Unassigned Lands - 1885

Unassigned Lands, or Oklahoma, were in the center of the lands ceded to the United States by the Creek (Muskogee), and Seminole Indians following the Civil War and on which no other tribes had been settled. By 1883 it was bounded by the Cherokee Outlet on the north, several relocated Indian reservations on the east, the Chickasaw lands on the south, and the Cheyenne-Arapaho reserve on the west. The area amounted to 1,887,796.47 acres (7,640 km²). Map of Unassigned Lands (Oklahoma) - 1885 Source: http://www. ... Map of Unassigned Lands (Oklahoma) - 1885 Source: http://www. ... The Creeks are an American Indian people originally from the southeastern United States, also known by their original name Muscogee (or Muskogee), the name they use to identify themselves today. ... Seminole is the name of an American Indian tribe formed in Florida in the 18th century. ... The American Civil War was fought in North America from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... Alternate meaning: Cherokee Strip, Kansas United States. ... Young Chickasaw warrior The Chickasaws are a Native American people of the United States, originally from present-day Mississippi, now mostly living in Oklahoma. ... Cheyenne lodges with buffalo meat drying, 1870 The Cheyenne are a Native American nation of the Great Plains, closely allied with the Arapaho and loosely allied with the Lakota (Sioux). ... Scabby Bull, Arapaho 1806 Arapaho camp, ca. ...

The Indian Era

The Treaty of Indian Springs, February 12, 1825, provided for a delegation of Creeks to vist the west in order that "... they may select any other territory, west of the Mississippi, on Red, Canadian, Arkansas, or Missouri Rivers..." to replace their lands in Georgia. A dispute arose between the Lower Creek Council, which signed the treaty, and the Upper Creek Council, which objected. The dispute lead to the killing of General William McIntosh, the chief of the Lower Creeks, and left the treaty in doubt. Despite that, the Creeks were relocated to the west. On February 14, 1833, the Treaty of Okmulgee was signed at Fort Gibson. In it the Creeks finally agreed to cede their lands in the east. Article 2 of the 1833 treaty defined the land chosen under the 1825 treaty as being west and south of the Cherokee lands and bordering the Canadian River on the south and the Mexican border on the west. Length 6,270 km Elevation of the source 450 m Average discharge Saint Louis¹: 5,500 m³/s Vicksburg²: 16,800 m³/s Baton Rouge³: 12,800 m³/s Area watershed 2,980,000 km² Origin  Lake Itasca Mouth  Gulf of Mexico Basin countries United States (98. ... The Red River is one of several rivers with that name. ... Lower Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a tributary of the Mississippi which flows east and southeast through Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and the state of Arkansas. ... The Missouri River and its tributaries N.P. Dodge Park, Omaha, Nebraska High silt content makes the Missouri (left) noticeably lighter than the Mississipi here at their confluence above St. ... Fort Gibson is a town located in Oklahoma. ... -1... The Canadian River is the largest tributary of the Arkansas River. ...

In the Seminole Treaty signed March 28, 1833, but not ratified, the Seminoles agreed to settle on the Little River portion of the Creek lands in Indian Territory. Some Seminoles moved but the rest retreated, resulting in the Second Seminole War. After the Second War, most of the Seminoles moved to the Indian Territory. A treaty between the Creeks and Seminoles, ratified August 16, 1856, gave the Seminoles the agreed upon tract of Creek land between the Canadian River on the south and the North Fork of the Canadian River on the north. Osceola, Seminole leader, detail from an 1838 lithograph The Seminole Wars were three wars or conflicts in Florida between the Seminole Native American tribe and the United States. ... North Canadian River is a river in the United States. ...

The divisions within the Creeks continued up through the Civil War when the Council, under control of the Lower Creeks, signed a treaty with the Confederacy on July 10, 1861. Creek support for the South was not unanimous however. In a series of confrontations, Opothleyahola's pro-Union Creeks, belonging mostly to the Upper Creeks, were driven into Kansas during the winter of 1861-62 with a huge loss of life among themselves and their few Seminole allies under Halleck Tustenuggee. The American Civil War was fought in North America from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... For other meanings of confederate and confederacy, see confederacy (disambiguation) National Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God our Vindicator) Official language English de facto nationwide Various European and Native American languages regionally Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Largest... Portrait of Opothleyahola during the 1830s Opothleyahola, also spelled Opothle Yohola, Opothleyoholo, Hu-pui-hilth Yahola, and Hopoeitheyohola, (about 1798 – March 27, 1863) was a Muscogee Creek Indian chief, noted as a brilliant orator and spokesperson of the Upper Creek Council. ... Union states are shaded blue; light blue states allowed slavery to continue during the War During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the United States, the northern states that did not secede. ... State nickname: The Sunflower State Other U.S. States Capital Topeka Largest city Wichita Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) Official languages None Area 82,277 mi²; 213,096 km² (15th)  - Land 81,815 mi²; 211,900 km²  - Water 462 mi²; 1,196 km² (0. ... The Seminole are a Native American Indian people of Florida. ... Halleck Tustenuggee (also spelled Halek Tustenuggee and Hallock Tustenuggee) (about 1807 – ?) was a 19th Century Seminole warchief. ...

When the Confederacy lost the Civil War, the United States forced the Creeks into a new treaty. Under Article 3 of the 1866 Creek Treaty, they agreed to cede the western portion of their lands—"In compliance with the desire of the United States to locate other Indians and freedmen thereon, the Creeks hereby cede and convey to the United States, to be sold to and used as homes for such other civilized Indians as the United States may choose to settle thereon... the west half of their entire domain ..." for " ... the sum of thirty (30) cents per acre [74.13 $/km²], amounting to nine hundred and seventy-five thousand one hundred and sixty-eight dollars..." A freedman is a former slave who has been manumitted or emancipated. ...

The Seminole's active support of the Confederacy cost them much more than it did the Creeks. Article 3 of the Seminole Treaty, ratified July 19, 1866, required that "... the Seminoles cede and convey to the United States their entire domain ..." for "... the sum of three hundred and twenty-five thousand three hundred and sixty-two ($325,362) dollars, said purchase being at the rate of fifteen cents per acre [37.07 $/km²]."

In the same treaty, the Seminoles were the first tribe relocated to the ceded Creek land. Several tribes of Eastern Indians were also moved to the eastern end of the ceded Creek land. The Absentee Shawnee and Citizen Band of Pottawatomi shared a reserve; also, the Sac and Fox; later the Kickapoo were moved in; and lastly, the Iowa. The combined Cheyenne Arapaho tribe was given the western end of the Creek and Seminole land along with some land ceded from the other tribes. Most of the former Creek and Seminole land, as was true for the rest of central and western Indian Territory, was leased from the Indian tribes by large cattle ranching companies. Seminole is the name of an American Indian tribe formed in Florida in the 18th century. ... The Shawnee are a people native to North America, and are therefore considered to be Native Americans. ... The Potawatomi (also spelled Pottawatomie or Pottawatomi) are an Aboriginal American people of the upper Mississippi River region. ... The Sac and Fox Nation is the modern political entity encompassing the historical Sac and Fox nations of Native Americans. ... The Kickapoo are Native American tribes. ... The Iowa (also spelled Ioway) are a Native American people. ... Cheyenne lodges with buffalo meat drying, 1870 The Cheyenne are a Native American nation of the Great Plains, closely allied with the Arapaho and loosely allied with the Lakota (Sioux). ... Scabby Bull, Arapaho 1806 Arapaho camp, ca. ...

The Pro-Settlement Campaign

In about 1879, Elias C. Boudinot began a campaign, perhaps at the behest of one of his clients, the M-K-T Railroad, to open the land "unoccupied by any Indian" to settlement by non-Indians. He pointed out in a letter published in 1879 that four of the Five Civilized Tribes, unlike the Cherokee, had extinguished their complete title to the lands ceded following the Civil War and received full payent. Also, that, "Whatever may have been the desire or intention of the United States Government in 1866 to locate Indians and negroes upon these lands, it is certain that no such desire or intention exists in 1879. The Negro since that date, has become a citizen of the United States, and Congress has recently enacted laws which practically forbid the removal of any more Indians into the Territory." He put forth the view that that area was now Public Land and suggested the names Unassigned Lands and Oklahoma for the district. Elias Cornelius Boudinot (1835-1890) was a delegate to the Arkansas secession convention, a colonel in the Confederate States Army, and a representative in the Confederate Congress. ... The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (known as the MKT, or Katy) began as the Union Pacific Railway, Southern Branch (unrelated to the Union Pacific) in 1865. ... The Five Civilized Tribes is the term for five Native American nations which lived in the Southeastern United States before their removal. ... Public domain, a term used to describe the vast Federally owned lands in the western United States. ...

In an attempt to prevent encroachment, President Rutherford B. Hayes issued a proclamation on April 26, 1879, forbidding tresspass into the area, "...which Territory is designated, organized, and described by treaties and laws of the United States and by executive authorities as the Indian's country...". It was too late. Almost immediately speculators and landless citizens began organizing and agitating for the opening of the land to settlement. The newspapers generally referred to these pro-settlement forces as Boomers and followed Boudinot's lead in referring to the area as the Unassigned Lands or Oklahoma. The President of the United States (often abbreviated POTUS) is the head of state of the United States. ... Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th President of the United States (1877 – 1881). ...

The Boomers planned excursions, which they called raids, into the area and surveyed townsites, built homes, and planted crops. The United States sent troops to round them up and expel them. The raids continued for several years. The Boomers tried to get a legal opinion as to the status of the public lands, but the government, instead of charging them for illegal settlement of Indian land, charged them only under the Intercourse Act. Finally, in United States vs. Payne in 1884, the United States District Court at Topeka, Kansas ruled that settling on the Unassigned Lands was not a criminal offense. The Indian Intercourse Acts were several acts passed by the United States Congress regulating commerce between American Indians and non-Indians and restricting travel by non-Indians onto Indian land. ... The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. ... Location in Kansas Founded  -Incorporated December 5, 1854 February 14, 1857  County Shawnee County Mayor Bill Bunten Area  - Total  - Water 147. ... State nickname: The Sunflower State Other U.S. States Capital Topeka Largest city Wichita Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) Official languages None Area 82,277 mi²; 213,096 km² (15th)  - Land 81,815 mi²; 211,900 km²  - Water 462 mi²; 1,196 km² (0. ...

The government refused to accept the decision and the raids continued. Finally General Pleasant Porter, the Creek Council's delegate to Washington, offered to relinquish all Creek claims to that part of the ceded territory which remained unassigned. On January 31, 1889, the United States and the Creeks agreed to quiet any claims to title of the land. The Creeks received approximately $2,250,000. Pleasant Porter (1840-1907), was a respected American Indian statesman and the Principal Chief of the Creek Nation from 1899 until his death. ...

The Settlement and Statehood

The Springer Amendment was immediately added to the Indian Appropriation Act of 1889 to authorize settlement under the provisions of the Homestead Act of 1862. The amendment, however, denied the settlers their squatter's rights. The lands were to be settled by a land run. The original settlers were rounded up and expelled. On April 22, 1889, the Oklahoma lands were settled by what would later be called the Run of '89". Over 50,000 people entered on the first day, among them several thousand former slaves and descendants of slaves. Tent cities grew overnight at Oklahoma City, Kingfisher, El Reno, Norman, Guthrie and Stillwater. The Homestead Act is a piece of U.S. legislation which gave one quarter of a section of a township (160 acres, or about 65 hectares) of undeveloped land in the American West to any family head provided he lived on it for five years, or allowed the family head... The term squatters rights, known more formally as the right of adverse possession, refers to the right to take ownership of property, under certain conditions, simply by living on or possessing it for a certain period of time. ... Categories: Stub | Oklahoma history ... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... 1889 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Federal troops provided law enforcement and the closet criminal and civil jurisdictions were the federal courts in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Despite that, the district was generally peaceful. Most land disputes were settled without bloodshed, although a few took years to resolve. Fort Smith, situated at the junction of the Arkansas and Poteau rivers, is a city and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas. ...

The Organic Act of 1890 incorporated the Unassigned Lands into the new Oklahoma Territory. Under the act local officials were appointed to handle civil and criminal matters until elections were held. In 1907 Oklahoma became the 46th state. Oklahoma Territory was an organized territory of the United States from May 2, 1890 until November 16, 1907, when Oklahoma became the 46th state. ... Oklahoma is a South Central state of the United States (with strong Southern, Western, and Midwestern influences) and its U.S. postal abbreviation is OK; others abbreviate the states name Okla. ...

External Links

• Creek Treaty, 1825
• Creek Treaty, 1833
• Creek Treaty, 1866
• Creek-Seminole Treaty, 1856
• Seminole Treaty, 1866
• Chief Opothleyahola, Chronicles of Oklahoma