Oklahoma, a territory of the United States, comprises two detached sections, between which lies a tract known as the Cherokee Outlet. The main portion is bounded W. and S. by Texas, E. and SE. by Indian Territory, from which it is separated by a very irregular line, and N. by Kansas and the Cherokee Outlet, the latter lying between the southern border of Kansas and the parallel 36° 10' N., and extending from the vicinity of the Arkansas River to the 100th meridian. The other portion of the territory is the Public Land Strip situated N. of the Texas 'pan-handle' and S. of the parallel 37° N. This strip, ceded to the United States by Texas at the time of its annexation, was by an oversight not included in any of the adjacent states or territories, and until its incorporation in Oklahoma Territory was known as No Man's Land. The combined area, exclusive of the Cherokee Outlet, is 38,830 sq. m. The population being 61,383 in 1890 (2973 negroes, 5689 Indians), was soon 100,000, besides (in 1894) 12,551 Indians on reservations. See INDIAN TERRITORY.
The surface, which rises gradually toward the north and west, is for the most part an upland prairie. The most important elevations are the Wichita Mountains in the south. The charms of Oklahoma ('Beautiful Country') have been much overrated. It is fairly well watered by the Red and Arkansas rivers and their affluents, but many of the streams are brackish, and so saturated with alkaline salts as to be at times unfit for drinking purposes or for irrigation. The rainfall is much lighter and also less uniform than in Indian Territory. In the river-valleys and in some of the upland regions there are fertile and productive spots, but much of the region is likely to be subject to the same disappointment which prevails in western Kansas during unfavourable seasons. The Public Land Strip, which constitutes one of the counties of the territory, has an arid and unproductive soil covered here and there with a sparse growth of cactus, yucca, and sage-brush. The climate is generally mild, but subject to sudden changes produced by the 'northers' which are common in this region.
The history of Oklahoma dates from the year 1866, when the tribes to whom the lands of Indian Territory had previously been granted ceded the western portion of their domain to the United States. The land thus acquired was known as the Oklahoma district, but it was agreed that it should be used only for settlement by other Indian tribes or freedmen. Notwithstanding this stipulation western speculators claimed that the lands were the property of the government, and open, like other public lands, for settlement under the Homestead (q.v.) laws. In 1879 an organised effort was made to take forcible possession of the lands, and adventurers from Texas, Kansas, and Missouri, equipped and ready for permanent settlement, invaded the territory. Their action was forbidden by proclamations from President Hayes, and the intruders were finally ejected by United States troops. From this time until his death in 1884, David L. Payne, the leader of the 'boomers,' was repeatedly arrested, but he always evaded punishment and returned to the forbidden land, with the number of his followers augmented. He is said to have received more than $100,000 in fees from persons who secured from him permission to settle in Oklahoma. After his death the invasions were
Copyright 1891 in U.S.
by J. B. Lippincott
Company. continued with even greater pertinacity by his lieutenants. Although the government repeatedly proclaimed the integrity of the treaties with the Indians and enforced them by the authority of the military, negotiations were opened, as a result of which, upon the receipt of an additional sum, the Indians waived all claims to a district in the heart of Indian Territory. This unoccupied area was opened for public settlement on April 22, 1889. No one was allowed to enter the borders until noon, but between that hour and twilight the population was increased by at least 50,000. Claims were selected, town sites staked out, and portable houses erected before nightfall. At Guthrie a bank with $50,000 capital did a prosperous business during the afternoon. The territory was regularly organised with extended boundaries on May 2, 1890. The relation which the Cherokee Outlet maintains to the territory which exercises jurisdiction over it may be best comprehended by quoting the words of the official act: 'Whenever the interest of the Cherokee Indians in the lands known as the Cherokee Outlet shall have been extinguished and the president shall make proclamation thereof, said Outlet shall thereupon and without further legislation become a part of the territory of Oklahoma.' The territory contains seven counties, of which the county seats and principal towns are Guthrie, Oklahoma City, Norman, El Reno, Kingfisher City, Stillwater, and Beaver.