How did Oklahoma become a State

The state of Oklahoma is unique among US states in that it was intended to be, at least wide areas of it, a home for Native Americans who were moved there as the United States expanded and people moved into areas that once had Native Americans. However, over time, Oklahoma began to also emerge as a state with settlers who moved in from neighboring regions.

The Emergence of Oklahoma

Oklahoma was part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 that greatly expanded the area of the United States. The region was settled by a variety of Native American populations, including the Caddoans, Siouans, and Athapascans (mainly Plains Apache). The region was also raided and used as a hunting ground by Kiowa, Comanche, and Arapaho populations. This mostly continued through the 18th century and into the early 19th century. Things began to change by the 1830s when the growing United States focused on policies of forced Native American removals from the eastern United States. The United States began to recognize the region around Oklahoma as Indian Territory. This was a place envisioned to be the home of indigenous populations, a place to separate the Native Americans from settlers.