• • VESTAL, OPHELIA u« \ PASTURE QWELEEL. 103| ' . - 11 - \ • Form D*(S-14:9) . LEGEND & STORY FORM - ' ' ' • » WORKS. PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION ; •>. Indian-Pioneer History Project for •' n

'VESTAL, OPHEllA D. PASTURE, SETTLER.

Fie Id * orker' ^ nane Vestal, QphftHa h. ^

Shis roport maap on (date) I March 21, 193R. 193.

1, This logond tvas \ « secured from Uiame) Copied fron. rocords of Chamber of Commerce f- ' ( Address Lawton, Oklahoma , r- This person'it> (neio or female) Ivhite, Kopro, Indian,

• If-Indian, give tribe •\ 2. ' Origin end- history of It-gond or story Pasture Settlers and\Indian Land

3. Write out Ijho legend or story as \completely as possible. tJso blank sheots md etttlch firmly to this form, dumber of sheets . attached ' \ • * 4. VESTAL, OPHELIA D. PASTURE SETTLER, 10303 ' • •

Field Worker, Ophelia D. Vestal;' March 21, 1938,

pasture Settlers" and Indian Land.- On January 11, 1908, two important meetings were I held which*represented conflicting view points in the "Big Pasture." One was a meeting of land owners at *Randlett and the other a meeting of important leaders - held' at the -homo of , last War Chief of

the . s The meetings were held in regard to a bill introduced by our congressman, ScotJ Ferris, which would have cancelled remaining indebtedness against lands held by the settlers end would, further have provid- ed for the opening to .settlement' of all remaining un- "oWupied lands of that territory. Tfce plan further provided for "placing on the market eighty acres of the Indian allotments, now held iao provided for -In the measure^ recently introduced by Congressman Scott y According to the news dispatch of the dey from Handlett it has been decided by the settlers to send • / /

VESTAL, .-QPHEI/iA D, PASTURE SETTLE* 10303 -2-

someone to Washington to bring direct influence to bear upon representatives in that body. "Yora simply open a new avenue to the white Juan who grafts Vthe Indians when you permit the Indians to sell eighty acres of each quarter section allotment, for beiore night the white nan would have a mortgage on evexty- • ' V thing the Indian purchased with the casji he got ram the land," was the expression made by a Chief Legal Adviser of ;he Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes, Joe Williams. This adviser, .^os Willisma, was considered as one of the brainiest red men o£ tho new State* He \ made-this reaarij at Caehe wh^re av group of Indian, men had assembled %o confer with Chief Quan'ah Parker* "The Indiaks are children yet,n said ^hief Williams, 'it is hard to break down traditions and bend the mi Indians* Imin • d to the white man's will. I delegation remained for two days at the Parker "Borne. The meeting was held secretly but word got out/ there might be a general meeting of the tribe to oppose, the ^erris bill*

\ ______389 VESTAL, OPHSUA D, PASTURE SETTLSR, 10303 -3-' • y

The President and Vice President of the* Big Pasture Settlers' association of and Tillman Gounties. H, H. Parks and 0. 0. Tibbit's, were the twchosen efs representatives to go to Washington, Following are / some views of the settlers from newspapers: Having re- oalled the fact tna.tjthe Government he's been thoughtful and lenient- toward settlers on the new lands of the West and on different occasions have either cancelled payments or extended their dates due, the. Associationt at.a recent meeting, determined to ask Congress to enact a law providing for, the cancellation of the future payments ox the nearly 3,500 homesteads in what was originally/knowa as the.Big Pasture* They were asked that the measure provide that unselected lands in the tracts 'of 480,000 acres be not allotted to Comenche and - Indians but th«V b© sold to people who would settle. This Association was chartered under the lavs of the Statt and each one who subscribes a^share or more of stock aids in the raising of a fund which helps 390 • VESTAL, OPHELIA' D* PASTURE SETTLER. 10303 . , " -4- • -

tie bill^ go through Congress. Tha sal© of the £ pasture Xanda by seeled lands proved to be successful for the Indians for this land, in most cases, brought • as much as improved homesteads in nearby sections. Practically every quarter brought mora than the home- stead price of §1*25 per acre, one-fifth of the total being paid in cash and the remainder paid in four equal annual installments. As the Government had^fceld lot sales at auction and by sealed bids, -but this was the largest sealed bid ever undertaken in In&ien lands. The law for the homeateadei was' that each settler must be living on the land within six months from pur- •-. chase date. Many people paid a little more than the . land was actually worth but ea s homestead they looked into the future and decided it,was the thing to do. ^hey had to improve this homestead and cultivate the land and these people went through many hardships^

t \.. some tm left their claims, -losing what money they had \ put out. The ones, who Temained found improvements posting a lot, nd railroads near, no good crops for 391 VESTAL, OPHELIA D« PASTURE SETTLES. 10303 -5-

\ • a.. t«n year»,\no bridges, roads or- schccls = 1 Only a few years ago Indians owned all this land, but step by ste\p they lost their land befdre realizing it* Hot so ssanyv years have passed since the Comanches, and Apachea owned nearly four million acres of land, which was known as the Kiowa-ComancheIndian • Reservation *\ . During the aunsney- of 1G01, after a treaty with Chief Q,uanah Parker and other tribesmen and .laadars, Congress authorized the opening*of nor e land than 2,000',000 acres and retained the rest, giving each man, woraan^and chil-d 160 acres .and setting ©side 5000,000 acres in the "Big Pasture" which* was to be leased to cattlemen, It was in December 1906 that this tract of land was sold and brought a pretty good price; today every foot of this land has been put to some good use.' A few scattering tracts of land in the "Big Pas- ture" were unsold at .theauctioning of the land; this t lend was given to the infants born since, June, 1906

• • . •: -\ . • VESTAL, OPHELIA D. PASTIES SETTLI 1030S

in tribte holding olaira to the land. At tho time of this decision lots of Indian babies did not get any lend because of such few ecresl