Oklahoma Land Runs

Who is known as Oklahoma's most "colorful" governor?

"Alfalfa" Bill Murray

The U.S. President who appointed the commission to negotiate deals with American Indians andmake possible the land run was

Benjamin Harrison

This word comes from the Civil War days, and refers to an outsider who is a dishonest politician--something there were plenty of in Oklahoma during the Land Run days.

Carpetbagger

This man was orphaned at age three, grew up to be a school teacher, an attorney, and operated businesses. In 1907, he was elected as Oklahoma's first governor.

Charles N. Haskell

What are the names of some well-known Oklahoma outlaw?

Cole Younger, Belle Starr, Jesse James, Bill Doolan

Early settlers in Oklahoma lived in houses hollowed out of the side of a hill, and were called

Dugouts

True or False: Oklahoma's flag has always been light blue (the Choctaw battle flag during the Civil War) with the Osage battle shield , a peace pipe, and an olive branch.

False! It used to be red with a star in the middle and the number "46" in the star.

This was the name of the commission, or group of people, appointed by the White House to negotiate deals with American Indians to purchase land from them and open it up to the Land

Jerome Commission

He was known as "The Hanging Judge," and presided over the court in Fort Smith, which had jurisdiction over Indian Territory.

Judge Isaac Parker

This man was named president of the Sequoyah Convention

Pleasant Porter

No official government was provided for Indian Territory until 1890 (over a year after the first Land Run). This government was called

Provisional Government

50,000 people lined up to take part in the Oklahoma Land Run on April 22, 1889. Some of the people snuck in early and hid out until the gun fired. They were called

Sooners

True of False: During the Land Run in the Cheyenne-Arapho territory, few people were interested in the free 160 acres. In fact, two-thirds of the three million acres went unclaimed when the Run was over.

TRUE!

True or False: Among other things, the very first Oklahoma constitution called for separate schools for black children and white children.

TRUE!

True or False: By 1914, Oklahoma had become the strongest Socialist state in the nation.

TRUE!

True or False: During the Land Run alcohol consumption had become a real problem, since people set up makeshift saloons to provide the settlers with intoxicating beverages.

TRUE!

True or False: In 1889, when the first Land Run took place, women were not regarded as equals and had few rights. But under the provisions of the Homestead Act, single women and widows were eligible to participate in the run and stake a claim, and several hundred of them did.

TRUE!

True or False: One of the ideas being considered for the statehood of Indian Territory was a state which would have been specifically for African-Americans

TRUE!

True or False: The Land Runs were not the cute little picnicky affairs we learned as children. Many land claim disputes were tied up in courts for years, and in some cases, disagreements over property claims were violent, bloody, and even deadly.

TRUE!

True or False: The difference between a "Boomer" and a "Sooner" is that the boomers settled in Indian Territory illegally, long before there ever was a Land Run, or any talk of a Land Run. Sooners snuck into the territory only hours before the Runs started, and popped up as if they were part of the official start.

TRUE!

True or False: When a controversial vote was held to move the state capital from Guthrie to Oklahoma City, opponents stood guard outside the capitol building to prevent anyone from taking the state charter paperwork. But some people snuck into the building and hid the papers in a bundle of laundry, and took it Oklahoma City.

TRUE!

True or False: the town of Guthrie was built in one day.

TRUE!

This piece of legislation called on the United States to establish a new state out of Indian Territory. It was passed on June 16, 1906, and was called

The Hamilton Bill

The events which allowed settlers to claim land in Indian Territory were known as

The Oklahoma Land Runs

This is the act which authorized an official government to be established in Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Organic Act

Prior to statehood, a convention was organized, with governors from each of the Five Civilized Tribes. The purpose was to discuss the terms of statehood. This convention was called

The Sequoyah Convention

This was a notorious group of American Indian outlaws who were eventually captured in 1901.

The Snake Gang

In "No Man's Land," known now as the Oklahoma Panhandle, there was no law enforcement, so it was a hot spot for gamblers and robbers. Settlers formed their own brand of law enforcement which they called what?

The Vigilantes

True of False: The Indians who lived in Indian territory hated the court at Fort Smith.

True

"Gypy" or "gyp" were terms used by settlers in Oklahoma to decribe the yucky, salty taste of

Water