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Andrew Jackson signs the 'Indian Removal Act'
Andrew Jackson signed an Act that forced thousands of Native Americans into land in Oklahoma and even farther west. Many had to do the journey on foot, and thousands died of cold, hunger, and disease. This was called the trail of tears because of all the grief and death that occurred on the journey. -
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Tribes Involved in Trail of Tears are Forced to Leave
The tribes this include are:
1831- Choctaw
1832- Seminole
1834- Creek
1837- Chickasaw
1838- Cherokee -
Jim Thorpe is Born
Native American gold medalist Jim Thorpe was born on this day. He played professional baseball and football. He was born in Lincoln County, Oklahoma. -
Founding of the Current Capital
Oklahoma City is Oklahoma's current capital. However it wasn't always this way. Originally, Oklahoma's capital was Guthrie. It was changed to Oklahoma city in 1910. -
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The Land Rushes
As the government wanted people to settle the open land in the West, they made it available for free- through land rushes. People would race to free land and claim it using a flag. People who managed to sneak out and claim land before it was opened were called 'sooners.' The Oklahoma Land Rush is well known because- in 1889- it was the first Land Rush. The Land Rush of 1893 was the largest, and opening of the Kickapoo area was the last in 1895 -
Jim Thorpe Joins Track and Field
Before winning the olympics, in 1907, he joined track and field in Carlisle. He broke the school's record by going over a 5 ft 9 in bar. -
Founding of Oklahoma
Oklahoma was founded on November 16, 1907. It was the 47th state. The land of Oklahoma was actually one of the destinations for the Trail of Tears. But as settlers moved west, more and more of it was converted into US territory. Its nickname is the "Sooner State." Oklahoma comes from the Choctaw words "Okla" meaning red, and "Homma" meaning people. -
Jim Thorpe Wins Gold Medals
Jim Thorpe won both the pentathlon and decathlon in the 1912 olympics. However, he was stripped of his medals because he had been payed to play minor league baseball when he was younger. -
Jim Thorpe Marries
Jim Thorpe married the first time to his college sweetheart, Iva Miller. He married twice after, in 1925 to Freeda V. Kirkpatrick, and in 1945 to Patricia Askew. -
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The Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was the worst man-made disaster in American history, affecting parts of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, and Colorado, and causing for over 15% of the population to leave to California. It was best known for its 'black blizzards,' huge walls of dust that choked cattle and pasture lands. The disaster's cause was actually tied to the farmers of the area, who removed native plants and over plowed to farm the land. When drought hit, the soil was too weak to not be blown away. -
The Dust Bowl Ends
After the Dust Bowl, the government did a lot to keep the possibilities of another one from happening. The Soil Conservation Service was founded, and they purchased 11.3 million acres of land to keep out of farming. Those are just a few examples. -
Jim Thorpe is named Greatest Athlete
In 1950, Associated Press dubbed Jim Thorpe as the greatest athlete in the first half of the 20th century. -
Jim Thorpe Dies
Jim Thorpe died by going into heart failure for the third time while eating dinner in his home. He was briefly revived with artificial respiration and talked to others, but then passed out and died. -
The Oklahoma City Bombing Occurs
The Oklahoma City bombing -before 9/11- was the worst terrorist attack on American soil. It was a truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, and the attack left 168 dead and many more injured. The one who did it was Timothy McVeigh, an anti-government militant. He was executed in 2001. His co-conspirator, Terry Nichols, was sentenced to life in prison. -
Oklahoma Quarter Released
The Oklahoma Quarter was the 46th quarter to be released in the United State Mint's 50 Quarters Program. It features the state bird (the Scissortail Flycatcher) soaring over the state flower (the Indian Blanket)
