyterians, Meth- odists, Methodist Episcopal Church South, Baptists, Adventists and Christians have all houses of worship, while the press of the city is represented by the Progress (Demo- cratic) and the Messenger (Republican), both weeklies. There are two public libra- ries, one under the auspices of the public school system and the other of the Ladies' Library Association.
Seminole County.
Seminole county comprises somewhat more than the area of the Seminole Nation as the boundaries existed previous to 1907. The old Seminole capitol building, where the councillors of the nation had assembled before the tribal ties were dissolved, be- came the first court house of the new county after statehood. The total population of the county in 1907 was something less than fifteen thousand, who are distributed gen- erally over the county except in the three or four towns. Wewoka is the county seat and largest town, with 794 inhabitants at the last census. Konawa, the next largest village, 620 inhabitants, was founded in the southwest corner of the county in 1904 when the M., K. & T. Railroad was built through that part of the county. Sasakwa is a village of 237 population located on the Frisco Railroad in the southeast corner.
The building of the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad through the county in 1895 first opened this country's resources to the world, and brought about the settle- ment of Wewoka a few years later with a white population. Industrially and com- mercially the county has not advanced apace
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with many of the new counties of the old Indian Territory, but with the settlement of the Indian rights and gradual adjust- ment of conditions to the new era, the ex- cellent natural resources of soil and min- eral values will make Seminole one of the wealthy counties.
During the existence of the Seminole Nation probably the two most important institutions of the country were the two Indian missions, one at Sasakwa and the other at Mekusukey. About the capitol house at Wewoka at the beginning of the century the little village consisted of two stores, a hotel, cotton gin and corn mill, and doctor's office.
Sequoyah County.
Sequoyah county, which preserves the name which was often proposed for the entire state, is the southeastern corner of the old Cherokee Nation. This county is the seat of the great marble quarries of Oklahoma, Marble City being an outgrowth of that industry. Besides the rugged moun- tainous area of this county, in which are located the stone deposits, nearly half the county is rich river and bottom land, pro- ductive of all the crops of this section of Oklahoma.
The population of the county by the last census was 22,450. Sallisaw, the county seat, has a population of 2,300. It was founded in the late eighties, after the build- ing of the Kansas and Arkansas Valley (the Iron Mountain) Railroad. About 1897 the Kansas City Southern made this a junction point, and after that its growth was rapid. It became a shipping point for the small fruit products of the adjacent country. With free schools, electric lights and other improvements, and its extensive business interests, this is one of the thriv- ing towns in the eastern part of the state.
Muldrow, named in honor of a former governor of Mississippi, was established about twenty years ago, when the Iron Mountain Railroad was built through this section. The town has a population of 618 by the 1907 census. On the same line of railroad, in the west part of the county, is the town of Vian, with a population of 617. Redland is located on the banks of the Arkansas river, and before the days of railroads was a ginning and store center for a considerable district. Alfred Foyil started the enterprises which caused the growth of a town here. Better transporta- tion facilities were brought to the village with the building of the railroad.
Tulsa County.
Tulsa county has perhaps the most ir- regular boundaries of any county created by the constitutional convention. Its area is so conformed as to embrace a consider- able length of the Arkansas river, and besides containing portions of both the old Cherokee and Creek nations, it is bounded by the Osage country both on the west and north. The Arkansas valley is a noted agricultural area, and other parts of the county produce large crops of corn, wheat, cotton and fruits. However, the great re- source of the county during the present 'decade, and the cause of the remarkable growth and development of city and coun- try, has been oil. The Red Fork oil dis- trict was opened in 1901, and since then the region about Tulsa has become one great oil field. The history of the oil dis- coveries and the remarkable industrial re- sults which have followed, as also men- tion of some of the chief personalities con- cerned in these events, are to be found on other pages.
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