Article December 14, 1899 Issue

Miscellany

Pittsburg Despatch

In Oklahoma they do not build towns as they do in other parts of the world. The people of that territory sneer at the motheaten statement that Rome was not built in a day. They are well aware it required more than one day to build Rome, but that was a very long time ago, and, under any circumstances, nobody could expect genuine enterprise in Italy.

A new town was made in Oklahoma last Monday. It did not take half a day to built it. It was made at once. This new town is Billings, about thirty miles northwest of Perry, and it marks the terminus of a new branch of the Rock Island Railroad. The town site was marked out only four days before the town was established, and Monday morning was fixed for occupancy. White Rock, a village about four miles away decided to join the new venture. The five hundred inhabitants of White Rock put their houses on wheels Saturday evening and on Sunday moved over to the edge of the new site. The White Rock postoffice went along with the other domiciles, and when six o'clock came on Monday morning the White Rock houses were moved to their several lots, and the postoffice changed its name to Billings. Many other settlers came with wheeled houses or tents, waited patiently on the border line over Sunday, and moved in at six o'clock Monday morning.

Sunday evening there was not one house in Billings. Monday forenoon there were more than three hundred and the town was established. Two banks were opened the first day, and there were enough saloons to wash away all the dust that had collected in men's throats during the rush.

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