Brand new state!

I'm a little late posting about this one. It's the Oklahoma Land Run! As my brother said, It's that "day to celebrate the government's systematic stealing of Native American land, parceling it up, and giving it to white settlers. Hooray!" (We can joke about it because we're Seminole.) Every 4th grader in our town, and possibly in our state, learns about and recreates the Land Run.

It's an event which occurred on April 22, 1889. Fifty thousand people lined up to claim their piece of two million acres in the Unassigned Lands. Although settlers weren't allowed onto the land until noon of that day, some people snuck in early and were known as "Sooners". Those who campaigned for the opening of the lands are known as "Boomers". Hence, Boomer Sooner as the University of Oklahoma fight song and our state nickname, The Sooner State. By the end of the day, Oklahoma City and Guthrie had both been established with about 10,000 people.

Land Run Day is greatly anticipated at local elementary schools. Younger students line up to watch the event, and the fourth graders dress in period costumes and create prairie schooners to haul their belongings. Children are divided into "families" and are required to stake their claim and immediately make improvements to their land. They enjoy a picnic and begin trading wares with their neighbors.

I had to convince C to take his lunch in a basket and a tin, to be more authentic. He was going to use a Ziploc baggie.

Some parents go to great lengths to make it a fun day. See that really cute covered wagon? We didn't do that. I asked my son several times if they were bringing a wagon and decorating it. He told me that one of the other boys in his "family" volunteered to be in charge of that. I probably should have followed through with that one.

Maybe it's not such a good idea to create a "family" made up entirely of boys. See the kids in the middle carrying the box? We did that. It's a barn. I guess.

Still carrying the box.

Still carrying the box.

They sure can run fast with that box.

Their "dad" ran ahead to stake the claim.

But they're still running with that box!

The boys were required to use a rope to mark the boundary of their land. Most "families" had a nice square piece of land. Or a rectangle. Leave it to the boys to mark off a triangle. Improving the land consisted of setting down the barn box. Then, of course, it's time to eat.

All in all, it was a great day. I had to try really hard not to suck the fun out of it by pointing out the cute little general store on their neighbor's property, or the bank down the road. Maybe a triangular parcel of land is okay. Although I did interrupt the face-stuffing to remind them to go to the claim office. And I did force C to take a pic with his teacher.