Volume 18 , Issue 38

April 1889, Description of the Territory

The Wheeling Intelligencer, out of Wheeling, West Virginia, dated 22 April 1889, Monday, page 1, had this to say about the description of the '89 Land Run in Oklahoma Country: "Description of the Territory." The Land flowing with milk and honey; history of how it came to be opened.

Found on Newspapers.com

The Springer Bill, which passed the House February 1, 1889, provided that that part of Indian Territory bounded on the west by the State of Texas and the Territory of New Mexico, on the north by the State of Colorado and the State of Kansas, and on the east by the reservation occupied by the Cherokee tribe of Indians and by the Creek, seminole and Chickasaw reservations and the State of Texas - in other words, all that district comprising what is known as the public land strip and all that part of the Indian Territory not actually occupied by the five civilized tribes, should be created into a temporary government under the name of the Territory of Oklahoma. This bill passed the House February 1, 1889, but failed to pass the Senate.

On February 5, 1889 the President, in a message sent to Congress, announced the purchase of what is known as Oklahoma proper. This purchase contains 1,878,800 acres. This district of Oklahoma originally belonged to the Creeks or Muskogee Indians, but was purchased from them under the treaty of 1866 at 30-cents an acre. The treaty stipulated that the land thus purchased was to be used for the settlement of friendly tribes of Indians. The stipulations as to the location of certain friendly tribes were not carried out, and negotiations looking to a new basis of settlement were opened, by the treaty of 1886, which was approved by the Creek Council, the Indians received $1.25 per acre less the 30 cents per acre already paid them. The agreement of cession was made to embrace a complete surrender of all claims on the part of the Creeks to the western part of their domain, including the assigned as well as the unassigned lands. The agreement was ratified by Congress and appropriations made to pay the purchase money; and this Territory would, under the proclamation of the President, be opened to settlement April 22, 1889.
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