The
Cherokee Outlet, more often referred to as the
Cherokee Strip, was located in what is now the state of
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was a sixty-mile (97 km) wide strip of land south of the Oklahoma-Kansas border between the 96th and 100th meridians. It was about 225 miles (362 km) long and in 1891 contained 8,144,682.91 acres (32,960 km²). The Cherokee Strip was, in actuality, a
two mile stripThe Cherokee Strip of Kansas, in the United States, was a disputed strip of land on the southern border of the state.-Description:In 1825 the Osage Nation was given a reservation in eastern Indian territory in what is now Kansas. In the Treaty of New Echota, May 23, 1836, the northern border of the...
running along the northern border of much of the Cherokee Outlet and which was the result of a surveying error.
The
Treaty of New EchotaThe Treaty of New Echota was a treaty signed on December 29, 1835 in New Echota, Georgia by officials of the United States government and representatives of a minority Cherokee political faction. The treaty was amended and ratified in March 1836. The treaty established terms under which the entire...
, May 23, 1836, gave the land to the
CherokeeThe Cherokee are a Native American people from the Southeastern United States...
s as a perpetual outlet to travel and hunt in the West.
The
Cherokee Outlet, more often referred to as the
Cherokee Strip, was located in what is now the state of
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was a sixty-mile (97 km) wide strip of land south of the Oklahoma-Kansas border between the 96th and 100th meridians. It was about 225 miles (362 km) long and in 1891 contained 8,144,682.91 acres (32,960 km²). The Cherokee Strip was, in actuality, a
two mile stripThe Cherokee Strip of Kansas, in the United States, was a disputed strip of land on the southern border of the state.-Description:In 1825 the Osage Nation was given a reservation in eastern Indian territory in what is now Kansas. In the Treaty of New Echota, May 23, 1836, the northern border of the...
running along the northern border of much of the Cherokee Outlet and which was the result of a surveying error.
Formation
The
Treaty of New EchotaThe Treaty of New Echota was a treaty signed on December 29, 1835 in New Echota, Georgia by officials of the United States government and representatives of a minority Cherokee political faction. The treaty was amended and ratified in March 1836. The treaty established terms under which the entire...
, May 23, 1836, gave the land to the
CherokeeThe Cherokee are a Native American people from the Southeastern United States...
s as a perpetual outlet to travel and hunt in the West. This was in addition to the land given to the Cherokees for settlement after their arrival from their home in
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
.
Loss of Cherokee control
After the
Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, the Cherokees were required to renegotiate their treaties due to their alliance with the
ConfederacyThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
:
The treaty, ratified on July 19, 1866, allowed the United States government to dispose of the land: "The United States may settle friendly Indians in any part of the Cherokee country west of 96° ... to be paid for to the Cherokee NationThe Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States...
... after which their jurisdiction and right of possession to terminate forever..."
The settlement of several tribes in the eastern part of the Cherokee Outlet closed it from the Cherokee Nation and left them unable to use it for grazing or hunting. After the Civil War, Texans began driving their cattle across the Outlet to markets in
KansasKansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...
and soon others began using the land for grazing. In the early 1880s, with the support of the Cherokees, the ranchers using the land organized and began fencing individual claims. The Cherokees felt the organization would help them collect their rents.
In 1883 the cattlemen finally incorporated under the laws of
KansasKansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...
as
The Cherokee Live Stock Association. They negotiated a five-year lease for the entire outlet for $100,000 per year, payable semi-annually in advance. At the end of the five years, the
Cherokee NationThe Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States...
Tribal CouncilA Tribal Council is either: an association of Native American bands in the United States or First Nations governments in Canada, or the governing body for certain tribes within the United States or elsewhere...
put the lease up for bid, hoping to get a better price. The Cherokee Live Stock Association eventually got the bid for $200,000 per year. But it was not to be completed.
Cherokee Strip land run
In 1889,
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
authorized a commission to persuade the Cherokees to cede their complete title to the land. After a great amount of pressure, and confirmed by a treaty Congress approved March 17, 1893, the Cherokees agreed, for
"the sum of $8,595,736.12, over and above all other sums" to turn title over to the United States government. On September 16, 1893, the eastern end of the Cherokee Outlet was settled in the Cherokee Strip land run, the largest
land runLand run 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...
in the United States and the largest event of its kind in the history of the world. This section of land is still known as the Cherokee Strip, and the label has often been used to refer to the whole of the Cherokee Outlet.
Seat Configuration in a Legislature
A "Cherokee Strip"http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/special/Desks/hdetail.cfm?id=3 may also refer to a seating arrangement in a legislative body where members of one party sit on the other party's side of the aisle.
External links