Oklahoma State Guide

Originally overlooked by settlers, Oklahoma was set aside as "Indian Territory" in 1830, divided between the Five Civilized Tribes (Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, and Cherokee). Natives were relocated from the southeastern U.S. to Oklahoma; the forced march of the Cherokee resulted in over 4,000 deaths from disease, weather, exhaustion, and hunger and has since come to be known as the "Trail of Tears." In 1889, the U.S. government began opening up the unassigned land in Oklahoma for settlement in a series of "land runs." Those who broke the rules and crossed the border early came to be known as "sooners." This derogatory term has since been embraced affectionately by Oklahoma, which proudly bears the nickname "Sooner State."