There Are Statues Over There... Near Bass Pro Shop in Oklahoma City

Eric & I are parked in a public
parking lot adjacent to the
Bass Pro Shop.






This morning, we are sharing the lot with a motorhome and several buses.  While stretching my legs, I came across a group of statues titled The Centennial Land Run Monument.

Oklahoma was, for decade, the section of land that Indian Tribes were displaced to from other states. The Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee, Creek, Cheyenne, Commanche, and others were assigned areas of land to live on by the federal government.  For many years, the Indian Territory was considered to be unsuitable for farming and settlement.  By the 1880s, improvements in farming techniques made the Indian Territory a desirable place for settlement.  1.9 acres were designated for homesteaders to claim.

Thousands gathered on the boarders of Oklahoma to "rush" to claim land on the appointed day.

This group of statues depicts

the Land Rush on

April 22, 1889.

Settlers flooded into Oklahoma
at 12:00 pm on April 22, 1889
to claim cheap land.






Homesteaders raced over, around and through obstacles in their way, including rivers.

I happened to get this photo

of a group touring on the

waterway, between the

Centennial statues.

 The settlers moved as quickly as they could to claim land.

 Walking among the statues I see....

.... determination, lust for land & hope on the settlers' faces.

Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Guthrie and other towns were created in just one day.