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View Full Version : Good Morning: On yer mark, git set, BOOM!



Okla-homey
4/22/2007, 08:07 AM
April 22, 1889: First Oklahoma land rush begins

http://aycu14.webshots.com/image/13093/2006245228191968928_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2006245228191968928)
OK Centennial Land Run Monument in OKC

118 years ago today, at precisely high noon, thousands of would-be settlers make a mad dash into the the central region of the newly opened Oklahoma Territory in the first of several land runs to claim land.

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Waiting for the "Cherokee Strip" run near Arkansas City, KS. "Boomer" and "Sooner's" ancestors are pictured in the foreground

The nearly two million acres of land opened up to white settlement was located in Indian Territory, a large area that once encompassed much of modern-day Oklahoma. Initially considered unsuitable for white colonization, Indian Territory was thought to be an ideal place to relocate Indian people who were removed from their traditional lands to make way for white settlement.

The Indian relocations began in 1817, and by the 1880s, Indian Territory was became the new home to a variety of tribes, including the "Five Civilized Tribes": Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek,) & Seminole. These Southeastern tribes from GA, TN, MS, AL the FL panhandle were subsequently joined by plains and western tribes like the Cheyenne, Comanche, and Apache. The Osage, who had been here from the beginning, had lands assigned to them too.

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On this map you can see the several Indian reserves and can see that land which would become the counties of Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Logan, Oklahoma, and Payne (except for western parts of Canadian and Kingfisher) had never been assigned to any particular tribe--thus it was ripe for the early pickings.

By the 1890s, improved agricultural and ranching techniques led some white Americans to realize that the Indian Territory land could be valuable, and they pressured the U.S. government to allow white settlement in the region.

In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison agreed, making the first of a long series of authorizations that eventually removed most of Indian Territory from Indian control.

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A great American city would be built by those April 22, 1889 Boomers (and more than a few Sooners) who claimed land in what became Oklahoma County

To begin the process of white settlement, Harrison chose to open a 1.9 million-acre section of Indian Territory that the government had never assigned to any specific tribe. However, subsequent openings of sections that were designated to specific tribes were achieved primarily through the Dawes Severalty Act (1887), which allowed whites to settle large swaths of land that had previously been designated to specific Indian tribes. The Act resulted in the allotment of 80 acres to any Indian who was willing to come forward. What was left over within the reservations after all the Indian allottees got their 80 acres each was thrown open for claim and sale to whites.

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People of all ages and backgrounds participated. This photo is from the the "Cherokee Strip Run," but I imagine it is fairly typical of what you would see at each run, including the one we celebrate today

On March 3, 1889, Harrison announced the government would open the 1.9 million-acre tract of Indian Territory for settlement precisely at noon on April 22. Anyone could join the race for the land, but no one was supposed to jump the gun.

With only seven weeks to prepare, land-hungry Americans quickly began to gather around the borders of the irregular rectangle of territory. Referred to as "Boomers," by the appointed day more than 50,000 hopefuls were living in tent cities on all four sides of the territory. In sum, the contested territory would become the Oklahoma counties of Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Logan, Oklahoma, and Payne.

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Another view of the Cherokee Strip run photographed right after the "boom." Note the passenger train in the background which had brought many to the starting line.

The events that day at Fort Reno on the western border were typical. At 11:50 a.m., soldiers called for everyone to form a line. When the hands of the clock reached noon, the cannon of the fort boomed, and the soldiers signaled the settlers to start. With the crack of hundreds of whips, thousands of Boomers streamed into the territory in wagons, on horseback, and on foot.

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Boomers lined up at the starting line to receive their official government certificates allowing them to legally participate in the run. Of course, Sooners didn't bother with such formalities.

All told, from 50,000 to 60,000 settlers entered the territory that day. By nightfall, they had staked thousands of claims either on town lots or quarter section farm plots. Towns like Norman, Oklahoma City, Kingfisher, and Guthrie sprang into being almost overnight.

An extraordinary display of both the pioneer spirit and the American lust for land, the first Oklahoma land rush was also plagued by greed and fraud. Cases involving "Sooners"--people who had entered the territory before the legal date and time--overloaded courts for years to come.

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On autumn Saturdays, that pioneering land run spirit is remembered and celebrated at the epicenter of the great 1889 Land Run on a patch of ground surrounded by 80,000 screaming Okies.


In some respects the recent settlement of Oklahoma was the most remarkable thing of the present century. Unlike Rome, the city of Guthrie was built in a day. To be strictly accurate in the matter, it might be said that it was built in an afternoon. At twelve o'clock on Monday, April 22d, the resident population of Guthrie was nothing; before sundown it was at least ten thousand. In that time streets had been laid out, town lots staked off, and steps taken toward the formation of a municipal government. At twilight the camp-fires of ten thousand people gleamed on the grassy slopes of the Cimarron Valley, where, the night before, the coyote, the gray wolf, and the deer had roamed undisturbed. Never before in the history of the West has so large a number of people been concentrated in one place in so short a time. To the conservative Eastern man, who is wont to see cities grow by decades, the settlement of Guthrie was magical beyond belief; to the quick-acting resident of the West, it was merely a particularly lively town-site speculation. -- William Willard Howard, Harper's Weekly 33 (May 18, 1889): 391-94.

It wasn't over in 1889 either. There were five land runs in Oklahoma:

1) Land Run of 1889 we celebrate today took place at high noon on April 22, 1889 and involved the settlement of the Unassigned Lands (most of modern day Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Logan, Oklahoma, and Payne counties).

2) September 22, 1891: Land run to settle Iowa, Sac & Fox, Pottawatomie, and Shawnee lands.

3) April 19, 1892: Land run to settle the Cheyenne and Arapaho lands.

4) September 16, 1893: Cherokee Strip Land Run (which is the one most photographed) The Run of the Cherokee Strip opened nearly 7,000,000 acres to settlement on September 16, 1893. The land was purchased from the Cherokees for $7,000,000.

5) May 3, 1895: Land run to settle the Kickapoo lands.

Regarding that second run, President Harrison issued a proclamation on September 18, 1891 declaring the "surplus" Indian lands which had recently been declared after making the allotments to the Iowa, Sac & Fox, Pottawatomie and Shawnee were to be open for settlement four days later, Tuesday, September 22, 1891, at 12 o'clock noon.

A conservative estimate places the number of settlers at about 20,000 surrounding the three reservations awaiting the starting signal for the rush to claim one of the 6,097 160-acre homesteads that were available. These former Iowa, Sac & Fox, and Shawnee-Pottawatomie lands were occupied in one afternoon.

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Boomers Roll!

As an aside, your correspondent's great grandpappy Jim Lester ran in the that particular land run but subsequently lost his claim due to "sharp practice" by a feller who hooked him out of his claim by going into court and complaining that greatgrandpappy Jim hadn't made the requisite improvements on the 160 acre parcel which were required by law.

The feller prevailed and poof! -- Jim lost it when the feller bought it out from under him. Jim then loaded up his stuff and his family and drove to Okemah and bought the 80 acre allotment owned by a Creek freedwoman. Jim made a go of it on that 80 acres near Okemah and eventually raised seven kids there, one of whom was my meemaw.

After these early land runs in which a lot of people got hurt or killed, the government attempted to operate subsequent runs with more controls, eventually adopting a lottery system to designate claims.

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By 1905, white Americans owned most of the land in Indian Territory. Two years later, the area once known as Indian Territory entered the Union as a part of the new state of Oklahoma.

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OUHOMER
4/22/2007, 08:25 AM
Nice work as always, I live on the original homestead for this section. My house, Or rather parts on it was built in 1903. kind of interesting knowing the stake was supposedly stuck in the ground here

OKC-SLC
4/22/2007, 08:37 AM
Excellent.

jk the sooner fan
4/22/2007, 08:50 AM
i wonder if there are records of the land run - i.e. family names that staked claims, etc....

Okla-homey
4/22/2007, 09:00 AM
i wonder if there are records of the land run - i.e. family names that staked claims, etc....

I would imagine the roots of title to most land in the various counties opened by land run are the original claimants who made the run...or were Sooners who snuck in early. For tracts which were originally allotted to an Indian, the root of title usually runs to the original allottee.

Note: Per the Dawes and Curtis Acts, Indian allottees couldn't alienate (that's lawyer talk for sell) their land for 25 years. At that time, they could sell it. Despite this rule, my g-grandpappy was able to buy a Creek allottee freedwoman's land in Okmulgee County before that 25 years was up because the law didn't apply to her because she wasn't Indian. Instead, she was a black former slave of a Creek.

Also, its important to note, that even though Indian allottees couldn't sell their lands before 25 years were up, they could lease them, and many did. Unfortunately for the allottees, a lot of shady fellers came in and made offers that were ridiculously low and below fair market value for the leases. The lessees were typically cattlemen who had the wherewithal, but not the pastures, for big herds. The Indians, who lacked the herds but had the pasture land, often took the very low offers because something is better than nothing and you can't eat dirt, grass and rocks. I've seen cases where 160 acres were leased for less than 100 bucks a year.

Its all a sad chapter in our state's history. I'm glad the Indians are finally gaining their inherent rights of self-determination through gaming revenues. It's only fair given the inequities of the Dawes and Curtis Acts.

King Crimson
4/22/2007, 09:28 AM
My paternal family still has our original homestead between Morrison and Lela, from the Cherokee Strip run.

PhxSooner
4/22/2007, 09:56 AM
Great as always, Homey. You're making me homesick. Sniff, sniff.:( :D

My mother's family is from the SW part of the state, and made one of the runs. My great-grandmother was actually born and raised on a Texas farm, but she always hid that fact.

SoonerStormchaser
4/22/2007, 10:09 AM
Jeez...in 1889, my family was either in Sicily, New Jersey...or French Canadia!

Flagstaffsooner
4/22/2007, 11:29 AM
Olevet's family has always called it "The Great Natty Run of 1889".
http://www.affordablehousinginstitute.org/blogs/us/oklahoma_land_rush_1889_small.jpg

apusooner
4/22/2007, 02:09 PM
I was wondering as I was logging on today, if 'Homey did the "good mornings" on a Sunday, or weekend I guess I should say. I never noticed before. I look forward to reading them when I log on. Longtime reader, first time poster in one of these threads.
My family still lives on the original 160 acre plot staked in one of the runs. My grandfather has the deed to the land signed by Grover Cleveland hanging in the living room. My great grandmother, my grandfather, my dad, my brother and myself all grew up on the same land. I was hoping that if my brother or myself had kids, that they could at least have the place to visit. If Moore keeps expanding like it has been, they will take the land away through iminent domian or something I'm afraid.
Anyway, thanks for this edition of Good Morning. Only three months until I get to come back and visit!

Flagstaffsooner
4/22/2007, 02:14 PM
I was wondering as I was logging on today, if 'Homey did the "good mornings" on a Sunday, or weekend I guess I should say. I never noticed before. I look forward to reading them when I log on. Longtime reader, first time poster in one of these threads.
My family still lives on the original 160 acre plot staked in one of the runs. My grandfather has the deed to the land signed by Grover Cleveland hanging in the living room. My great grandmother, my grandfather, my dad, my brother and myself all grew up on the same land. I was hoping that if my brother or myself had kids, that they could at least have the place to visit. If Moore keeps expanding like it has been, they will take the land away through iminent domian or something I'm afraid.
Anyway, thanks for this edition of Good Morning. Only three months until I get to come back and visit!Wow, that is really cool, apu. Please share some stories with us. On you your way back to Oklahoma stop in Flagstaff and visit me.

apusooner
4/22/2007, 02:21 PM
Wow, that is really cool, apu. Please share some stories with us. On you your way back to Oklahoma stop in Flagstaff and visit me.
I would, but I can't stand the drive from LA to Norman. I prefer to fly. If I ever do make the drive again, Flagstaff is one of the stops on the way usually.
What kind of stories are you looking for?

Flagstaffsooner
4/22/2007, 02:27 PM
I would, but I can't stand the drive from LA to Norman. I prefer to fly. If I ever do make the drive again, Flagstaff is one of the stops on the way usually.
What kind of stories are you looking for?History of the family in the land run and the afterwards.

apusooner
4/22/2007, 02:45 PM
History of the family in the land run and the afterwards.
to be honest, i don't really know the history of the family prior to the land run. i know my great grandmother's side immigrated from germany and came to OK through Texas. I guess they came to their senses :) My great grandfather's side came from Ireland through Tennessee I think. My brother might know more than I do. Anyway, if i'm not mistaken, the original plot for my great grandfathers side of the family was the land where the crystal lakes community now sits.(just south of norman) that side of the family moved alot. they also lived where sooner road and rock creek intersect. they found dinosaur bones there, and they are on display in the museum on campus. that's abouth the coolest thing i can think of right now.

Flagstaffsooner
4/22/2007, 02:59 PM
Thank you.

TUSooner
4/22/2007, 08:43 PM
Excellent stuff.

BigRedJed
4/22/2007, 09:44 PM
Not to nitpick, but that definition of who the Boomers were is, although very common, not exactly correct. The Boomers were not simply the people who lined up to legally participate in the land run.

The Boomer Movement actually started about a decade before the run for the unassigned lands, and consisted of the people who were pressuring the government to open up Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory to white settlement. The most famous of the Boomers was David Payne, for whom Payne County is named. He actually died five years before the run for the unassigned lands.

Boomers repeatedly attempted to settle the lands and were run off by the army. Technically, they were lawbreakers as much as the "Sooners" were. They did this for years before the government relented and allowed the areas to be legally settled.

There are quite a few sources on the web detailing the Boomer movement, but this site (http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/research/r_virt_landrun3.html) is a start for those who are interested.