Oklahoma City was first settled
on April 22, 1889, when the area known as the "unassigned lands"
|
|
within Indian Territory was
opened for settlement in an event called "The Land Run."
This was the point when the American government
opened up any lands not assigned to particular Native tribes for
public settlement.
At the sound of a
gunshot, tens of thousands of homesteaders raced across the Oklahoma
border to claim their property. Roughly 10,000 of these settlers
made their home in the Oklahoma City region, and within 10 years
that population had doubled.
When
Oklahoma was inducted into the union in 1907, the city, now with a
population of 64,000, put in a petition to become the new state
capital. A popular vote was held, which Oklahoma City won, thereby
supplanting the town of Guthrie as the capital. The new city continued
to grow at a steady rate until December 4, 1928, when oil was
discovered in the city.
Oil wells popped up all
over the city, even on the south lawn of the capitol building, and the
sudden influx of oil money both within the city and throughout the
state greatly accelerated the growth of the area.
|
|
