Tall Tales & True Stories
Land Free For Fighters: The Spalding & Gumm Families in the Oklahoma Land Run
A national magazine, date and name missing, published a story entitled, "Land Free For Fighters" by Edward J. Gumm, as told to Frank J. Vail. This story stated that his father settled on Clear Fork Creek, near Barrett in Marshall County, Kansas in 1869, soon after they'd finished building the Union Pacific Railroad. Then, when President Harrison proclaimed that Oklahoma Territory would be opened for settlement on April 22, 1889, Frank and Edward (Edmund) and their cousin, Jesse Spaulding decided to take part in the land rush. They left for Caldwell, Kansas on April 1, with 4 horses and a light wagon.
At Caldwell, they registered with the Land Commissioner and secured a certificate attesting they had rights as citizens to a land claim in Oklahoma. These certificates had to be produced later at Enid, Oklahoma, at the government land office. The story tells of the violence as the deadline drew near. Edmund sold his horse and rode with Jesse in the wagon with feed for the horses and some water. Frank rode his cayuse on ahead when the horde broke loose to stake their claims. Outlaws gave the people a lot of trouble even though the U.S. Marshals were trying to keep order.
The first water supply was at Pond Creek, and there Edward and Jesse found Frank who had ridden ahead in the stampede. He had had no water nor food since the previous day. He had staked claims for all three about a mile south of the water station on the Rock Island Railroad at Pond Creek. Edward and Jesse soon decided they had seen enough of Oklahoma and Kansas suited them just fine. They rested two days, didn’t make the trip to Enid to file their claims, and never saw their Oklahoma homesteads.
Edward passed through the country about 1907 and found that the country had made a big change. He commented they might have struck it rich if they had stayed for some had made big fortunes in oil, but a fortune is just another thing to worry about and he never was much of a hand to worry.
His description of the stampede into Oklahoma is very exciting, and presents a vivid picture of the event and the violence that went with it.