Oklahoma land rushGuthrie, Oklahoma Territory, days after the land rush of April 22, 1889.
Railroads seeking revenue and American settlers seeking property coveted the land of the Native Americans. By 1879 organized bands, who came to be known as “Boomers,” so named because of the economic boom that obtained in the 1870s and ’80s across most of the country, were moving in despite federal law. Although most were ejected, pressure continued until Congress opened some 3,100 square miles (8,100 square km) of western Indian Territory, bringing on a famous land run that began with the signal from a cavalry bugle at noon on April 22, 1889. Known as Oklahoma Territory, the new area came to include, through further land runs, about half of the former Indian domain. Then its settlers, many of whom earned the name “Sooner” for entering the area before receiving official permission, sought union of the two territories in statehood. The remaining Indian Territory, most of it opened to U.S. settlers by 1893, was dissolved by assignment of lands to the various tribes, and the tribal governments were pressured to approve the constitution of the proposed state in 1907.
Ethnic tensions between Oklahomans of European (“white”) and African (“black”) descent (and sometimes between members of these groups and Native Americans and Hispanics) were commonplace during the early years of statehood and were manifested as isolated lynchings and propaganda against African Americans. These tensions culminated in race riots in 1921 in Tulsa, during which some 35 city blocks in the African American community were destroyed and several hundred people were killed.
The drought years of the 1930s blighted many rural areas of Oklahoma and created the Dust Bowl that drove thousands of farmers, the so-called “Okies,” into long migrations in search of some form of livelihood. The economic boom of World War II, however, allowed the economy to diversify. This diversification was marked by the growth of the oil and natural gas industry, which suffered setbacks in the 1980s. The major political development of the late 20th century was the growing strength and assertiveness of Oklahoma’s Native American population, whose tribal leaders increasingly pressed for compensation for lost lands.
Terrorism struck Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, when a truck bomb exploded and destroyed part of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in the downtown area, killing 168 people and injuring more than 500.In the protracted economic crises of the early 21st century, Oklahoma experienced gains in areas such as renewable-energy development but losses in social services and capital investment. The state’s educational system, in particular, saw significant loss in funding and was ranked very low among the region’s states by a number of organizations.
Oklahoma City, city, Canadian, Cleveland, and Oklahoma counties, capital of Oklahoma state, U.S., and seat (1907) of Oklahoma county. It lies along the North Canadian River near the centre of the state, about 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Tulsa. The city site, at an elevation of about 1,200 feet (365 metres), is located in a valley that slopes up into gently rolling hills. The region’s climate is typical of the southern Great Plains, with long, hot summers and cool, short winters. Precipitation is moderate, with most falling during the warm months.
Oklahoma City, the largest municipality in the state, lies at the centre of a six-county metropolitan area. Nearby communities include Edmond (north), Midwest City (east), Norman (south), and El Reno (west). Area city, 621 square miles (1,608 square km). Pop. (2010) 579,999; Oklahoma City Metro Area, 1,252,987; (2020) 681,054; Oklahoma City Metro Area, 1,425,695.
The site for the city was located in an area of Indian Territory that was unassigned to any particular Native American group. Cattle ranchers entered the region, and would-be settlers began to demand that it be opened for settlement. Born of the “Run of ’89,” Oklahoma City came into being on April 22, 1889, when approximately 10,000 homesteaders staked land claims near Oklahoma Station (a stop established in 1887 on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway). A provisional town government was organized at a mass meeting in May 1889, but it was not until May 2, 1890, with the organization of the Oklahoma Territory, that its incorporation became official. While the name Oklahoma City was in popular use from the city’s beginning, the U.S. Post Office did not adopt the name until 1923.
The city developed as a distribution point for crops and cattle; its designation as the state capital in 1910 stimulated its growth. Meatpacking plants were established, and, with the arrival of more railroads, wholesale trade increased. Now a major transportation centre, it is the chief marketing and processing point for the state’s vast livestock industry and a shipping point for cotton, wheat, and cattle. The first oil well in the Oklahoma City pool came in on December 4, 1928. At one time about 1,400 wells were producing oil within the city limits, including some on the state capitol grounds. Although the number of wells has dropped to a few hundred, oil has remained important to the local economy.
Through numerous annexations since 1950, Oklahoma City has become one of the country’s largest cities in land area. Its population has grown steadily, surpassing 100,000 in the 1920s and 300,000 in the 1950s. People of European ancestry have constituted the great majority of the population since the early days, although their proportion has slowly declined. African Americansconstitute about one-seventh and Hispanics an increasing one-tenth of the total. There are also small but significant communities of Native Americans and Asians.
Oklahoma City bombingThe Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in the wake of the terrorist bombing on April 19, 1995.
On April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City became the site of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil when a truck bomb destroyed part of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in the downtown area, killing 168 people and injuring more than 500. Timothy J. McVeigh was found guilty of the bombing in 1997 and was executed in 2001. The Oklahoma City National Memorial, established in 1997, encompasses an outdoor memorial, a museum, and the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism.
The contemporary city
Oklahoma City has become one of the nation’s foremost aviation centres, Tinker Air Force Base (a large logistics and communications base just southeast of the city) and the Federal Aviation Administration’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center for training in air safety and aviation technology being major installations. The city’s highly diversified manufactures include petroleum products, executive aircraft, industrial machinery, electronics, automobiles, automotive parts, tires, computer equipment, and chemicals. Services, especially government, are a major part of the economy; health care, education, tourism, and customer service operations are also important. Oklahoma City is a distribution centre, particularly for food, and area farms produce cattle and wheat. Stockyards City was founded in 1910 as a livestock market and meat-processing centre; although meatpacking ended in the early 1960s, Stockyards City remained one of the world’s largest cattle markets into the 21st century. Many original businesses continue to provide services and supplies for farmers, ranchers, and cowboys.
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Oklahoma City University was founded in 1904, Oklahoma State University–Oklahoma City in 1961, and Oklahoma City Community College in 1969. The Health Sciences Center of the University of Oklahoma is also in the city, and several other institutions of higher education are in the metropolitan area.
Oklahoma City is the home of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and the National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum. The Oklahoma State Museum of History has an outstanding collection of Native American artifacts. The Oklahoma State Fair is held in the city each September, and State Fair Park is the scene of the International Finals Rodeo in January. Other annual events include the Red Earth Festival (Native American culture; June), a bluegrass festival in nearby Guthrie (October), and several horse shows.
Myriad Botanical Gardens (1988), a 17-acre (7-hectare) recreational park located downtown, has gardens, an amphitheatre, and the seven-story Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory. Other attractions include the Oklahoma City Zoo; the Harn Homestead, preserving an 1889 claim; the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame; and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Omniplex, northeast of downtown, contains museums of science, aerospace, Native American culture, and photography, as well as art galleries, a planetarium, and gardens. The 1917 state capitol building was one of only a few in the country lacking a dome until 2002, when work was completed on a 155-foot- (47-metre-) tall dome. Bricktown, once an industrial warehouse neighbourhood, was renovated in the 1990s into a popular restaurant, shopping, and entertainment district.
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