Oklahoma
Oklahoma names 2 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below. 1 of them is described by more than one encyclopedia.
Oklahoma a State in the South Central Division of the North American Union
Described by 2 of the 6 encyclopedias.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a State in the South Central Division of the North American Union; bounded by Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado; admitted to statehood Nov. 16, 1907; capital, Oklahoma City; counties, 76; area, 70,057 square miles; pop. (1890) 258,657; (1900) 790,391; (1910) 1,657,155; (1920) 2,028,283. Topography. Oklahoma is in general an upland prairie rising gradually toward the N. and W. The principal elevations are the Wichita Mountains in the S. The principal rivers are the Arkansas, fed by the Canadian, the Cimarron, which waters the N. and central portions of the State, while the Red River forms a part of the S. boundary, and with its two forks, drains the S. W. portion of the State. Banking. On Sept. 1, 1919, there were reported 346 National banks in operation, having $19,273,000 in capital, $10,- 474,000 in outstanding circulation, and $42,271,000 in United States bonds. There were also 582 State banks, with $12,048,000 capital and $2,330,000 surplus. Agriculture. The acreage, production and value of the leading crops of 1919 was as follows: corn, 3,100,000 acres, production 74,400,000 bu., value $94,488,000; oats, 1,500,000 acres, production 49,500,- 000 bushels, value $34,650,000; wheat, 3,760,000 acres, production 52,642,000 52,642,000 bushels, value $107,912,000; hay, 700,000 acres, production, 1,540,000 tons, value $23,254,000; potatoes, 44,000 acres, production 3,525,000 bushels, value, $7,316,- 000; cotton, 2,341,000 acres, production 930,000 bales, value $163,680,000; sorghums, 1,440,000 acres, production 33,- 120,000 bushels, value $49,680,000. Manufactures. There were in 1914 2,518 manufacturing establishments in the State, employing 17,443 wage earners. The capital invested amounted to $65,478,000; the wages paid to $11,011,- 000; the value of the materials used to $70,970,000; and the value of the finished product to $102,006,000. Mineral Production. - Oklahoma within recent years has become one of the most important of the mineral producing States, due chiefly to the great develop- Vol. VII-Cyc stream. It contains a few low islands, ment of the petroleum fields which were discovered in 1904. The production increased from 1,400,000 barrels in 1904, to 97,915,243 barrels in 1915, 107,507,471 barrels in 1917, and 103,347,070 in 1918. The value of the production in the latter year was $231,136,205. Coal is also produced in important quantities. In prod 1919 the production was 3,200,000 tons. Oklahoma ranks second among the States in the production of natural gas. In 1918 there were 124,317,179 million cubic feet, valued at $15,805,135. Other important minerals produced are lead and zinc. Education. The State school system embraces elementary and public high, schools, normal schools and colleges for higher education. Separate schools are provided for negroes and whites. In 1919 there were about 520,000 white pupils and about 45,000 negro pupils in the public schools. There were over 600 public high schools, with an attendance of over 35,000. In the 7 normal schools there were nearly 5,000 students. The total expenditure cure for education in 1919 was about $14,000,000. The institutions for higher education include the University of Oklahoma at Norman, the Agricultural and Mechanical College at Stillwater, and the Agricultural and Normal University for Colored Students at Langston. Railways. The railway mileage in 1919 was 6,532. Of this about 100 miles were laid during the year. The principal lines were the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fé, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf, the St. Louis and San Francisco, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas, and the Santa Fe and Pacific. 1 Finances. The receipts for the fiscal year 1918 were $8,209,656, and the disbursements were $6,845,898. There was a balance at the beginning of July 1, 1917, of $2,375,690, and at the beginning of July 1, 1918, the balance was $4,450,- 378. The State debt on July 1, 1918, was $6,296,000. The assessed valuation of real and personal property was $1,335,- 220,527. Churches. The strongest denominations in the State are the Regular Baptist; Christian; Roman Catholic; Protestant Episcopal; Methodist Episcopal, South; Salvation Army; Presbyterian; Congregational; and Methodist Episcopal. State Government. The governor is elected for a term of four years. The Legislature, consisting of Senate and House of Representatives, holds biennial sessions. Rights of initiative and ref- 2 statehood. mechanical had at Stillwatermokla an hundred. In versity. erendum are reserved for the people. lishing houses, oil refineries and soap There are 8 Representatives in Congress. factories. Pop. (1890) 4,151; (1900) History. Oklahoma is a part of the 10,037; (1910) 64,205; (1920) 91,295. Louisiana Purchase of 1803, and of the
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
the forty-sixth state of the American Union. It lies directly west of Arkansas, between Texas and Kansas. Area, 70,430 square miles--greater than the whole of New England . The territory now comprised within the limits of the state was set aside in 1832 as an Indian reservation. It was known as Indian Territory . In 1890 this territory, still unorganized, was divided, the western part taking the name of Oklahoma. In 1907 the two sections were reunited and admitted to the Union as the state of Oklahoma. November 10th is statehood day. GOVERNMENT. The constitution is progressive. Laws of importance must be submitted to a vote of the people before they become effective. Women are granted partial right to vote. Candidates for office are nominated by popular ballot. State officials are not eligible for reelection. The sale of intoxicating liquor is prohibited, and popular education is enjoined. NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS. The surface features of the state are not different from those of Kansas and Texas. The southern border follows the Red River . The central part of the state is drained by the tributaries of the Arkansas. None of the streams are navigable. Artesian wells have been located. The southeastern part of the state is rough or mountainous, and possesses undeveloped coal mines. Asphalt, oil, natural gas, granite, marble, gypsum, and lead are found. This section is well wooded. The central portion, with forty inches of rainfall, is a fertile prairie country. The west shades off into a region of insufficient rainfall. AGRICULTURE. The more favored portion of the state has a rich soil and produces small fruits, orchard fruits, potatoes, small grains, cotton, tobacco, and corn in the greatest abundance. Oklahoma is perhaps the only state in the union in which cotton, corn, and wheat all grow to perfection. Fifteen million bushels of wheat, 800,000 bales of cotton, and 100,000,000 bushels of corn are raised, it is claimed, annually. In the west kaffir corn and other drouth-resisting crops are of importance. Cattle raising is an important industry. Alfalfa is a profitable forage crop. Bermuda grass is sown for permanent pasture. MANUFACTURES. Manufactures are in their infancy. Flour milling, fruit canning, ginning, meat packing and dressing cotton-seed oil are the chief branches. There are also machine shops, tobacco factories, and creameries. EDUCATION. A public school system has been set in operation. It is supported largely from the rentals of what are known as public lands . A university has been established at Stillwater, a normal school for whites at Alva, one for colored teachers at Edmond, a school for colored youth at Langston, and an industrial school for Indians at Chilocco. POPULATION. The census report of 1900 gave a population of 790,391, of whom about 64,445 were Indians and 55,884 were negroes. In 1906 there were 1,109,435 inhabitants. Settlers are pouring into the state. The next census is expected to show over twice the population of 1906. There are six cities claiming a population of over 16,000. Guthrie, situated on the Cimarron, is the capital. Oklahoma is the largest city. STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources: Land area, square miles 69,870 Water area 600 Population 1,414,179 Negroes 55,000 Indians 100,000 Oklahoma City (1909) 45,380 Muskogee 14,419 Guthrie 11,652 Shawnee 10,955 Salary of governor $4,500 Assessed valuation of property $110,000,000 Bonded indebtedness none State revenue $1,250,000 Agricultural Products- Corn, bushels 122.000,000 Wheat, bushels 16,000,000 Oats, bushels 11,250,000 Barley, bushels 700,000 Potatoes, bushels 2,000,000 Cotton, pounds 412,000,000 Wool, pounds 510,000 Hay, tons 1,305,000 Domestic Animals- Horses 432,000 Mules 33,500 Milk cows 198,000 Other cattle 1,378,000 Sheep 58,000 Swine 655,000 Flour and grist $11,000,000 Coal mined, tons 3,642,000 Petroleum, barrels 44,000,000 Clay products $664,000 Miles of navigable rivers none Miles of railway 5,516 Teachers in public schools 7,500 Pupils enrolled 400,000 See Indian Territory ; Oil ; Cotton Oil Fields. Cotton Compress. Oklahoma
Oklahoma UNIVERSITY OF, a tract set apart for Indian tribes by Act of Congress
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
UNIVERSITY OF, a tract set apart for Indian tribes by Act of Congress, June 30, 1834. On April co-educational, non-sectarian institution in Norman, Okla.; founded in 1892; re- 22, 1889, a proclamation was issued by the President opening ported at the close of 1919: Professors up 1,900,000 acres and instructors, 150; students, 3,683; of land for settlement. There was a great rush of settlers and speculators, president, S. D. Brooks, LL.D. the city of Guthrie coming into existence
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's 1921 figures caught Oklahoma mid-boom: population had risen from 258,657 in 1890 to 2,028,283 in 1920, and the oil fields found in 1904 were yielding over 100 million barrels a year. That growth then stalled hard — drought, soil erosion and the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s left the state with fewer people in 1950 (about 2.2 million) than in 1930, and it did not pass 3 million until the 1970s; the 2020 census counted 3,959,353. The "separate schools for negroes and whites" the entry records as a matter of course were dismantled after Ada Sipuel won admission to the University of Oklahoma law school in 1948 and the Supreme Court's Brown decision in 1954. Aiton's 1910 note that Indian Territory was merged into the new state was sharply qualified in 2020, when the Supreme Court held in McGirt v. Oklahoma that the Muscogee (Creek) reservation was never disestablished — a ruling since extended to other eastern Oklahoma reservations. Oklahoma still produces oil and gas in quantity, but it long ago ceased to lead the nation, and the state now has 77 counties rather than the 76 Collier's listed.
Written for this edition, 2026.