The date was April 22,1889 on the Oklahoma-Kansas border, with thousands of land rush participants lined up behind the magic line waiting for 12 p.m. The guards did their best to maintain the line and order, but when the army bugler blew his horn, there was a loud cheer from the thousands in attendance and the horses were off to what would become known as Guthrie, Oklahoma, in a few hours.
Getting to that ideal homestead of 160 acres was what all these families and settlers wanted that day. Some even left wagons, families and supplies behind so that they could be the first one to the territory. History has it that they would come back for their families after they staked their claim. It was truly a dash to the homesteads, and the settler with the fastest horse was going to get there first.
Those pioneers who chose to bring their family, wagons and personal property with them risked not getting to the prime farmland that those just on horseback who left family and supplies behind claimed. Within minutes it is reported in various history editions that some headed southeast, some went to the southwest and some just went straight south toward what would become Guthrie.
The wagon train moved slowly southward, and by 3 p.m. many had crossed the Cimarron River. Others had reached their claims and stood as the proud owners, most for the first time in their lives, of 160 acres of the best farmland on the North American continent. The rich valley of the Cimarron was soon covered with men, the more fortunate ones.
Those who were forced to rely upon horses taken from a farm team had fallen behind.
Gleefully, some of the winners waved to a neighbor. Others dropped to the ground and began to spade shovels full of the rich soil. Others began immediately to improvise a shelter. Others just stood there reveling in the possession of good farmland for the first time.
Those members of the family following in the caravan of covered wagons appeared not to be in great haste. Some of them would find a nice spot and camp for the night, knowing that their early arrival at the chosen spot was not pressing. They could continue the next day and find their husbands and fathers sitting on a nice claim. Campfires could be seen rising in all directions long before nightfall.
However, there were many who did not play the game straight. Seeking an unfair advantage, some had sneaked across the line and concealed themselves in bushes and in the tall grass, waited until they heard the blast of the bugle, then sped ahead, or simply staked their claim where they were. Some of the legal home seekers reported that as they neared the spot they had selected, the site simply came alive with men. Sometimes the newcomer chose to contest the site, but others rushed on for another choice, choosing not to enter controversy.
There were eight land rush trains that day that left Arkansas City, Kansas, at noon and arrived in Guthrie at 1:25 p.m. What a surprise to those people to see thousands of people already in Guthrie and a town starting to already grow. A second train coming from the southern plains down by what is now known as Purcell arrived in Guthrie at 2:10 p.m. History stories indicate that many of the train riders had their baggage, tents and supplies tossed from the windows before the train had stopped, hoping to recover them as they ran, or to return after they had staked their claim.
It seemed that almost every man had in his hand a hatchet or an ax, four pegs with which to mark the boundaries of their newly claimed property. A few had ropes for the same purpose. Halfway up the hill stood the land office, an unpainted frame building 16 by 20 feet. It was the only structure other than the railroad station and the homes of the railroad section crews.
The railroad station was quickly erected as was the first hotel. The Santa Fe House consisted of 50 tents and 200 beds with another five large tents serving the guests as dining rooms. The post office was on the hill south of the land office. North of them was another tent with a flag waving, marking the location of the headquarters of United States Marshal’s Office.
By nightfall, a green and rolling prairie was a city of tents, stretching five miles east and west and two miles north and south. An open space inhabited by a few men working for the railroad and in the land office had in a few short hours become a city of at least 10,000. Messages scribbled on shingles or pieces of cloth are how the new lot owners proclaimed that the spaces were already claimed.
The Santa Fe Railroad was praised for its efficiency in handling its immense crowd. The first train into Guthrie brought about 1,000 passengers, and there were nine others to follow, each with approximately the same number, making a total of 10,000 pioneers seeking a place to live in one day.
Besides the matter of finding, staking and holding one’s lot, the next biggest problems were food and water. In the excitement and anticipation, few had bothered at the time of preparations to provide themselves with either food or drink.
The Santa Fe Railroad Company drilled a well for its workers, and then guarded it from being robbed by the new Guthrie residents for fear it would run out of water. It is reported a lot of the new Guthrie residents did not bring water with them as part of the land rush.
By the end of the day, Guthrie was born with 2,000 tents and another 1,000 by the morning of April 23. It looked more like a military camp than a newborn city. The settlers flocked to the four major centers; the land office, the post office, the freight office and the tents set up as restaurants.
A mood of civility prevailed, considering the circumstances. Not one single case of drunkenness was reported since the tent-town was laid out. For a time, altercations over claims to lots occurred. Some were sure they staked their claim facing the street, while their neighbor was just as sure that he was the one who had the site marked facing the street, not the alley. Matters of confusion were sent to the arbitration councils for rulings. Guthrie was born that day in 1889.