More
than 50 languages are spoken in the state of Oklahoma. There are 55
distinct Indian tribes that make the state their home, and each of these
tribes has its own language or dialect. The colorful history of the state
includes Indians, cowboys, battles, oil discoveries, dust storms,
settlements initiated by offers of free land, and forced resettlements of
entire tribes.
Oklahoma's
Indian heritage is honored in its official state seal and flag. At the
center of the seal is a star, and within each of the five arms of the star
are symbols representing each of the five tribes (the "Five Civilized
Tribes") that were forcefully resettled into the territory of
Oklahoma. The tribes depicted on the seal are the Creeks, the Chickasaw,
the Choctaw, the Cherokee, and the Seminoles. The present Oklahoma state
flag depicts an Indian war shield, stars, eagle feathers, and an Indian
peace pipe, as well as a white man's symbol for peace, an olive branch.
| THE NAME:
Oklahoma is a word that was made up by the native American missionary Allen Wright. He combined two Choctaw words,
"ukla" meaning person and "humá" meaning red to form the word that first appears in a 1866 Choctaw
treaty. Oklahoma means "red person."
Source: Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S.
State
Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 1994 |
| THE NICKNAMES:
The Sooner State: "Unassigned
Lands" in Oklahoma were offered to settlers through a series of "Land Openings"
where newcomers initially competed for the land in horse races. The Land Run of 1889 began the process of disposing
of these Unassigned Lands. The Homestead
Act of 1862 provided that a legal settler could claim 160 acres of
public land, and those who lived on and improved the claim for five years could receive title.
People who entered the district illegally to lay claim to lands, before the designated entry time, were called "Sooners."
The name came from a section in the Indian Appropriations Act of March 2, 1889, that said that nobody would be
permitted to enter upon and occupy the land before the time designated in the President's opening proclamation
and that those that did would be denied rights to the land. This section became known as the "sooner clause."
Early legal settlers had a very low opinion of Sooners of course. This began to change by 1908 when the University
of Oklahoma named the football team the "Sooners." Like many nicknames, this one's negative connotations faded
over time and the name, Sooners, is now worn with pride. Though not official, Oklahoma is popularly known as
"The Sooner State."
Boomer's Paradise: The terms "Boom" and "Boomer" were first used by Dr. Morrison Munford in the Kansas
City Times in reference to the effort to establish settlements in the "Unassigned Lands" and to the people
involved in those efforts. Promoting the "Boomer's Paradise," early advocates of settlement in the Unassigned Lands
began what is referred to as the "Boomer Movement." The Boomer Movement was initiated before the Unasigned
Lands were legally opened for settlement.
Early Boomers included James Madison Bell a Cherokee, who tried to settle in the Cherokee Outlet and Kansas
and Missouri settlers, organized by Kansan Colonel Charles C. Carpenter, who entered Indian Territory and
tried to settle along the North Canadian River. These Boomers were evicted by U.S. Troops.
In 1880, David Lewis
Payne led a party of 21 settlers to the south bank of the North Canadian River and laid
out a town called Ewing. They were removed by the U.S. Fourth Calvary. Payne continued to flaunt the
government's proclamation forbidding unlawful entry into Indian Territory and returned to Ewing with a
larger group of settlers. Judge Isaac Parker levied a $1,000 fine against the Boomer leader for his
second intrusion. Mr. Payne's arrest seemed to make him more popular and he continued to guide Boomers
into the forbidden territory.
When David Lewis Payne died suddenly, of a heart attack, in 1884, his lieutenant, William L. Couch, assumed
leadership of the Boomer Movement and lead four more excursions into the Oklahoma territory. Again and
again the Boomers were arrested and expelled from the area. Illegal intrusions by Mr. Couch ended in 1885.
The Boomer Movement gained new momentum in 1886 and 1887 when the Santa Fe Railroad constructed a line that
ran from Arkansas City, Kansas to Gainesville, Texas right through the Unassigned Lands. At this time
political pressure was exerted to open up the Unassigned Lands to settlement. In 1889 an amendment to
the Indian Appropriations Bill allowed President Benjamin Harrison to proclaim the Unassigned Lands open
for settlement.
Source: Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State
Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 1994
Shankle, George Earlie, Phd State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and
Other Symbols H. H. Wilson Company, New York - 1938 (Reprint) |
THE CITIZENS:
People who live in Oklahoma or who come from Oklahoma are called Oklahomans or Oklahomians. Sometimes Oklahomans
are referred to as Sooners. |
THE QUARTER:
 |
| U.S. Mint Image |
The first commemorative quarter-dollar coin released in 2008 honors Oklahoma, and is the 46th coin in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program. Oklahoma, nicknamed the "Sooner State," was admitted into the Union on November 16, 1907, becoming our Nation's 46th state.
The Oklahoma quarter features an image of the State bird, the Scissortail Flycatcher, in flight with its distinctive tail feathers spread. The bird is soaring over the State wildflower, the Indian Blanket, backed by a field of similar wildflowers. The coin’s design also bears the inscriptions "Oklahoma" and "1907."
The depiction of Indian Blanket (or Gaillardia) symbolizes the State’s rich Native American heritage and native long grass prairies that are abundant in wildlife. Oklahoma was formed by the combination of the Oklahoma Territory and the Indian Territory of the Five Civilized Tribes – Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Seminole, and Cherokee. The State’s name is derived from the Choctaw words "okla" and "homma," meaning "red" and "people."
The process to choose the coin’s reverse design began in February 2006. Citizens submitted more than 1,000 concepts for consideration. This eventually led to the creation of ten narratives based on these concepts. A vote by Oklahoma citizens narrowed the field to five, which were sent to the United States Mint for consideration. The final artistic renderings, developed by United States Mint Sculptor-Engravers and artists in the United States Mint’s Artistic Infusion Program, were then proposed to Oklahoma for a statewide vote. On April 30, 2007, Governor Brad Henry announced his recommendation of the State bird and wildflower design, based on the overwhelming number of citizen votes for this design.
The Department of the Treasury approved the design on May 25, 2007. Four other designs were considered, including "Pioneer Woman and Child with Windmill and Oil Derrick," "Pioneer Woman and Child with State Outline and Oil Derrick," and two versions of "Pioneer Woman and Child with State Outline and Calumet."
For more on the state commemorative quarters, visit this page.
This 50 State Quarter Map is a great way to collect and display all 50 State Quarters. |
|
