Before the Founding of Lawton
Land Lottery and Auction
Game
Teaching Materials
|
|
 |
Everyone
who signed up had a fair chance to win.
A married white man's name was drawn first. (This was James R. "Hog" Woods.) A single white lady's name was drawn second. Her name was Mattie Beal. The third drawing from the Lawton district was Winfield Laws. Laws was a black man from Langston, Oklahoma. Mattie Beal drew the second claim. She was a young single lady who lived with her family in Wichita, Kansas. Mattie worked as a telephone operator. She chose land further away from the town site. She could not choose land closer to town, since Hog Woods had claimed all of the land right next to the town site. |
|
|
| “When I came down here to register,
I never had any idea that I would get a lucky number. A party of
my friends came and I concluded to come with them. We arrived here
on the 16th and immediately after registering returned home. I am
the only one of the party securing a number. When I was told of it,
I could hardly believe that I was so fortunate, but since I have a chance
for a home I intend to make the best of it, and for that reason I am going
down to look over the country.”
- Mattie Beal, from 'Neath
the August Sun, LUCKY, No. 2
|
 |
|
 |