The term “first” was used to describe American settlers who illegally claimed land in Oklahoma before the land rush of 1889. Legal settlers resented their methods and many were forced to defend their claims in court. The term now represents Oklahoma’s pioneering spirit and is used to identify members of the University of Oklahoma sports teams and fans.
The term “first” was used derogatorily to describe the group of American settlers who illegally claimed land in what eventually became Oklahoma. These people staked their land claim when it was called the “Unallocated Lands,” before the territory was opened up by President Benjamin Harrison with his Indian Appropriation Act of 1889. These lands were opened up for land claims in the famous lands of that year, in which settlers basically entered a race to reclaim a piece of land for themselves.
The legal settlers believed that the former had cheated their land claim by claiming the land before the official start of the rush. This event was portrayed in the film Far and Away, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, in 1992. Legal settlers resented the illegal methods by which some people had colonized the land, and many of these people were forced to defend their their claims in court, in cases such as Smith v. Townsend in 1893.
A first shouldn’t be confused with a boomer, who believed that Indian lands were public property. Many boomers participated in raids to attempt to force white settlement of the lands. This practice was deemed illegal and many boomers were physically removed from Unassigned Lands. It was in part through their actions that the 1889 grounds were made possible.
The term “early legal” was used to describe settlers who had been in the territory legally before the land rush, such as railroad workers and federal marshals. Although they were legally in the area to help build the infrastructure of what would become Oklahoma, their land claims were also denied because they had not participated in the land races.
Over time, the term lost its derogatory connotations and began to represent Oklahoma’s irrepressible and rugged pioneering spirit. The word was adopted by the University of Oklahoma in 1908 as the name of their football team, and Oklahoma was unofficially considered the “earliest state” in the early 20th century. The term now identifies members of the University of Oklahoma sports teams, current and alumni students, and dedicated fans of the university’s teams. It has become a badge of honor among many Oklahomans.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
