There were several land “rushes” in Oklahoma Territory, but only one has captured historical headlines: The Cherokee Strip. Both Donnas grandparents and my grandmother were part of that excitement.
The Oklahoma Territory had been given to native Americans by treaty after the removal effort known as the Trail of Tears, but population pressure from the east created a situation that is today considered to be horrible mismanagement by the federal government. Immigration from Europe was increasingly encouraged, and along with an increasing need for prime land in the east created an unsustainable life for native Americans. Add in cattle from Texas being driven across “Indian Territory “, and there was no turning back the tide.
Right or wrong, it is history, and both Donnas grandparents and mine acquired quarter sections of land accordingly to established regulations. For the Cherokee land rush, nine departure points were established, five along the Kansas line and four along the southern edge of the Strip. Additionally, four land offices were located throughout the area, and once a land claim was made, it had to be registered at the land office. Imagine the confusion when thousands of people descended on those four offices!
We left Oklahoma City, heading north on I35. Our destination was the Cherokee Strip Museum in Perry, Oklahoma.
This small museum primarily focuses on the local aspects of the rush. This saddle was used by Mansfield Jerome in the 1893 run.
This shawl was brought to Oklahoma by Anna Tetyak from Czechoslovakia in 1893 and carried by wagon into the Cherokee Strip.
Interestingly, one of the founders of Sonic is from the Perry, Oklahoma area. An american success story, Marvin Jirous started with a Dairy Boy store, partnered with Charlie Pappe, named their restaurant Sonic, “Service at the speed of Sound”, and never looked back.
Next, we headed west toward Enid, OK.
My grandmother was born in Enid, in a sod house, to James Hill and his wife, who died soon after Grammas birth. We had an enlightening conversation with the archivist at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, trying to find records of Grandma Violet, but didn’t have much luck. Records are still being digitized, and incomplete. Aaron did turn us on to several research tools that we will explore in the future.
The Heritage Center takes a broader view of the Cherokee Strip than the center in Perry. We came away with a much better grasp of this turbulent time, aided in large part by a number of maps.
Pictures of “soddies” showed just how tough life was for the first settlers of the Strip.
Laura Crews caused a huge uproar when she rode a horse “astride” in the 1893 land rush.
She was successful in obtaining land and lived to 105, the last survivor of the Cherokee Land Rush. At her 100th birthday, she told her great, great nephew “If I were younger, I’d like to homestead on the moon.”
Family history tells of Enid being a small farming community. These days it is a thriving, Heart of America type of town, and with over 50,000 population, is the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. Locals at the Heritage Center told us that west coast escapees are flooding into Enid.
God help them all.
And so we leave Oklahoma City. It’s been raining for four straight days. Maybe we can escape that as we move east!
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