The Oklahoma Land Rushes

Oklahoma was originally set aside as a quasisovereign Indian Territory. Over the course of the nineteenth century, the earlier treaties used to establish the territory were revoked, and eventually the area came under the process of allotment. This meant that at the very end of the century, when most of the surrounding states had been settled, about one half of the territory was opened up for homesteading. Unlike the other states and territories, however, in what would become Oklahoma there were official races to make a claim. The race structure allows for unique tests of the homesteading hypothesis.