The Muskogee Cimeter. (Muskogee, Okla.), Vol. 18, No. 30, Ed. 1, Saturday, July 28, 1917 Page: 2 of 4
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Oklahoma Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Gateway to Oklahoma History by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
1 III
1-
f.
y
4
f . -i- m
WK 4
S .
TVLj.TL!"t-i''''M- !-"l
' w
NEGRO
FAIRMUS
- '
rv?-
!
V
To tho Negro Public of
Oklahoma Greeting:
A few of tho leading members
of our race got together in tho
city of Muskogco during the
month of May 1917 and formed
an organization to be known as
the Co-operative Negro Farmers
and Industrial State Fair Asso-
ciation. This Fair Association
aims to represent the progress
wealth and varied industris en-
gaged in by the Negroes in tho
state of Oklahoma. These ideas
and forms for the State Fair
Association for our people were
first given' impetus in tho dem-
onstration held in Muskogee by
tho Negro Business League on
the last visit of our distinguished
citizen Booker T. Washington
to tho state of Oklahoma. That
is the first date in the history of
our lives that we realized what
the Negro in a small section of
our state was doing. This idea
has been kept nlivein our mind
until it took different shape in
the form of a Negro State Fair
Association. In this Fair Asso-
ciation which belongs exclusive-
ly to our people we propose to
ehow to the world what the Ok-
lahoma Negro is capable of do-
ing and to this end wo havo
fixed tho 4th day of September
1917 for tho beginning of this
fair. Tho fair will be opened
at tho Stato Fair Ground in the
city of Muskogee in Muskogee
County at 10 A. M and will be induced to come to good Ok-
end on the 9th day of September lahoma. It means that more
1917. money will be brought lo the
rm ... . .. stato of Oklahoma.
There will be exhibited some Tho several Expositions that
of the finest stock that can be havo b iv b the (liirerent
grown in the United States by countriea oC lho oM were but
our people. There will be farm p h on a . scal aml u
products of all kinds there will a to mlvertiso the business
be machinery and in fact an to the world of the countries that
exposition ot every conceivable vo thcso Expositions. What
industry in i which the Negro is is true of lhe World's Fairs or
engaged. 1 here is no stato in Exp03iti03 ia true also of the
tho Union where the Negro owns state Fairs
as much real property and good
real property as he does in the Our farmers get a chance to
state of Oklahoma. Some of the exchange ideas with their broth-
best Negro blood in the United or farmers and get a chance to
States may be found in the state see what the other fellow is do-
pf Oklahoma and we say un- ing and at the same time they
hesitatingly that there is no show tho other fellow what they
other state in the Union that can are doing. The stockman gets
give an exhibition of the various a chance to exhibit his stock to
industries in the way as can our tho other stockmen the me-
people in the state of Oklahoma chanic his machinery the poul-
At the same time the National tr'man -hf Voultvy and the
Negro Baptist Association of tho womcn olk3 u 8ir. nno n?edl
United States will hold its an- SftiSlT
nunl session in the city of Mus- lvon fl lfhF best..ff "vm7. n"
kogee. There will bo from out JJ?' M? jSn1
the state and from all over the fl " H5??;! ' W'i fe
United States an aggregation of KimS y This w H bo the
Negroes of not less that twenty Pi Minimis. I his will be the
thousand people. These people gtest fair over oxhibited ly
wlin nnmntn nirlnlinmn nnA vlnw Negroes 111 the United States.
this fair m which the Negroes
of Oklahoma will display their
wares will carry away with
them the news of what our
people aro really doing. It means
that other people of our race will
SEPT. 4
. v s
t.
Tho Fair Association has been
organized and incorporated un-
dor the laws of the state of Ok-
lahoma with a capital stock of
$25000.00 in shares of $1.00 per
share. Every Negro in the state
V
1
d 1 A I El
of Oklahoma is invited to become
a stockholder. Even if he pur-
shases one share the dividend
from this immense undertaking
will more than pay you for
what you have invested.
The men who are at the head
of this fair are men of our own
color and are men who stand
among your people. J. Coody
Johnson of Wewoka Okla. is
President of-the Fair Associa-
tion. There i3 probably no Negro
in the stato of Oklahoma or slse-
where who is more widely
known than Colonel J. Coody
Johnson the lawyer stockman
and financier. Ho i3 the organiz-
er and originator of the famous
Black Panther Oil & Gas Com-
pany one of the richest corpora-
tions in the state of Oklahoma.
Dr. R. II. Waterford of Mus-
kogee is Vice President. He is
tho leading physician in Okla-
homa a man of excellent habits
mid full of energy.
T. J. Elliot of Muskogee is
Treasurer of the Fair Associa-
tion. Mr. Elliot is the Negro
merchant prince of Oklahoma.
He owns a number of stores his
principal btore being in Musko-
gee and is without a doubt the
finest Negro Dry Goods Ladies'
and Gents' Furnishing store in
the United States.
W. H. Twine an attorney at
Jaw and a great race man is Sec-
rotary of this company. Mr.
.
J
t
- 8 1917
n
Twine has been in the stato of
Oklahoma since 1891. He livsc
in Muskogee and has a lucrative
practice in his profession as law-
yer. He owns several tracts of
oil bearing land and is an all
around good fellow.
Mr. T. H. Traylor of Okla-
homa City is a member of the
board of directors. Mr. Tray-
lor is truly the biggest and best
known Negro in Western Okla-
homa and owns some very valu-
able property also several brick
buildings and an elegant home in
Oklahoma City tho capital of
Oklahoma.
' Mr. O. W. Gurley is a leading
Nogro business man of Tulsa
Oklahoma. Mr. Gurley is reput-
ed to bo worth anywhere from
$75000 to $150000. He is a suc-
cessful business man and one of
the boys that came up from the
grabs roots
Mr. John W. Simmons retired
merchant of Coweta Oklahoma
who is now giving his individual
attention to his vast real estate
holdings and fine stock raising
is another member of the board
of directors. Mr. Simmons is
a native born Creek Negro with
very limited advantages but has
crept up step by step through the
darkness and the maze of a busi-
ness career while others were
asleep. It can be truly said of him
"that ho was climbing upward
through the night."
WjV
'
The other member of the
board of directors is the Hon.
Robert Emmett Stewart." Mr.
Stewart is an attorney at law of
one of the best firms of Negrok .
lawyers in the state of Oklahoma
and in fact a "firm of lawyers that
stand second to none among our
people in the United States. He '
is a member of the firm of 1
Brown and Stewart of Musko-
gee. Mr. Stewart is a man of
considerable means. The firm
of Brown and Stewart probably .
do the largest business for Ne-
groes and represent more
wealthy Negroes than any firm
of.lawyers of our nationality in
the United Stales. It is safe to '
say that their clientele runs up
into the millions.
Mr. Stewart is the gentleman
who cares for the legal end of
this Fair Association and we
can safely say that there is no
clanger with such men as these
at the head of this Fair- Associa-
tion that it well ever go to the
rocks either for lack of funds or
by improper management.
Dont' forget the date Sept.
4th tit 10 A. M. city of Musko-
gee Oklahoma. Lasts until the
9th of Sept.
Any further information that
you may desire about this Fair
or the purchase of stock we
cheerfully refer you to Dr. R. II.
Waterford First Vice President
and General Manager at 200 1-2
South 2nd St. Muskogee Okla.
." tHx
1 V" I
.- t
- 1
&
'$ 1
t?
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Twine, W. H. The Muskogee Cimeter. (Muskogee, Okla.), Vol. 18, No. 30, Ed. 1, Saturday, July 28, 1917, newspaper, July 28, 1917; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc70227/m1/2/?rotate=90: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.