“To all whom it may concern
You will take notice that the following petition for the incorporation of the Town of Stilwell was filed in the United States Court October 3, 1896, and the date of hearing said petition was fixed for December 1, 1896. And the final hearing of the same will be had in said court at Muskogee January 2, 1897, at which time petitioners will ask for final order incorporating said town. All who may have a right to appear and object to said proceedings are warned to do so on said day, January 2, 1897.
Witness:
Petitioners for Incorporation | |
| J. P. Willis S. L. Johnson William Allison John Goss | J. H. Dannenburg Frank Black John Hunt |
To the Honorable William M. Springer, Judge of the United States Court for the Northern District of the Indian Territory.
Whereas: The town of Stilwell, Indian Territory, has a population of about five hundred and is rapidly growing and is destined to be at no very distant day one of the leading cities of the Indian Territory, and being without any kind or form of self government;
We, the undersigned petitioners and citizens of said town and Territory, feeling and realizing by almost daily experience the absolute need of some form of city government whereby law and order may be enforced and upheld, and crime subjected to that degree of punishment which civilized society has always and will forever maintain, and whereby we may be more closely united for much needed public improvements, for the upbuilding of society;
Therefore, in pursuance of an act of Congress adopting Chapter 29, Part 1, of Mansfield’s Digest of the Laws of Arkansas respecting Municipal corporations, we respectfully petition Your Honor to decree us a body corporate with all the powers and privileges granted under said law for the prevention of crime and the enforcement of law and order, and intrinsic maintenance and such other power and jurisdiction granted under said law, and applicable to the condition of affairs in this country.
The territory for which we ask incorporation is bounded as follows to wit: Beginning at a point one mile due north of the center of Division Street where the same intersects the main track of the Kansas City, Pittsburg & Golf Railway at the center of said main track, and running thence east one mile, thence south two miles, thence west two miles, thence north two miles, thence east one mile, to a point of beginning; the same being the said two miles square about the said point of intersection of said Division Street and the main track of said Kansas City, Pittsburg & Gulf Railway at the town and station of Stilwell, I. T.
For the plat of said above described territory, we refer Your Honor to plat hereto annexed.
We further pray that said town retain its present name, Stilwell.
The persons authorized to act in behalf of your petitioners, in prosecuting this petition, are:
| J. P. Willis S. L. Johnson William Allison John Goss | J. H. Dannenburg Frank Black John Hunt |
Signed:
| Ben. T. Goss Austin McLane George A. Rakestraw William Patterson A. L. Aken M. Y. Sullivan J. A. Dunn W. A. Allison J. Y. Jones J. R. Allison J. W. Morris B. G. Fletcher J. H. Dannenburg N. B. Shelton C. W. Gillim Y. N. Dannenburg R. S. Byrd | R. E. Jones J. Y. Johnson L. M. Stout S. L. Johnson J. C. Renckle J. H. Morris A. Wills S. Goodboy A. J. Warren W. H. Cainell J. T. Tally F. A. Blank E. B. Shepley O. E. Franklin J. J. Paden William Gott J. C. Hall | J. K. Ross J. E. Painter W. S. Snell S. Z. Douglas J. A. Patton H. C. Beard C. C. Claud J. W. Ross H. M. Adair M. L; Paden M. H. Gurren Charles Bean Charles Patterson J. P. Deshon John Hunt John Goss |
Source: Benedict, John D. Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma, including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa. 3 v. illus., ports., facsims. 28 cm. Chicago, S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922.