Land run

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Cherokee Strip land run

Land run' (sometimes "land rush" ) usually refers to a historical event in which previously-restricted land of the United States was opened for homesteading on a first arrival basis. Some newly opened lands were sold first-come, sold by bid, or won by lottery, or by means other than a run. The settlers, no matter how they acquired occupancy, purchased the land from the United States Land Office. For former Indian lands, the Land Office distributed the funds to the various tribal entities according to previously negotiated terms. The Oklahoma Land Run of 1889 was the most prominent of the land runs, although there were several others enumerated below.

There were seven land runs in Oklahoma:

Land Run of 1889 took place at high noon on April 22, 1889 and involved the settlement of the Unassigned Lands (most of modern day Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Logan, Oklahoma, and Payne counties).
September 22, 1891: Land run to settle Iowa, Sac and Fox, Potawatomi, and Shawnee lands.
September 23, 1891: Land run to settle Tecumseh, the pre-designated location of the county seat of County B, later renamed as Pottawatomie County.
September 28, 1891: Land run to settle Chandler, the pre-designated location of the county seat of County A, later renamed as Lincoln County.
April 19, 1892: Land run to settle the Cheyenne and Arapaho lands.
September 16, 1893: Cherokee Strip Land Run. The Run of the Cherokee Strip opened nearly 7,000,000 acres (28,000 km²) to settlement on September 16, 1893. The land was purchased from the Cherokees for $7,000,000.
May 23, 1895: Land run to settle the Kickapoo lands.

In honor of Oklahoma's Centennial, an Oklahoma Centennial Land Run Monument is currently being built by Oklahoma artist Paul Moore in his Norman, Oklahoma studio. The impressive landmark recreates the Land Run of 1889 in vivid detail. As elements of the 47 piece monument are finished, they are to be installed in lower Bricktown, Oklahoma City. When completed, the monument will be approximately 365 feet long, making it one of the largest bronze sculptures in the world.