Show the most eventful horse race in history H i sf ory run in oklahoma just 50 years ago this month mon ish w f i 0 A v s f f la iss v f f 4 fa taa A A v at au i toai A wy PJ 1 y T vs 4 1 i y kay y A x i t t f aa ayi kiy aam ft SA 3 y 5 na xe X e W MSS M V SS 0 w A 1 x 4 JAI A part of the crowd of that m massed assed on tile line awaiting the signal to make the klin by ELMO SCOTT WATSON 0 western News newspaper union years ago this month occurred d the most ever eventful it FIFTY F horse race in history on april 22 1889 an army of more than americans from nearly every state in the union had gathered along the borders of a long forbidden territory at noon came t the he signal which sent them on their mad rush into the promised land and when a new day dawned they were a wilderness into a land of cities and forms farms never before had arne america rica witnessed such a scone scene and it is not likely that it will over ever see it again but out of the dust and confusion tin and d turmoil of that day arose a nl new w commonie comm commonwealth alth and oklahoma the land of the red people added a nl new ow star sta r to the american hag flag back of this historic horse race or the run as they refer to it in tile the oklahoma of today is tile the oge age old story of a land hungry people soon after the creek and seminole indians assembled in a great indian council at fort sm smith ith ark in 1866 1860 ceded their lands west of the ninety eighth meridian to the united states government I 1 non t the agitation tor for opening this country to white settlement started in a few years come came the railroads and in their wake the boomers between the two there was a close conn connection eption at least in the initial stages of the movement in 1870 the M K T the first railway to enter the indian territory began laying tracks southward from tile the kansas bor bar dbr its construction was rushed across the cherokee creek and choctaw nations and thence across laed river into texas the A P frisco built its line across the shawnee and wyandotte reservations entered the cherokee notion nation and affected a junction with the M K T at vinita in 1872 the boom begins in 1884 the santa fe line began building straight through tile the center of the territory from north to south this line completed in 1887 passed directly through the coveted colete d unassigned lands and its coming was the last clarion call t to 0 home seekers the big boorn boom the irresistible cry for the new lands for white colonists 3 welled swelled into a national demand the outstanding figure among the boomers was capt david L payne w who ho had been a scout during tile the indian wars on the southern plains in tile the si sixties and seventies As early as 1880 payne led a colony to the north canadian river and attempted a settlement near tile the present site of oklahoma onla city ho le was arrested an and d his colonists conducted back across tile the border within a month payne was back with another colony which met the same fate but ho he never relaxed ills his efforts colony afar colony was organized under hi hl leadership and pushed across the forbidden borders only to be met by the bayonets of uncle sams soldiers payne was finally indicted by a federal grand jury but ills his death at wellington kan in the midst of another forward movement removed this industrious captain of the boor boomers ners from the scene his work was taken up and carried on by william L couch the last Inva invasion slun was in the fall of 1885 when couch was placed under arrest and his people removed from froin tile the territory by this time the federal authorities thorit ties les at washington were beginning to get busy bill after bul bill authorizing the ahe opening was debated and defeated at last after a bitter fight participated in by indians and indian agents cattle barons and special interest lobbyists hobbyists tho the oklahoma bill passed the house in february 1889 failed in the senate finally was as tacked on as a cider to the indian appropriation bill and became a 8 law march 3 1889 president harrison issued a proc lania tion setting the duto of the opening on april 22 1889 like wildfire the slogan on to oklahoma again swept through the country and the prospective home horne seekers now clothed with legal powers began everywhere to assemble for the grand rush two million acres in the unassigned lands were surveyed and staked into quarter sections and town sites detachments of cavalry were deployed to patrol the holders borders of the new lands registration offices were opened at guthrie and kingfisher arrangements we were re made with the railroads to run as many trains as possible into the new territory on the day set for the opening the great day dawns A graphic account of what took place on an that historic april 22 is given by carl coke rister in his book southern plains men published publish d recently by the university of Okla oklahoma hoina press he writes the morning of the eventful doy day dawned bright and clear for many miles along the no northern rth ern boundary of the land to be op opened ened thousands of homesteaders were camped and hundreds of others were coming in hourly soldiers patrolled the southern side of the line to keep back any overly ambitious contestant yet a majority of those who were present accepted such restrictions without complaint and a spirit of good cheer and friendly ban banter ter seemed to prevail still as the morning wore away the waiting people Q 7 5 v V 4 z TY ek K V 1 4 A view of the town of 0 guthrie a few days after the run became restless and long before the time came to start they were arranging themselves in line along the boundary A signal officer with a flag in one hand and in bugle in the other oth er took a position where all could see him promptly at twelve he sounded tile the note which sent thousands in a mad headlong dash towards the south and other officers stationed at intervals along the boundary relayed the signal down the line the din and confusion which followed is indescribable many horses hitched to vehicles v become became frightened with the sudden noise and clamor and broke away in runs overturning vehicles and spilling their contents on tile the prairies bochok ing cloud of dust enveloped the racers making it difficult for one to see another and thereby im pe rilling the lives of heedless contestants te the speeding trains disgorged dis gorged their shouting and exulting passengers who were sent sprawling on tile the ground or who struck tile the earth running and horseback riders leaning low over their laboring mounts were strung out across the prairies or they raced side by side and their loud oaths laughter and shouts accentuated the thundering hubbub along the southern boundary of the land to bo be opened tile the confusion was almost as great thousands of contestants had cengr congregated e at purcell and at other points on the southern bank of the canadian river this slit silt filled river was an effective barrier which 1 made the work of patrolling soldiers easy several days before the opening desirable crossings were located and before tho the start was made long lines of horseback riders followed by vehicles were opposite purcell on the north bank of tile the rivera tense moment A short time before the starting signal was to be given lieutenant adair of the fifth cavalry mounted on a white horse took his station on a hill where all could see him the atmosphere seemed to be charged with excitement and tenseness as the watchers saw him lift a bugle to ills his lips and it is reported that even before the notes of the instrument ment were heard along the south bank reckless horsemen were plunging into the turgid w waters a of the stream making for the opposite bank ond and that vehicles in some cases loaded with families and household effects effect S were following closely behind them some of tile the vehicles mired in the but the drivers unhitched their teams mounted their fa favorite horses and continued the race within an hour the prairies on the northern side of the river were covered with excited home seekers some pegging down stakes on their claims some edgag engaged ed in heated controversies over priority rights and some speeding on to other oth er sites no less an amazing spectacle than this epic run was the sight which followed immediately of towns springing into exist ence on the prairie ove overnight might it is said that within two hours after the home seekers hud crossed the canadian a townsite company was laying out the municipality nici of lexington n not ot more t than han a mile distant from puree purcell 11 that night guthrie was a tented city of population and okla homa city had more than all in all more than people had entered oklahoma on that historic april 22 not all of them stayed thousands become discouraged when they failed to establish claims or became involved in quarrels fights and litigation over the land they wanted for them the promised land proved to be only a mirage so they drifted back to their old homes in other states but many more thousands did stay and enduring all the privations of life on the last frontier they helped build the commonwealth commo n of oklahoma today us as thoy join in celebrating the golden anniversary of their state they look back upon thel their r work atrid call it good |