We might call April Land Run month as two of the major land runs were in April.  Land runs largely shaped Central and western Oklahoma opening land for settlers between 1889 and 1895.  The Fergusons participated in the April 1889 run and the September 1893 run in the Cherokee Outlet.  In both runs, the Fergusons obtained land even there were many more runners than parcels of land.  The Fergusons arrived in Watonga in October 1892, following the April land run in the Cheyenne-Arapaho area.   The following pertains to the 1889 Land Run.

Acts leading to the 1889 Land Run

The Land run of 1889 opened “unassigned lands” in Central Oklahoma.  “On February 27, 1889 representative William M. Springer added section 13 to the annual Indian Appropriation bill which authorized the President to open the lands to settlement.  This rider authorized settlement under the provisions of the Homestead Act of 1862 and the Dawes Act of 1887  Wikipedia Land Run 1889.  it denied the original settlers their squatter’s rights. They were to be expelled, and the lands were to be settled by a land run.”  “President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation on March 23, 1889 to settle the 1,887,796 acres.  National Cowboy Museum. 

Native American Perspective

For the perspective of the pre-land runs laws, see Cherokee Principle Chief Chuck Hoskins opinion article of April 2024 entitled “Teach the kids about the Land Runs, but don’t Glorify them” Chief Hoskins Opinion. Read the Pottawatomie perspective on the 1891 land runs Native Land Rights.

Oklahoma becomes a Territory

For the 1889 Land Run, history records “Eligible persons were authorized to enter at noon on April 22, 1889 for the purpose of occupying a quarter section (160 acres)… Included were all or part of the present counties of Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Logan, Oklahoma, and Payne”.  The tent cities of Oklahoma City, Kingfisher, El Reno, Norman, Guthrie and Stillwater were created.  National Cowboy Museum.  In May 1890, the Oklahoma Organic Act created Oklahoma Territory, which in addition to the western part of Oklahoma, also included the Panhandle Wikipedia Land Run 1889.

Fergusons obtain land near Guthrie

The Fergusons obtained land in the 1889 run in the Guthrie area, but they relinquished  it and returned to Kansas okhistory.org/TB Ferguson.  

Cinematic portrayals of land runs

Several films depict Oklahoma Land Runs, but the main one to illustrate the 1889 run is Cimarron, a film based on the 1929 novel by Edna Ferber.  Both the 1931 Oscar-winning film version and 1960 remake of Cimarron feature epic depictions of the run that opened almost two million acres of prime land.

In one afternoon, land in central Oklahoma was transformed into tent cities, farms, and soon to be capital (Guthrie) of Oklahoma Territory.