# 4315 - 2011 First-Class Forever Stamp - Flags of Our Nation: Oklahoma

Issue Date: August 11, 2011
City: Columbus, Ohio
Printed By: Sennett Security Products

Printing Method: Photogravure
Color: multicolored

Flags of Our Nation, Set V: The Flags of Our Nation stamps issued in 2011 is the fifth group of the series. The stamps show historic state flags, as well as a “snapshot” image that shares some of each state’s character.

 

From the land runs of the 1880s to Route 66, people have traveled to Oklahoma to start a new life. This part of the Louisiana Purchase became a new home to more than 30 Native American tribes when they were sent to “Indian Country.” When the land was later opened for settlement, it took less than two decades to make Oklahoma the 46th state of the Union.

 

Adopted in 1925, the state flag design was the result of a Daughters of the American Revolution contest. The flag recognizes the important role Native Americans had in founding the state. The blue field commemorates the flag of the Choctaw Indians who fought in the Civil War. The center pictures the buffalo hide shield used by Osage warriors. The small crosses symbolize stars and high ideals. In front of the shield are symbols of peace and unity: a calumet, or peace pipe, is the Native American symbol, and an olive branch represents peace to European settlers. The word “OKLAHOMA” was added in 1941. 

 

Respect for its Native American history, as demonstrated by the state’s flag, has allowed the citizens of Oklahoma to work together to make their state grow and prosper. 

 

Oklahoma Becomes 46th State

Arapaho, Caddo, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Osage, Pawnee, and Wichita Indians lived in the Oklahoma region before Europeans came to the area. These people followed the gigantic herds of buffalo that roamed the grasslands.

Spanish explorers were the first whites to reach Oklahoma. In 1541, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado commanded an expedition that traveled from Tiguex, New Mexico, to present-day Oklahoma. Another Spaniard, Hernando de Soto, may have reached the area. Both expeditions were searching for gold. Neither was successful.

France claimed Louisiana until 1762, when it was sold to Spain. Napoleon regained Louisiana in 1800, and then sold this massive parcel of land to the United States in 1803. Oklahoma then became part of the U.S.

The Louisiana Territory consisted of 827,987 square miles of land. Congress divided the territory for administrative purposes. The territory was reorganized several times. At first, Louisiana was part of the District of Louisiana. In 1805, it became part of the Louisiana Territory. In 1812, the Missouri Territory was organized from the Louisiana Territory. Then, in 1819, the U.S. settled a boundary dispute with Spain. As part of the settlement, the Oklahoma panhandle was given to Spain. That same year, sections of Oklahoma became part of the Arkansas Territory.

The Five Civilized Tribes were given control of all of Oklahoma except the Panhandle. Treaties stated the Indians would own the lands “as long as grass shall grow and rivers run.” Each tribe developed its own legislature, courts, laws, and capital. Farms and ranches were established, and churches and schools were built. Treaties protected the tribes from white settlement – until the Civil War.

The Five Civilized Tribes owned slaves. Originally from the South, they were invited to join the Confederacy. In 1861, some of the Indians entered into a treaty of alliance with the Confederacy. The leader of the Cherokee Indians, Chief John Ross, formed a brigade of Indians to fight for the South. Stand Watie, a Cherokee leader, became a brigadier general in the Confederate Army. A small number of Indians chose to fight for the Union. After the Civil War, the U.S. government forced the Indians to relinquish their lands in the West as a punishment for supporting the Confederacy.

After a great deal of pressure from “boomers” (whites who wanted Indian land opened for settlement), the government changed its policy. The U.S. bought three million acres of land from the Creek and Seminole tribes. At noon on April 22, 1899, 1.9 million acres were opened for settlement. Settlers amassed at the border, ready to seize prime land. With a pistol shot, settlers raced into the land. By evening, 50,000 white families had moved to Oklahoma. In the course of a single day, Guthrie and Oklahoma City had become cities with populations over 10,000.

Congress established the Oklahoma Territory in May 1890. Guthrie served as the capital, and the panhandle was added to the territory. (The panhandle had become U.S. territory when Texas joined the Union.)

By 1890, Oklahoma was often referred to as the Twin Territories. The Indian Territory consisted of the land owned by the Five Civilized Tribes, as well as some other Indian groups. The Oklahoma Territory made up the remaining land. White settlers began demanding access to the Indian land. In 1893, the Dawes Commission was created to negotiate with the Indians and dissolve their nations. The commission helped the Indians incorporate towns and prepare for U.S. citizenship.

Oil and natural gas have added a great deal to the state’s economy. Agriculture also contributes greatly to the state’s economic well being. More than half the agricultural revenue is produced from livestock. Tourism is an important, growing source of income as well.