fact that the mountains were on the forbidden ground of an Indian reservation and prospectors caught there were summarily ejected has seeemed to convince all of them that some great hidden treasure was being guarded by the Indians and the Government. Periodical stories of old Spanish mines, ruins of smelters, buried treasure, caves lined with purest ore, canyons where gold nuggets lay thick as pebbles, all guarded by Indian braves whose vigilance never relaxed, have appeared from time to time to excite the credulous, but have always been lacking the essential element of tangible proof of any sort. Lewis and Clarke, in the report of their explorations in the Southwest, tell of indications of cobalt, asphalt, zinc, iron, and copper in these mountains, and there is no doubt of the existence of these and other mineral deposits, but the stories of abandoned Spanish gold mines or of the existence of gold or silver in any appreciable quantity wholly lacks confirmation. Whether the deposits of the baser metals above mentioned are extensive enough to be of any great value or to make a prosperous mining region of the reservation at some future date, it is impossible at this time to say. Experts, however, agree that the indications of asphalt and oil are such, however, as to indicate a field rich in these products. In Blaine County are inexhaustible deposits of rock salt, and the cement and gypsum deposits of the Territory are numerous and great in extent. In the Glass Mountains and in the Osage Reservation are indications of several minerals which time and development will reveal to be great or small. While it will be seen there are indications of minerals in various parts of the Territory and some real development, it is certain that the greatest mineral wealth of the future State of Oklahoma lies in the coal beds, asphalt, zinc, lead, and oil deposits of what is now the Indian Territory. UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES. A careful consideration of the sections of this report devoted to agriculture and horticulture, mines and minerals, and manufacturing will show many undeveloped resources of the Territory, offering opportunities for the investment of capital and labor. The great stone, cement, and salt deposits offer special inducements for development. Of these probably the most extensive in the West are found in northern Blaine County. Here is a great natural park, with rocky bluffs of pure gypsum penetrated by natural tunnels hundreds of feet long and canyons bridged by natural bridges of great beauty. In one of these canyons rises Salt Creek, one of the most wonderful streams on the continent. Having its source in one of the canyons of the park, this stream flows out from the hills across the prairie to the Cimarron River, whose waters are made as bitter as the ocean by its influx. The source of Salt Creek is brine oozing up from great beds of rock salt at a depth of not over 150 feet, and the water of the stream is so strongly impregnated with salt that when evaporated it yields half its weight in salt pronounced 99 per cent pure by chemists. For over 4 miles from its source no fresh water enters the creek, and it is estimated that the regular flow of water if all evaporated would yield from 40 to 50 carloads of salt per day. This from the ordinary flow of the stream, and the amount could be greatly increased by shallow wells, while the deposit of rock salt must be almost inex haustible. Salt is manufactured there now in half a dozen primitive plants, but the region offers great inducements for the investment of capital. OIL AND GAS. There are unmistakable evidences of oil and gas at many points in the Territory. In Payne and Pawnee counties are several springs where the water is polluted with oil, and in the Chickasaw Nation and the Kiowa and Comanche reservations are oil springs and large deposits of asphaltum, which are but the residue of great fields of oil. The well put down to a depth of 1,100 feet in the Osage Reservation, near Pawhuska, two years ago was recently opened and made a run of 300 barrels. Paying wells are being put down in all parts of the Creek country just east of Oklahoma. A local company is putting down a well at Guthrie. These known deposits of oil, together with the fact that part of Oklahoma lies in a direct line from the oil fields of Kansas to those of Texas, all indicate that at some place in the Territory gas and oil will be found in paying quantities. MANUFACTURING. While the manufacturing interests of Oklahoma already are considerable in extent and embrace many branches, they are really but a mere indication of the industrial development that is to come within the next few years. The development of manufacturing industries the past year has been almost tenfold that of any previous year of the Territory's history, and everything points to a still greater expansion the coming year. Among the largest manufacturing institutions of the Territory are the cotton-seed oil mills at Guthrie, Oklahoma City, Purcell, Shawnee, Chandler, and Stroud. There are also cotton compresses at El Reno, Oklahoma City, and Shawnee and round bale gins and compresses combined at Guthrie, Chandler, Wellston, Tecumseh, and several other points, with fully 200 cotton gins scattered over the Territory, the larger towns in the cotton district having from two to six each. These are the industries dependent upon the cotton crop of the Territory, and cotton spinning and weaving mills must follow in the near future. Oklahoma City, El Reno, Shawnee, and Guthrie have foundries and planing mills. Oklahoma City has a large sash, door, and blind factory, a mattress factory, and a shirt and overall factory. Guthrie and Oklahoma City have harness manufactories, and every town of any size in the Territory has brick-manufacturing plants. There are creameries at Oklahoma City, El Reno, Hennessey, Guthrie, Manchester, and Stillwater, and canning factories at Oklahoma City, Chandler, and Guthrie. The Choctaw machine shops employ a large number of hands at Shawnee. Brooms are manufactured in many towns; there are a dozen or more cigar factories in the Territory; and the manufacture of wine from the abundant grape crop of the Territory gives employment to many people. Cheese factories at Perkins and Orlando do a large business, and there are large ice and cold-storage plants in operation at Perry, Ponca, Blackwell, Guthrie, Oklahoma City, Shawnee, Chandler, El Reno, Kingfisher, and Enid. Oklahoma City and Guth |