The Kiowa and Comanche country was
the last great tract of land in Oklahoma to
be
thrown open to white settlement.
There was
still one tract of considerable size to be
settled that was known
as the Big Pasture.
Then there
were a few Indian tribes whose tribal
governments were to be
brought to an end and
their lands placed
under county
government. The lands of the
Kaws, Poncas,
and the Otoes and Missouris were divided among the
membership
of each
tribe, and their
reservations were attached
to and made a part of Kay, Noble, and
Pawnee
counties.
All of
their lands were distributed among the
Indians, none being opened
to white
settlement. The distribution
was
completed, and their tribal governments
ceased in 1904. The Big
Pasture was a large
tract of land in the southern
part of
Comanche County that had been
reserved by
the Kiowas and Comanches for pasture land. Later,they
decided
to sell it,
and it was opened to
settlement in 1906. The
Government sold it for the Indians. It was
sold to the
highest
bidder by sealed bids.
The settlers were
required to have the qualifications of
homesteaders. Each person
was allowed to
bid
upon several tracts not to exceed one hundred sixty acres
each, but he was allowed to take only
one.
Part of the
purchase price had to be inclosed with each bid. The
purchaser was to pay for the land in five
equal payments. At
the time of the opening
the land was
included in Comanche County, now part of it is
included
in Tillman
County.
The
Osage Nation was included in Oklahoma
Territory for court purposes
in 1893, but it
was not opened to white
settlement. They
were the last Indians in
Oklahoma to receive
their lands in severally. All of their land
was divided
among
the members of the
tribe; none of it was
opened to settlement by the whites. The
Osages are thought by some
to be the
richest
people in the world. There are only a few more than two
thousand of them. At the beginning of
statehood the Osage
Nation was formed into
one county, Osage
County.
It
will be
seen that Oklahoma was settled
unlike any other state.
1. The
unassigned lands (Old Oklahoma)
settled by
race for claims, April 22, 1889.
2.
The Public Land Strip (No Man's
Land) added
by the Organic Act, May 2, 1890.
3.
Iowa, Sac and Fox, and
Pottawatomie-Shawnee
reservations by the race plan, September 22,
1891.
4.
Cheyenne and Arapahoe country
by race plan,
April 19, 1892.
5.
Cherokee Outlet (Strip), by race, September
16, 1893.
6. Kickapoo country, by
race, May 23,
1895.
7. Greer County, by act of
Congress, May 4, 1896.
8.
Kiowa-Comanche country by drawing, August 6,
1901.
9. Kaw, Ponca, and Otoe-Missouri
reservations, by ending tribal governments
and attaching land to
counties, 1904.
10. Big
Pasture, by sealed bids, in 1906.
11.
Osage Nation
made a part of Oklahoma for court purposes, 1893,
made a county, 1907.
12. The Indian
Territory, including the lands belonging to
the Five Civilized
Tribes and the smaller
tribes east
of the
Grand River, was made a part of the state of
Oklahoma, by
statehood, 1907.
[Source: "The Essential Facts of
Oklahoma History and Civics"
By Charles
Henry
Roberts, Published by B.H. Sanborn & Co., 1914.
Contributed to Genealogy Trails
