Cherokee Strip land run

Background. The Cherokee Outlet was originally leased for grazing, but Congress nullified these leases in 1890. President Harrison forbade grazing after October 2, 1890, eliminating leasing profits. The Cherokee Commission persuaded the Cherokee to cede title, leading to a treaty approved in March 1893 that authorized the land's purchase and subsequent opening to settlement.

The Land Run. The land run began at noon on September 16, 1893. An estimated 100,000 participants raced to stake claims on 6 million acres and 40,000 homesteads. This event was the largest land run in the United States, possibly the largest of its kind in history, marking the fourth land run in Oklahoma Territory.

Consequences. The opening of the Cherokee Outlet added 6,014,239 acres to Oklahoma Territory, resulting in the addition of Kay, Grant, Woods, Garfield, Noble, and Pawnee counties. The Cherokee Strip Live Stock Association disbanded in 1893, the same year the outlet was opened to non-Indian settlement.