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This 1895 map of Indian Territory and Oklahoma, produced by Hotchkiss Engineering Co., presents a detailed depiction of the two territories in the years preceding Oklahoma's statehood in 1907. The map is color-coded to delineate the various Native American tribes and the distinct division between Indian Territory in the east and Oklahoma Territory in the west, highlighting the complex and evolving territorial landscape of the region during this period.
The map prominently illustrates the Indian Territory, an area designated for the resettlement of Native American tribes through a series of treaties and forced relocations known as the Trail of Tears.
In contrast, Oklahoma Territory, outlined in various colors west of the Indian Territory, was opened to non-Native settlers through a series of land runs, beginning in 1889 with the Unassigned Lands and later expanding through additional land openings and allotments. The colored sections in Oklahoma Territory represent counties formed as the area transitioned from Indian lands to settler governance, indicating the rapid development and organization of the territory.
The evolution from Indian Territory to Oklahoma reflects a period of significant transformation driven by U.S. expansionist policies, including the Dawes Act of 1887, which aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual allotments and opening the surplus to settlers. This policy led to the reduction of Native-held lands and the eventual dissolution of the Indian Territory as a separate entity. By 1907, the merger of Indian and Oklahoma Territories culminated in the establishment of the State of Oklahoma, a process that marked both the end of Native sovereignty in the region and the integration of the territories into the broader United States.
Rarity
The map is quite rare.
We were unable to locate another example.
