Locate significant features of the state Examine how economic cycles have affected and continue to affect major sectors of state employment

Towns, farms, businesses, and industries were growing rapidly as new settlers kept coming. The Five Tribes were dealing not only with their daily lives, but also with seeing their way of life being stripped away. The territories seemed destined for statehood!

While people and the idea of Manifest Destiny fueled the settlement of America and Oklahoma, railroads played a large role in making it happen at a faster rate.

The first railways consisted of wagons drawn by horses over wooden rails; in 1829, George Stephenson won a contest in England for building the fastest steam-powered locomotive. American engineers quickly put the technology to work, and railroads soon became a leading industry that spread across the country.

The railroads burst into Indian Territory in a noisy fashion. They brought profits from the sale of coal, asphalt, and timber; however, the also brought major changes to the lifestyles of the Native Americans.

The trains brought loads of boomers into Oklahoma Territory as land openings settled the territory piece by piece. People and their belongings were moved quickly by train, and people didnt feel so isolated from family and friends when they relocated.

The Santa Fe, Frisco, Rock Island, and Katy Railroads continued pushing across the Indian and Oklahoma territories. Railroad companies could lay out town sites along their routes, but, often times, people in a community went shopping for the railroad. A railroad almost guaranteed growth for the community, and towns that were by- passed found it hard to compete.

Santa Fe depot

The Santa Fe Railway originally stopped at Cross in Kay county, which, like many railroad stops, consisted mainly of a frame station and a small house for the railroad agent. An independent town site company established Ponca City near a good supply of spring water a short distance from Cross; Ponca City leaders had promised town lot buyers that the train would stop in the community and, with political pressure, the Santa Fe agreed to stop.

The Santa Fe Railroad arrived in Oklahoma City in 1897, linking it to Sapulpa-Tulsa, Kansas City, and St. Louis; by 1904, the land-locked prairie town was crisscrossed by 4 railroads, connecting it to much of the rest of the world. Shawnee rivaled Oklahoma City in the railroad industry, beginning when the Choctaw Railroad moved it main repair shops and work force of one thousand men there in the late 1890s.

A strong agricultural base of cotton, potatoes, and peaches along with feed stores, wagon yards, and an overall factory fueled the railroads. In the early 1900s, the Santa Fe built a lavish Bedford rock depot for the bustling business. Many Czechs moved to the territory to work on the railroads in the El Reno area.

In 1902, the Frisco Railroad made Sapulpa its division headquarters. An electric light franchise was soon approved and a new waterworks system was built. By 1903, the railroad had brought rapid growth.

Wanting to capture some of this growth, Tulsa leaders tried to get the Frisco to move its headquarters across the Arkansas. Without a reliable water supply, Tulsa couldnt seem to attract a railroad. Tulsa offered the Katy Railroad a $12,000 bonus and the Katy made Tulsa a stop.

Some of the Native Americans had been producing corn, wheat, cotton, and cattle in the territories, primarily in the eastern areas; their successes depended on the rainfall. Sorghum cane was one of the first crops planted by settlers; the grain on the top made its way into livestock feed and the stalk was used to make molasses.

Cotton became the most popular crop in many parts of the territory because it could be planted with simple equipment and didnt require large amounts of rain. However, it did require a large amount of work. When farmers came into town to sell cotton, usually on Saturdays, wagons would fill the town. After selling, farmers would buy supplies and clothes. About the turn of the century, the boll weevil arrived; the boll weevil is an insect that destroyed cotton crops for years until farmers learned how to poison it.

Growing wheat required a lot of heavy equipment; the Germans who settled in central and western Oklahoma brought hard, red winter wheat seeds with them. Wheat production increased greatly with the availability of better and more affordable equipment soon after WW1.

The early settlers used horses and mules for farming and transportation; every farm had a milk cow, chicken, and hogs. Wild game and fish were used to add variety. Many farmers raised and sold cattle.

Most of the people in the territories recognized education as a necessity; the first settlers wasted no time in setting up schools, regardless of whether they lived in town or on a farm. Later, schools would become the social center of the community, and people would gather there to sing, hold box suppers or literary readings, or spelling bees.

The first schools were sometimes started in a tent, dugout, sod house, log house, or whatever shelter was common in that particular area. Many of the early schools were subscription schools, which meant that parents paid a monthly fee, usually ranging from $1 to $2. The 1890 Organic Act provided for the establishment of schools in Oklahoma Territory which gradually replaced subscription schools.

Salt and coal mines played an important role in the territories. Lead and Zinc, found in several places, became a major industry. Some lead was surface mined in northeastern Oklahoma for ammunition for the Civil War.

Combined with rich finds in southwestern Missouri and southeastern Kansas, the area became known as the Tri-State District and was home to hundreds of small mining or milling companies. The largest ore discovery came in 1913 in downtown Pitcher; in 1926, Ottawa County was the worlds largest source of lead and zinc.

Towns sprang up when gold fever hit the Wichita Mountains area in Oklahoma Territory.

Spanish explorers had spent years searching those mountains for gold; in the early 189s, prospectors found evidence of gold. By 1895, miners were swarming into the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache reservations.

Soldiers from Fort Sill and the Indian Police tried to keep the gold- hungry out of the area. When the area was opened to settlement in 1901, people were waiting to make their fortune in gold, over 2,000 mining claims were filed within a 9 year span. The gold fever ended when a geologist determined that most of the ore had no economic value.

The call for statehood was persistent and meetings were held yearly on the topic. With each land opening, population grew. In 1890, population was estimated at 61,000; by 1900, the number had grown to 400,000.

Territorial Governor William Renfrow was one of the early advocated for a single state. Leaders of the 5 Tribes were highly opposed to joining Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory. There were almost twice as many noncitizens in Indian Territory than Indians, but they could not own land or send their children to tribal schools.

With noncitizens demanding changes and statehood appearing inevitable, tribal leaders were bitterly against a single state because they believed Oklahoma territory would dominate. A January 1902 resolution from Oklahoma Territory requesting admission as a single state was followed in November by a resolution from Indian Territory against uniting the two territories.

Chief Porter

In 1905, leaders from the 5 Tribes met to discuss statehood; they called for a constitutional convention for the State of Sequoyah to be held in August 1905 in Muskogee. Voters selected 182 delegates and Pleasant Porter of the Creek Nation was elected to preside.

William Wirt Hastings, a Cherokee who later represented Oklahoma in the U.S. House of Representatives, chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution for the State of Sequoyah; the constitution included a bill of rights and established three branches of government and a system of checks and balances.

The people of Indian Territory approved the Constitution on November 7 th ; it was promptly submitted to Congress. However, bills on the State of Sequoyah were tabled in the House and Senate in December 1905 while political fighting for single statehood continued.

Legislation that enables something or empowers a person, government agency, or other entity to do something that it could not before is called an enabling act. On June 16 th 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an Enabling Act, called the Hamilton Statehood Bill, that provided for joining the two territories into a single state.

The Enabling Act required the people to organize a republican form of government similar to that of other states. The constitution needed to establish religious liberty, prohibit polygamous marriages, guarantee the right to vote to all races and colors regardless of previous servitude, prohibit alcoholic liquor in Indian Territory and the Osage Nation for 21 years, and establish a public school system.

112 delegates had to be elected 55 from each territory and 2 from the Osage reservation which was still being allotted. Election for the delegates was held on November 6 th 1906. Women were not allowed to be delegates or vote; all males over 21 who were citizens or a member of an Indian Tribe were eligible; 12 were Republicans, 1 was an Independent; 99 were Democrats.

Leaders of the two main parties headed the convention; Charles N. Haskell was the leader of the Democratic majority and Henry Asp headed the Republicans. The committee divided the state into 75 counties and designated temporary county seats.

In the early 1900s, the Progressive Movement spread across the country; progressives believed that government was best equipped to correct the problems in society.

This reform movement wanted to break up large corporations and regulate businesses; progressives wanted people to have more say in government. They supported Senators being elected by the people and the income tax these ideas would have a major impact on the delegates who were charged with writing the Oklahoma Constitution.

Three branches of government executive, legislative, and judicial and a system of checks and balances were established.

Most state officials were elected y the people. The governor would serve as head of the executed, which included 12 elected officials. A bicameral (2 house) legislature had members of the house serving 2 year terms and members of the senate serving 4 year terms. The judicial included justices of the supreme court, district, county, and municipal courts, and justices of the peace.

The constitution called for a board of health, board of dentistry, board of pharmacy, and a pure food commission. A department of charities and corrections was set up to deal with orphans, mental patients, and prison inmates.

Citizens were empowered by having the right to subject a legislative act to referendum. Citizens could also propose a law or constitutional amendment by initiative.

Laws were written to shorten the workday to 8 hours in mines and on public works projects; convict labor was prohibited and children under 15 could not be employed in any hazardous occupation. Boys under 16 and females could not be employed in mines.

Free public schools that were not affiliated with any religious group; all children between 8 and 16 were required to attend school

As statehood approached, the national womens suffrage movement was going strong. The issue of suffrage (right to vote) was raised with the first territorial legislature, when women were given the right to vote on school matters. Southern Democrats blocked womens suffrage because they felt it would result in more African Americans voting. The only other people who could not vote were felons, paupers, and the mentally incapable.

The issue of prohibition (legally forbidding the making or selling of alcoholic beverages) was sensitive. Alcohol was legal in Oklahoma Territory and illegal in Indian Territory. With many strong opposing views, the delegates decided to submit the issue to a vote of the people.

African Americans who had moved to the territories hoped to escape the discrimination found in many southern states; Jim Crow laws (laws the limited the rights of African Americans) led many to search for better opportunities. Many Democrats wanted to ass segregation provisions to the constitution, but others prevailed in tabling the matter until statehood was achieved.

All corporations were required to receive a charter (official permission to operate) from the state and could not influence political campaigns or own stock in competing firms.

The work of the delegates resulted in a document almost 10 times as long as the U.S. Constitution. While hailed as the most progressive of its time, it has been argued that it was much too restrictive to adequately deal with new situations. The people voted an accepted the constitution, elected Charles N. Haskell as governor, and passed prohibition on September 17 th, 1907.

President Theodore Roosevelt signed the statehood proclamation on November 16 th 1907, through direct telegraph wire from the White House, the news was received in Guthrie two minutes later.

The announcement was made publically by Hugh Scott who stood on the portico of the Carnegie Library in Guthrie and shot a pistol. The militia responded with volleys of blank cartridges and celebrations instantly broke out in the city with bands playing, bells ringing, steam whistles blowing, and guns firing.

Five minutes later, Governor Haskell took the oath of office. Several thousand citizens had gathered in Guthrie, filling the streets and even the trees as people clamored to view the inauguration. A symbolic marriage ceremony join Mr. Oklahoma Territory with Miss Indian Territory.

With a population of 1,414,177, more than any other territory, Oklahoma joined the Union as the 46 th state. Some, however, did not feel like celebrating; many Native Americans in the eastern part of the state felt betrayed.

Documents

Locate significant features of the state Examine how economic cycles have affected and continue to affect major sectors of state employment