22 March 1889, Oklahoma Proclamation To Be Issued
In March, President Benjamin Harrison had announced that land in Indian Territory called the Oklahoma District (land obtained from the Creek and Seminole that wasn't currently assigned to a tribe) would shortly be opened up to non-Native American settlers. This move came after years of eager homesteaders known as "boomers" trying to illegally settle the land; they were repeatedly removed by federal troops, but eventually the pressure on Washington from boomers, western congressmen, and railroads proved strong enough for the government to agree to allow non-Native American settlers to stake claims in the Oklahoma District.
It was 22 March, 1889 we found this mention of "The Oklahoma Proclamation Ready To Be Issued." It appeared in The Leavenworth, out of Leavenworth, Kansas, Friday morning, March 22, 1889, with the following headlines: "Within A Week."
Found on Newspapers.com
Washington, March 21 (1889) -- The proclamation to be issued by President Harrison declaring Oklahoma open to settlement was completed shortly after noon on this date, and it was at once sent to the secretary of the interior for his approval. A consultation would be held at 2 o'clock this afternoon in the secretary's office, to go over the proclamation carefully to see if it was all right. If it be found correct it would be sent to the White house and then there would be nothing left to do but for the President to examine and sign it. The first duty would take some little time, perhaps a week, as General Harrison had said he would not sign it until he had gone over it carefully himself.
The proclamation as now fixed threw open to settlement about 2.5 million acres of land, all the Seminole and creek lands except such as may be reserved by executive order for the use of the Indians.
So on April 22, 1889 roughly 50,000 prospective settlers (estimates range as high as 1000 thousand) gathered at the borders of the Oklahoma District, waiting for the signal - a gunshot - to begin their race to claim land. AT Noon the signal was given, and the men and women moved on foot, on horseback, by wagon, and by train to try to get to the best spots of land first.
| View or Add Comments (0 Comments)
| Receive
updates ( subscribers) |
Unsubscribe
