{"id":7485,"date":"2015-11-29T19:19:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-29T19:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/https:\/\/www.edmondhistory.org\/?page_id=162"},"modified":"2015-11-29T19:19:00","modified_gmt":"2015-11-29T19:19:00","slug":"i-was-lonesome-awful-lonesome","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.edmondhistory.org\/i-was-lonesome-awful-lonesome\/","title":{"rendered":"I was Lonesome, Awful Lonesome"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"LONESOME\"<\/a>The Run of 1889 is an interesting chapter in Oklahoma\u2019s history,\u00a0as it marked the beginning of settlement of the former Indian Territory.\u00a0On the heels of the Run of ’89 followed other runs and land allotments\u00a0that led to the settlement of western Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

The “Unassigned Lands” included central\u00a0Oklahoma and was comprised of almost 3,000 square miles (over 2,000,000\u00a0acres). These lands were ceded to the Federal Government following\u00a0a Civil War between the Creek and Seminole tribes. Throughout the\u00a01880’s, the Unassigned Lands came under increasing scrutiny. Land\u00a0hunger was growing throughout the nation, and lands reserved\u00a0for Native Americans were eagerly sought by homesteaders. Particularly\u00a0interested was a group of would-be homesteaders based in southern\u00a0Kansas. Since the early 1880’s the “Kansas Boomers”, made\u00a0repeated illegal excursions into the Unassigned Lands to establish\u00a0homesteads and colonies, only to be repeatedly removed by military\u00a0forces.<\/p>\n

On March 23, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison proclaimed the Unassigned\u00a0Lands be officially opened at noon on April 22, 1889. The proclamation\u00a0also stated that no person entering the area before that date and\u00a0time would be permitted to obtain any legal rights to the land.<\/p>\n

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad line ran through these\u00a0lands and gave many an opportunity to see the area prior to opening.\u00a0Thus were born the familiar “Sooners” – those who knew the\u00a0area and illegally concealed themselves on the better land prior to\u00a0the opening, and the “Boomers” – those who sought to enter\u00a0and stake their claims as the government had stipulated.<\/p>\n

At noon on April 22, thousands of men and more than 250 women rushed\u00a0into central Oklahoma seeking land. Claim disputes were rampant because\u00a0the Federal Government had neglected to establish any laws. Given\u00a0the lack of a Territorial Government, which was not established until\u00a0May 2, 1890, it is remarkable that the Unassigned Lands were settled\u00a0at all. It is clear testimony to the fortitude of the original ’89ers,\u00a0who survived hardships, lawlessness and general confusion to create\u00a0homes and cities on the plains.<\/p>\n

This exhibit highlights some of the men and women who settled Edmond\u00a0and the surrounding areas of Britton, Deer Creek, Hartzell, Lincoln\u00a0and Spring Creek townships. The population of Edmond was approximately\u00a0150 on that first day. For Edmond History Museum purposes, 1889ers\u00a0are defined as people who arrived in Edmond during the land run or\u00a0shortly afterwards and Pioneers are those people who came to Edmond\u00a0between 1890 and 1907 (Oklahoma Statehood).<\/p>\n

Search the Oklahoma Historical Society’s 1890 Territorial Census<\/a><\/h3>\n

Special Thanks to The Oklahoma Humanities Council for their support of this exhibit in 2011.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks\u00a0also to the Edmond Women’s Club, Rena Jenkins, Stanley Hoig, Dr. James\u00a0L. Crowder, Lucille Warrick, and Eloise Rodkey Rees for their support and\u00a0help with this exhibit.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Run of 1889 is an interesting chapter in Oklahoma\u2019s history,\u00a0as it marked the beginning of settlement of the former Indian Territory.\u00a0On the heels of the Run of ’89 followed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.edmondhistory.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7485"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.edmondhistory.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.edmondhistory.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.edmondhistory.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.edmondhistory.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.edmondhistory.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7485\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.edmondhistory.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}