January 23, 1899-Cleveland County Leader-Lexington was laid off and incorporated at the opening of Oklahoma, April 22, 1889. For two yeas she lay dormant with only a few stores and half a dozen saloons, a little cross-road village. In 1891 Abernathy established a good little grocery store. He was followed in a short time by E. J. Keller, W. M. Isom, Weitzenhoffer and Turk, Morrison and Marcum Little and Smith and James Brothers. All of these men now form a great part of the bone and sinew of our city today. Disastrous fired three times laid the city in ashes, but every building that burned was replaced by larger ones, and today she stands almost solid in brick, with a population of a little more than 1k000 inhabitants.
Lexington has been built upon her own resources. This is the most remarkable feature of the town. Very little capital has ever been brought here. Out well-to-do merchants and citizens mostly came here with nothing, and have made almost every dollar out of Oklahoma soil. A town thus founded brown and built entirely upon her own natural resources and the surrounding country will always thrive. She will grow forever.
To the east is a belt of the richest bottom lad in Oklahoma. There is not a better fruit country this side of California. Grapes, apples, peaches, pears, berries, etc., grow in great abundance. In cotton, she is equal to Texas; in corn she far exceeds Kansas; in wheat, she yields largely. Just a little further to the east is a broad scope of timbered land, well watered. This is an ideal stock raising country, and all crops grow there in large acreage and yield. Just to our north is a good belt of level prairie, more suitable to wheat rowing, and to our west and south is the great Chickasaw country almost equal to Oklahoma in every particular.
This season 6,000 bales of cotton were ginned here, and the season before, being a little better year, 8,000 bales were passed through our gins. Corn yields an average of forty-five bushels per acre and never fails. From September 1 to January 1 the streets are literally crowded with cotton, and the marshal shave to assist in preventing blockades. The spring trade is always rushing. There is not as good a trading point in proportion to her size in entire of the Territories.
The moral influence of the town is good. There is not a more law abiding people than found in Lexington and surrounding country. We have one of the finest public schools ever taught in the west, and the church membership and lodge roll is strong.
An excellent telephone exchange connects us with our sister city, Purcell, across the river, and soon be connected with the long distance telephone system. Electric lights illuminate our streets and houses. There is not a more industrious people or a locality with better resources than Lexington and vicinity. Our population is incessantly growing by floods of immigrants from every state in the union. All hail the Great Giver of so bountiful resources and fertile prosperous city and country.
PURCELL
The Fair City on The Canadian, And The Pride of the Indian Territory
January 28, 1899-Cleveland County Leader-To the city of Purcell we cannot give justice in so limited space. She is one of the oldest cities of the territory, and has nearly 3,000 inhabitants. Her population is steadily increasing. Only a few months ago she was incorporated and has since been making strides too rapid for other cities to equal.
As to her resources almost everything said of Lexington and surrounding country, can be said of Purcell. There is a great amount of capitol invest three. She has oil mills, railroad shops, flour mills, and many other lines of industry represented, which Lexington has not.
One remarkable feature of the two towns is the good will existing between them and the hearty co-operation with which both work.
Lexington and Purcell will probably some say consolidate and form the capital of Oklahoma and Indian Territory-in double statehood.
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