Farming in Oklahoma

About 900 A.D. Indians of Oklahoma grew beans, corn, and pumpkins. In the 1850's mixed-blood plantation owner Choctaw Robert M. Jones cultivated more than 5,000 acres and shipped his cotton to New Orleans on his own steam boats.

Military Posts

To control the Plains tribes after the Civil War, the government established a chain of forts from the Dakotas to Texas. In the Indian Territory the new western outposts were Fort Sill, Fort Reno, and Camp Supply. From these bases of operation, troops tacked and battled elusive Indians, chased and arrested horse thieves, and found and drove out the persistent armies of boomers led by David L. Payne and William Couch. In 1889 troops from Fort Reno supervised the land run.

General Allotment

The General Allotment Act, passed by Congress in 1887, was the beginning of the end for tribal sovereignty and reservations in the Indian Territory. After the government reached agreements with a tribe, heads of families received 160 acres of land, while single individuals under 18 received 80 acres. Allottees were able to choose which land they wanted. After the allotment was completed, surplus lands were purchased from the tribes and made a part of the public domain, thus paving the way for the numerous land openings. As each parcel was opened, it was added to Oklahoma Territory, important steps in the state-making process.

CATTLE TRAILS ACROSS OKLAHOMA

Longhorn cattle trails from Texas to Kansas railheads spanned the era from 1866 to 1889. Four primary trails cut through the Indian Territory: the East Shawnee Trail, the West Shawnee Trail, the Chisholm Trail, and the Great Western or Dodge City Trail.