Page:Lives of the presidents in words of one syllable (1903).djvu/142

 RUSH OF THE BOOMERS INTO OKLAHOMA.

A large tract of land, known as Ok-la-ho-ma, had been bought from the In-di-ans but had not yet been made free to white men. A time was set, A-pril 22, 1889, at noon, when men could go in and take the land. No one was to be let in till then, and those who were first there to make claims to farms and lots were to get them. This caused a vast crowd of "boom-ers," as they were called, to line up at the bounds of Ok-la-ho-ma, and when the hour was up, there was a great cloud of dust, and a wild rush of hoofs, wheels, and feet. By the time night fell, towns had been laid out, and a start made to build them. In no part of the land up to this time had so swift a growth been seen.

In De-cem-ber, 1889, the "McKin-ley Tar-iff Bill" was made a law. The "Behr-ing Sea Trea-ty" was made a law, too, in Har-ri-son's time. This put a stop to the