Five Civilized Tribes and The Civil War

At the time of the Civil War, the Five Civilized Tribes owned most all of what became Oklahoma except for the Panhandle and Old Greer County. As punishment for siding with the Confederacy, the federal government took away the western half of their lands. These were the lands opened to settlers later in Oklahoma history.
They attempted to enter the Union as the state of Sequoyah in 1905, but instead joined Oklahoma Territory to become one state in 1907.

Oklahoma Populated Before 1889

The land called the Indian Territory was not a wilderness in 1889. To the east of the Unassigned Lands were the Five Civilized Tribes, the Osages, and other tribes moved from previous frontiers. To the west were reservations for the Plains Tribes. In both directions were towns, railroads, newspapers, stagecoach routes, schools, and even telephone lines. It was a land with a rich legacy, a blend of many cultures and the dreams of may people. The land run 9f 1889 was only one chapter in the dramatic history of Oklahoma.