A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
On Sept. 16, 1893, the largest land run in U.S. history occurred as more than 100,000 white settlers rushed to claim more than 6 million acres of land in what is now northern Oklahoma.
In U.S. history, the Land Run of 1893, also known as the Cherokee Outlet Opening or the Cherokee Strip Land Run, marked the opening to settlement of the Cherokee Outlet in the Oklahoma Territory’s fourth and largest land run. It was part of what would later become the U.S. state of Oklahoma in 1907.
The Deseret Weekly on Sept. 23, 1893, shared this dispatch of the land rush, from men from the Salt Lake Valley who were participating in the event:
“The dispatches from the Cherokee strip show that there is much suffering among the home seekers, owing to the intense heat and lack of water. It seems that the Salt Lake boys who are among the crowd are already less enthusiastic than when they started and advise others to stay at home. They look upon their undertaking as a desperate one, but are nevertheless determined to carry out their plans,” the article read.
If you are a movie buff, the early silent Western film “Tumbleweeds” showcases the Oklahoma land rushes.
Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about the land rushes in Oklahoma and the Southwest, as well as other land rushes — for a variety of reasons — in the West:
“Family history and the Dust Bowl”
“A tribute to those who colonized Western frontier”
“Homestead Act of 1862 a good model for today”
“The area of Deseret started huge, got smaller as it became Utah”
“A boom in Dixie — Land rush: Historic growth setting records”
“Land rush in Nevada? Rail acreage up for bid”
“History preserved in gold rush newspapers”
