35°24′N 97°00′W / 35.4°N 97°W / 35.4; -97
82-601: The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the state of Oklahoma . The 1890 Oklahoma Organic Act organized the western half of Indian Territory and a strip of country north of Texas known as No Man's Land (now
164-553: A public trial , so he and his group were hauled several hundred miles to Fort Smith. The trip began at Fort Reno and proceeded to Fort Sill , Henrietta, Texas , Texarkana, Arkansas , Little Rock, Arkansas , and then finally to Fort Smith. During another trip in July 1884, the army seized his Oklahoma War Chief press, burned his buildings, and took Payne and his group through the Cherokee Nation after their arrest. The party
246-673: A Cherokee citizen working as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. , published an article about the public land issue in the February 17, 1879, edition of the Chicago Times . Dr. Morrison Munford of the Kansas City Times began referring to this tract as the " Unassigned Lands " or "Oklahoma" and to the people agitating for its settlement as Boomers . Munford is the first person to use the terms "boom" and "boomer" to describe
328-719: A constitution. The hard work of the Sequoyah State Constitutional Convention was not entirely lost. When representatives from Indian Territory joined the Oklahoma State Constitutional Convention in Guthrie the next year, they brought their constitutional experience with them. The Sequoyah Constitution served in large part as the basis for the constitution of the State of Oklahoma, which came into being with
410-730: A constitutional convention. The Sequoyah Constitutional Convention met in Muskogee on August 21, 1905. General Pleasant Porter , Principal Chief of the Creek Nation, was elected as president of the convention. The elected delegates decided that the executive officers of the Five Civilized Tribes would be appointed as vice-presidents: William C. Rogers , Principal Chief of the Cherokees; William H. Murray , appointed by Chickasaw Governor Douglas H. Johnston to represent
492-695: A few months; institutions founded during this time were the University of Oklahoma , the Territorial Normal School ( University of Central Oklahoma ), and the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical School ( Oklahoma State University ). Representatives of the Five Civilized Tribes met in 1902 to work on securing statehood for Indian Territory and held a convention in Eufaula . The representatives met again in 1903 to organize
574-585: A larger group returned to Ewing in July 1879. The Army again arrested the party, escorted them back to Kansas, and freed them. This time, however, Payne was charged under the Indian Intercourse Act and brought to trial in Fort Smith, Arkansas , in March 1881. Judge Isaac C. Parker ruled against Payne and fined him the maximum amount of US$ 1,000, but since Payne had no money and no property,
656-595: A legislative branch elected by the people, but the executive and judicial branches of the territories were selected and appointed by the President of the United States, with the advice and consent of the United States Senate . The appointees included a governor, a secretary, three federal judges and a marshal. President Benjamin Harrison appointed George Washington Steele , a Republican from Indiana, as
738-507: A more active role in looking for a resolution of the dispute. However, the attempt failed to resolve anything. Meanwhile, area residents officially organized Greer County as a Texas entity in 1886, designating Mangum as the county seat. In 1890, Congress passed the Oklahoma Organic Act, which required the United States attorney general to resolve the boundary issue by filing suit against Texas. The dispute went directly before
820-489: A more complete list of regions and subdivisions of the United States used in modern times, see List of regions of the United States . † - indicates failed legal entities Unlike the land to the east, most of the land west of the Mississippi River was under French or Spanish rule until the first years of the 19th century. The following are state cessions made during the building of the U.S. The following
902-566: A proclamation forbidding unlawful entry into Indian Territory in April 1879. Despite federal obstruction, popular demands for the land did not end. Captain David L. Payne was one of the main supporters of the opening of Oklahoma to White settlement. Payne traveled to Kansas , where he founded the Boomer "Colonial Association". Payne's organization of 10,000 members hoped to establish a white colony in
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#1732765556021984-692: A referendum in Indian Territory, in which they were overwhelmingly endorsed. The delegation received a cool reception in Washington. Eastern politicians, fearing the admission of two more Western states, put pressure on President Theodore Roosevelt . Roosevelt recommended that the Indian and Oklahoma Territories be granted joint statehood, which led to Congress passing the Oklahoma Enabling Act to allow this upon writing and ratifying
1066-475: A result of his wounds. When the race was over, many disappointed pioneers were forced to leave the area without any claim. Of the 14,000 Boomers, only 1,000 had made claims. Tent cities grew overnight at Oklahoma City , Kingfisher , El Reno , Norman , Guthrie , and Stillwater , which were the first of the large settlements. Many lawsuits resulted because more than one person claimed a particular piece of land. Often this involved trying to determine which party
1148-532: A result of the attempted secession of the Confederacy during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Some were enclaves within enemy-held territories: These were regions disassociated from neighboring areas due to opposing views: Belts are loosely defined sub-regions found throughout the United States that are named for a perceived commonality among the included areas, which is often related to
1230-591: A slight edge in representatives. However, the Democrats allied with delegates from the People's Party (Populists) and thereby controlled both houses. Populist delegates were elected as presiding officers in both. The legislators spent most of the session arguing about the locations of the capital, the state university, state teachers' college, and the agricultural school. Only near the end of the session did they begin to address other issues necessary to create and maintain
1312-468: A tortuous route to Ft. Smith. The public was outraged about his treatment by the military, and the U.S. government decided to try his case. Payne was turned over to the United States district court at Topeka, Kansas . He was indicted for the crime of bringing whiskey into Indian Territory, a federal offense. In the fall term, Judge Cassius G. Foster quashed the indictments and ruled that settling on
1394-518: A town they named "Ewing" on the present-day site of Oklahoma City . The Fourth Cavalry arrested them, took them to Fort Reno , then escorted them back to Kansas. Payne was furious, as public law (specifically the Posse Comitatus Act ) prohibited the military from interfering in civil matters. Payne and his party were freed, which effectively denied them access to federal and state courts. Anxious to prove his case in court, Payne and
1476-426: A two-thirds vote of the territorial assembly. The governor also had the right to convene the assembly into special session. The territorial secretary served as the chief assistant to the governor, and in the event of a vacancy of the governorship the secretary would serve as the acting governor until the president appointed a new one. The secretary was responsible for recording and preserving the laws and proceedings of
1558-443: Is a list of the 31 U.S. territories that have become states, in the order of the date organized . (All were considered incorporated .) The following are land grants, cessions, defined districts (official or otherwise) or named settlements made within an area that was already part of a U.S. state or territory that did not involve international treaties or Native American cessions or land purchases. These entities were sometimes
1640-538: The Battle of Prairie Grove in 1862. At the end of his three-year service Payne returned to Doniphan County and was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives , serving in the 1864, 1865, and 1872 sessions. In March 1865, Payne enlisted for one year in the 15th Kansas Cavalry as a private assigned to Company H. The unit had been activated in response to a January state legislative resolution which called for
1722-661: The Creek , the Seminole , and the Cherokee . Couch stopped being a colonist and became a lobbyist. Couch spent four years in Washington, D.C., trying to convince Congress to open the Oklahoma lands. Many Indians from the Five Civilized Tribes lobbied against Couch's actions. In January 1889, Pleasant Porter led a group of Muscogee (Creek) who offered to sell their unoccupied lands. Within weeks, they sold their "Unassigned Lands" to
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#17327655560211804-560: The Indian Intercourse Act of 1834 when the United States Congress set aside land for Native Americans. At the time, the land was unorganized territory that consisted of the federal land "west of the Mississippi and not within the states of Missouri and Louisiana , or the territory of Arkansas ..." By 1856, the territory had been reduced to approximately the modern-day borders of the state of Oklahoma, except for
1886-578: The Oklahoma Organic Act , which organized the western half of Indian Territory into Oklahoma Territory. The eastern half remained under Indian rule, predominantly that of the Five Civilized Tribes, as Indian Territory. Congress included in Oklahoma Territory the strip of country known as No Man's Land, embracing 3,681,000 acres (14,900 km), which became Beaver County. In September 1890, the 1,282,434 acres (5,189.83 km) of
1968-503: The Oklahoma Panhandle ) into Oklahoma Territory. Native American reservations in the new territory were then opened to settlement in a series of land runs in 1890, 1891, and 1893. Seven counties were defined upon the creation of the territory. They were originally designated by number and eventually became Logan , Cleveland , Oklahoma , Canadian , Kingfisher , Payne , and Beaver counties. The Land Run of 1893 led to
2050-626: The Sac and Fox , Iowa , and Pottawatomie reservations in the eastern part of Oklahoma Territory were opened to settlement. The following spring, the 4,397,771 acres (17,797.15 km) of Cheyenne and Arapaho lands in the center of the territory were opened. On September 16, 1893, the Cherokee Outlet was opened to settlement, adding 6,014,239 acres (24,338.76 km) of land. In 1895, the Kickapoo reservation of 206,662 acres (836.33 km)
2132-580: The Seventh Cavalry which had been transferred to the Platte River for the summer. In October 1868, Payne mustered in as a lieutenant in Company H of the 19th Kansas Cavalry, which served in a winter campaign against Indians on the western Great Plains . During this campaign, Payne served as a scout for General Philip Sheridan . In 1870 Payne moved to Sedgwick County , near Wichita , and
2214-521: The Supreme Court , since no lower court had jurisdiction . The court's opinion, in United States v. State of Texas 162 U.S. 1 (1896), issued on March 16, 1892, held that the land of approximately 1.5 million acres (6070 km/2345 mi) belonged to the United States. Following that ruling, on May 4, 1896, the land was officially assigned by Congress to Oklahoma Territory. The Greer County Homestead Law, passed just afterwards, gave
2296-556: The United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas under federal judge Isaac C. Parker was the only form of criminal and civil jurisdictions. Despite that, the district was generally peaceful. Most land disputes were settled without bloodshed, although a few took years to resolve. For over a year the people of Oklahoma Territory were semi-autonomous. On May 2, 1890, Congress passed
2378-776: The Utah War . Their interest evidently waned by the time they crossed the Missouri River , as they stopped in Doniphan County, Kansas . There, in Burr Oak Township, Payne acquired some land and built a sawmill . It soon failed and Payne fell to hunting to support himself. Eventually private parties and then the Federal government hired him to scout for their various expeditions. These activities led to his exploration of what would later become Oklahoma. At
2460-561: The "sooner clause" in the Indian Appropriations Act of 1889, which states that anyone who violated the official start would be denied a claim to the land. When the run began at noon, men on thousands of horses, wagons, buggies, carts, and vehicles rushed across to Oklahoma. The law-abiders fought with the Sooners on several instances. A legal pioneer shot and wounded William Couch, a Sooner. He died on April 21, 1890, as
2542-480: The Boomers into Indian Territory and founded Camp Stillwater on December 12, 1884. President Chester Arthur sent a small detachment of troops to escort Couch out of the territory. When the soldiers arrived, 200 armed men met them and refused to move. After 600 troops arrived as reinforcements, the officers gave the Boomers the choice of leaving within 48 hours or being apprehended. After the Boomers refused to leave,
Oklahoma Territory - Misplaced Pages Continue
2624-663: The Chickasaw; Chief Green McCurtain of the Choctaw; Chief John Brown of the Seminole; and Charles N. Haskell , appointed by Porter to represent the Creek. The convention drafted a constitution, drew up a plan of organization for the government, put together a map showing the counties to be established, and elected delegates to go to the United States Congress to petition for statehood. The convention's proposals were presented in
2706-526: The Civil War, the Federal government forced many tribes in the Indian Territory into making concessions. The government accused the various tribes of abrogating the standing treaties by joining the Confederacy . As a result, some two million acres (8,000 km ) of land in the center of Indian Territory were ceded to the United States and thought by many to be public domain land . Elias Boudinot,
2788-596: The Indian Intercourse Act; he went to trial in Fort Smith, Arkansas . Judge Isaac C. Parker ruled against Payne and fined him the maximum amount of $ 1,000. Since Payne had no money and no property, the government could not collect the fine. The ruling settled nothing on the question of the public domain lands, and Payne continued his activities. Payne tried a third time to enter the Unassigned Lands. In December, Payne and his group moved along
2870-579: The Interior defined the boundaries and assigned the names of the three counties to be defined and their names assigned by executive proclamation when the Kiowa-Comanche and Wichita-Caddo Reservations were opened to settlement in 1901. Greer County, created by the Texas legislature on February 8, 1860, and named for John Alexander Greer , a Texas lieutenant governor, was land claimed by both Texas and
2952-614: The Oklahoma Panhandle and Old Greer County . These lands became known as Indian Territory, as they had been granted to certain Indian nations under the Indian Removal Act , in exchange for their historic territories east of the Mississippi River . Until this point, Native Americans had exclusively used the land. In 1866, after the American Civil War , the federal government required new treaties with
3034-885: The Red River should be the correct boundary described by the Adams–Onís Treaty. Texas rejected that assertion and claimed the land south of the North Fork. The United States claimed the land north of the South Fork (previously named the Prairie Dog Town River ). Texas continued to claim sovereignty over Greer County during and after the Civil War. It opened the land to veterans of the Texas Revolution and Confederate Army veterans and leased land to ranchers. In 1884, President Chester A. Arthur took
3116-453: The Red River were not surveyed, as required by the fourth article of the treaty, until 1852. The problem was that the 100th meridian on the Melish map was approximately 90 miles (140 km) east of the true 100th meridian and the Red River forked about 50 miles (80 km) east of the 100th meridian. Another survey team discovered the mapping error in 1857 and showed that the southern fork was
3198-403: The Texas settlers the 160 acres (647,000 m) they were living on and the option to purchase an additional 160 acres (647,000 m) for $ 1.00 per acre ($ 247/km). When Oklahoma became the 46th U.S. state on November 16, 1907, old "Greer County" was divided into Greer , Jackson , and part of Beckham counties. Mangum remained the county seat of the redefined Greer County. Harmon County
3280-485: The Unassigned Lands was not a criminal offense. The Boomers celebrated, but the federal government refused to accept the decision. Payne immediately planned another expedition, but he did not lead it. On November 28, 1884, in Wellington, Kansas , the morning after a late-night address to the Boomers, he collapsed and died. After Payne's death, his associate, William L. Couch , assumed the leadership role. Couch moved
3362-546: The Unassigned Lands. Once again, they were arrested and Payne was sent back to Fort Smith. He was found guilty and sentenced to pay a $ 1,000 fine. Upon his release, he returned to Kansas, where he spent the next four years trying to open Oklahoma. During Payne's last venture, this time into the Cherokee Outlet in 1884, the Army again arrested him. They took him several hundred miles under severe physical circumstances over
Oklahoma Territory - Misplaced Pages Continue
3444-406: The Unassigned Lands. The formation of the group prompted President Hayes to issue a proclamation ordering Payne not to enter Indian Territory on February 12, 1880. In response, Payne and his group traveled to Camp Alice in the Unassigned Lands, east of Oklahoma City . There, they made plans for a city, which they named "Ewing". The Fourth Cavalry arrested them and escorted them back to Kansas. Payne
3526-677: The United States The territory of the United States and its overseas possessions has evolved over time , from the colonial era to the present day. It includes formally organized territories, proposed and failed states, unrecognized breakaway states , international and interstate purchases, cessions , and land grants , and historical military departments and administrative districts. The last section lists informal regions from American vernacular geography known by popular nicknames and linked by geographical, cultural, or economic similarities, some of which are still in use today. For
3608-470: The United States House of Representatives to serve a two-year term. While unable to vote in the full House, the delegate was allowed to vote in a House committee of which the delegate was a member. The first territorial representative was David A. Harvey . Four men represented Oklahoma Territory as non-voting delegates in the United States House of Representatives: When Oklahoma Territory
3690-418: The United States in court cases. The territorial marshal was responsible for protecting the court system and for executing processes issued from the territorial courts. The territory's judiciary consisted of a territorial supreme court made up of three justices, a chief justice and two associate justices. Additional associate justices were added later as more counties were created in the territory. The judiciary
3772-622: The United States. The dispute arose from a map submitted with the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819. The treaty stated that the boundary between the French claims on the north and the Spanish claims on the south of the United States was the Rio Roxo de Natchitoches ( Red River ) until it reached the 100th meridian west , as noted on John Melish's map published in 1818. However, the upper reaches of
3854-458: The United States. These lands embraced less than 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km) in the heart of Indian Territory. On March 2, 1889, Congress passed an amendment to the Indian Appropriations Act of 1871, which provided for the creation of homestead settlements in the unassigned lands, to be known as Oklahoma Territory . President Benjamin Harrison announced that the Oklahoma lands would be opened on April 22 via land run. The Land Run of 1889,
3936-429: The addition of Kay , Grant , Woods , Garfield , Noble , and Pawnee counties. In 1896, the Oklahoma Territory acquired Greer County, Texas when the Supreme Court resolved the boundary case United States v. State of Texas in favor of the federal government. Today, this land in the southwest corner of the state is split into Greer , Jackson , Harmon , and part of Beckham counties. Oklahoma Territory began with
4018-450: The assembly and the acts and proceedings of the governor. Copy of the same would semi-annually be submitted to the president, the President of the United States Senate , and the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives for their review. A territorial attorney was responsible for giving legal advice to the governor and assembly, served as the chief law enforcement official of the territory, and represented Oklahoma Territory and
4100-426: The center of the Indian Nation Territory. Elias C. Boudinot , a railroad lobbyist, wrote an article that was published in the Chicago Times on February 17, 1879, that popularized the term Unassigned Lands to refer to this tract. Soon the popular press began referring to the people agitating for its settlement as Boomers . To prevent settlement of the land by European-Americans, President Rutherford B. Hayes issued
4182-432: The commanders moved their troops across the Kansas border and cut off Couch's supply lines. Soon their food was gone, and Couch and the other Boomers were escorted back to Kansas. In response to Couch's claims that the federal government was discriminating against them, on March 3, 1885, Congress approved the Indian Appropriations Act of 1885. This act authorized negotiations for the cession of unoccupied lands belonging to
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#17327655560214264-410: The consent of Congress to take effect. They had the same force of law, as did a law passed by a regular state government. Laws enacted by the assembly could be suspended by the President of the United States or revoked, in part or in their entirety, by an act of Congress . When Steele took office, he issued an executive order on July 8, 1890, calling for the first elections to the assembly. The election
4346-417: The duty of the governor to outline the boundaries of the counties, name the county seats, and to appoint territorial and county officers with the consent of the territorial council. Laws passed by the territorial assembly had to be presented to the governor for his approval. If he did not approve, he would veto if and return it to the assembly for reconsideration. The governor's veto could only be overridden by
4428-429: The fine could not be collected. The ruling settled nothing about the public lands, however, and Payne continued his activities unabated. He organized and led several more expeditions into the territory, even forming a newspaper called the Oklahoma War Chief , the first in the Cherokee Outlet , which he published in several sites along the Kansas-Indian Territory border. During one of his last ventures, Payne insisted on
4510-432: The first chief justice and John G. Clark of Wisconsin and Abraham J. Seay of Missouri as the first associate justices. Oklahoma Territory was divided into seven Judicial Districts in 1902, as follows: Charles Brown of Kansas was named the first Attorney General and Horace Speed of Guthrie (formerly of Indiana) was appointed the first United States attorney in Oklahoma. The territory was entitled to elect one delegate to
4592-413: The first land run in the territory's history, opened Oklahoma Territory to settlement on April 22, 1889. Over 50,000 people entered the lands on the first day, among them thousands of freedmen and descendants of slaves. Couch and his Boomers, now numbering approximately 14,000, also entered the race. Those who entered Oklahoma before the official start of the race were called Sooners . The term referred to
4674-409: The first territorial governor. The organic act called for the establishment of a bicameral Territorial Legislative Assembly composed of a Territorial Council , the upper house of the assembly, and Territorial House of Representatives , the lower house of the assembly. The assembly could only create laws consistent with the Constitution of the United States and the organic act but did not require
4756-500: The following year he was again elected to the Kansas House of Representatives. This led to appointments as Postmaster at Fort Leavenworth in 1867 and as Sergeant-at-arms for two terms of the Kansas Senate . In 1875 and 1879, Payne served as assistant to the Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives . During the intervals between political engagements and military service, Payne supported himself by hunting, scouting, and guiding wagon trains . In 1866, shortly after
4838-465: The government to open the Unassigned Lands for settlement in 1889, about four years after Payne's death. The formation of Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory followed, and Oklahoma became a state in 1907. Payne was born in 1836 in Grant County, Indiana , on a farm near Fairmount . He grew up working on his father's farm. During winters he attended the local rural school. In the spring of 1858, Payne and his brother left home intending to join in
4920-553: The indictments and ruled that settling on the Unassigned Lands was not a criminal offense. Boomers celebrated, but the government refused to accept the decision. Between expeditions, Payne often spoke to crowds of admirers and recruited more Boomers. The day after such an address in Wellington, Kansas , on November 27, 1884, Payne collapsed and died of heart failure. His funeral filled the Methodist Episcopal Church in Wellington and thousands filed past his grave. Payne's family moved his remains to Oklahoma in 1995. On April 22, 1996,
5002-400: The merger of the two territories in 1907. Territorial Governor Frank Frantz oversaw the transition from territory to state. He was selected as the Republican nominee to serve as the state's first governor . He faced the Democratic Charles N. Haskell in the election on September 17, 1907. In the same election, the Oklahoma Constitution was proposed. The constitution was passed and Haskell
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#17327655560215084-485: The movement of white settlers into these lands. To prevent settlement of the land, President Rutherford B. Hayes issued a proclamation in April 1879 forbidding unlawful entry into Indian Territory. Inspired by Boudinot, Payne began his efforts to enter and settle the public domain lands as allowed by existing law. He returned from his job in Washington and returned to Wichita in 1879. On his first attempt to enter Indian Territory, in April 1880, Payne and his party laid out
5166-412: The northern border of Indian Territory. They were followed by a unit of cavalry under the command of Colonel J. J. Copinger. Copinger warned Payne that if he crossed the border that they would be "forcibly resisted". As the number of Boomers grew as people joined Payne, they sent a messenger to President Hayes asking permission to enter Indian Territory. After weeks of no response, Payne led his followers to
5248-407: The only governmental authority in the listed areas, although they often co-existed with civil governments in scarcely populated states and territories. Civilian administered "military" tracts, districts, departments, etc., will be listed elsewhere. During the American Civil War, the Department of the Pacific had six subordinate military districts: The Department of California (1858–1861) comprised
5330-400: The opening of the Civil War , Payne enlisted in the 4th Kansas Volunteer Infantry. In April 1862, his regiment and the 3rd Kansas Infantry and 5th Kansas Infantry were consolidated to form the 10th Kansas Infantry . He served from August 1861 to August 1864 as a private in Company F. During his service the unit saw action in Kansas, Missouri , Arkansas , and the Cherokee Nation , including
5412-409: The organic act creating it, which served as a semi-governing document. The organic act provided for a complete organization of the territory, defined the functions of the territorial government, placed limitations upon the acts of the legislative assembly, as well as that of the territorial officers. It also designated the town of Guthrie as the territorial capital. Congress provided for the creation of
5494-420: The organization of a regiment of veteran volunteer cavalry to protect western Kansas from Indian activity. In July 1867, Kansas Governor Samuel Johnson Crawford issued a proclamation calling for volunteers to protect Kansans from Indian attacks in the west. The 18th Kansas Cavalry was brought up for four months as a result. Payne enlisted and was mustered in as the captain of Company D. This battalion replaced
5576-500: The region's economy or climate. David L. Payne David Lewis Payne (December 30, 1836 – November 28, 1884) was an American soldier and pioneer. Payne is considered by some to be the "Father of Oklahoma" for his work in opening the state to settlement. He organized, trained, and led the "Boomer Army" on its forays into the Unassigned Lands . Payne's excursions into the Unassigned Lands, trips led by others, and lobbying of Congress by railroad interests eventually convinced
5658-455: The southern part of the Department of the Pacific: California, Nevada, and southern part of Oregon Territory; merged into the Department of the Pacific as the District of California. The Department of Oregon (1858–1861) comprised the northern part of the Department of the Pacific: Washington Territory and Oregon Territory. These "territories" had actual, functioning governments (recognized or not): These are functioning governments created as
5740-423: The territory. Steele became so disgusted by the political stalemate that he resigned his position and returned to Indiana. The Oklahoma Territorial Legislature met for the last time in 1905. The territorial governor was vested with the executive power of the territory, was responsible for ensuring that its laws were faithfully executed, and served as the symbol of the federal government in the territory. The governor
5822-459: The tribes that had supported the Confederacy and forced them into land and other concessions. As a result of the Reconstruction Treaties , The Five Civilized Tribes were required to emancipate their slaves and offer them full citizenship in the tribes if they wanted to stay in the Nations. This forced many of the tribes in Indian Territory into making concessions. U.S. officials forced the cession of some 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km) of land in
5904-458: Was a legal claimant. A portion of the cases even went as far as the U.S. Supreme Court. By the end of the day on April 22, 1889, there were more than enough settlers in the Unassigned Lands to require creation of a territorial government. However, the brief legislation that provided for the opening of the land called for no form of government in Oklahoma. No local police or courts were established; federal military troops provided law enforcement, and
5986-466: Was created May 22, 1909, by a vote of the people from a portion of Greer County, Oklahoma. Mangum remained the county seat of the redefined Greer County. In the 1900 United States census , 23 counties in the Oklahoma Territory and 6 Indian reservations reported the following population counts (after only 8 counties and 13 Indian reservations reported the following counts in the 1890 United States census ): Organized incorporated territories of
6068-433: Was created in 1890, seven counties were defined and designated numerically. Thereafter, when additional lands were opened to settlement, new counties were designated by the letters of the alphabet. Later, by vote of the people, these were given permanent county names. The first seven numbered counties later were named as follows: Logan , Cleveland , Oklahoma , Canadian , Kingfisher , Payne and Beaver . The Secretary of
6150-543: Was elected governor. Once the people of Oklahoma adopted the United States Constitution on November 16, 1907, Oklahoma and Indian Territories officially dissolved, and the State of Oklahoma was admitted to the Union as the 46th state. With the passage of the Oklahoma organic act in 1890, the territorial government came into existence. The territorial government had no constitution, except for sections of
6232-453: Was furious, as the Posse Comitatus Act prohibited the military from interfering in civil matters. The federal government freed Payne and his party, effectively denying them access to the courts. Anxious to prove his case in court, Payne and a larger group returned to Ewing in July. The Army again arrested the party and escorted them back to Kansas. Again they were freed, but this time the federal government charged Payne with trespassing under
6314-491: Was given a wide jurisdiction. It functioned as a United States Federal Court , but its jurisdiction extended to a trial of cases, both civil and criminal, arising under the code enacted by the territorial assembly. The court could sit half of the day as a federal court and the other half as territorial court. It would also serve as a supreme court and hear cases that had been appealed from territory's lower courts. President Benjamin Harrison appointed Edward B. Green of Illinois as
6396-472: Was paraded through the streets of Tahlequah , past the Indian people who hated him for his attempts to seize part of their lands. Public sentiment grew so great over his mistreatment at the hands of the military that the government finally granted his trial. Payne was turned over to the United States District Court for the District of Kansas at Topeka . In the fall term, Judge Cassius G. Foster quashed
6478-465: Was set for August 5, 1890. The assembly was to have convened August 12, but owing to the death of two members-elect, a special election was called, and the convening of the legislature was postponed until August 27, 1890. The territorial assembly met for 120-day sessions in Guthrie. The first legislative session was narrowly divided between Republican and Democratic Party members, with Republicans having
6560-518: Was settled, and the year following Greer County , which had been considered a portion of Texas, was given to the territory by a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States. These developments, with the Kiowa , Comanche and Apache and Wichita reservations just opened, gave Oklahoma Territory a settled area of 24,000,000 acres (97,000 km), 1,725,646 acres (6,983.44 km) of which
6642-469: Was still included in Indian reservations. With the passage of the Organic Act of 1890 , Oklahoma Territory existed from 1890 to 1907. During that time, seven governors and two acting governors administered the territory. During its 17-year existence, little of note occurred because of the growing idea of statehood, which had originated in Indian Territory. Most of the governors stayed in office for only
6724-403: Was the ex officio commander-in-chief of the territorial militia and the federal troops in the territory as well as ex officio Superintendent of Indian Affairs. The governor possessed the power to grant pardons for offenses against the laws of the territory. He could grant reprieves for offenses against the laws of the United States until the president made his decision on the matter. It was also
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