Notable Travels

Oklahoma bison OKLAHOMA: The Spirit of the Wild Frontier

It was the Wild West, a land of cowboys and Native Americans, outlaws and pioneers, bison and wildcatters, homesteaders and oil barons.This land offered hope of a better life for many, riches for a few, and of tragedy for those that got in the way of the grand plans to expand a nation.

homesteaders

With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and belief in Manifest Destiny came federal laws like the Homestead Act of 1862 that granted 160 acres of land to settlers outside the original thirteen colonies.

The Native Americans who already inhabited the land became a political obstacle.

When President Andrew Jackson cast the deciding vote in 1830 on the Indian Removal Act, the Five Civilized Tribes--Choctaw, Seminole, Creek, Chickasaw, and Cherokee, were forcibly relocated in deadly marches known as the Trail of Tears.

They were herded to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, a land that had been deemed during a hot summer expedition as being unsuitable for white men.

cattle

Soon it became clear that these lands were ideal for farming and as cattle drive grazing lands.

Railroads were also expanding across the nation. The Dawes Act of 1887 divided tribal lands into allotments owned by individual tribal members, thereby leaving Indian Territory’s remaining Unassigned Lands unallocated and available for homesteading and railroads.

Early settlers noticed a thick liquid seeping from the ground. Indians used it for medicinal purposes. On April 15, 1897, Nellie Johnston #1 in Bartlesville became the first commercial oil well in Oklahoma. The oil boom had begun.

Many of today’s Oklahomans are descendants of homesteaders or part of the largest Native American population in the United States. Today’s visitor can experience American heritage and the enduring spirit of Oklahomans and the wild frontier.

READY TO GO?

Oklahoma is a diverse state with forests, mountains, deserts, salt flats, prairies, and more miles of shoreline than the Atlantic and Gulf coasts combined.

Hitch your wagon to a star. Blaze your own trail or follow those of Indian chiefs or wagon trains. A visit to Oklahoma makes history books and the Old West come alive.

Oklahoma Tourism Department

All material including photography appearing on these pages is copyrighted and may be used only with written permission from Roger and Linda Fasteson.