1889 Oklahoma Land Run: The Settlement of Payne County

Abstract

In this article, we examine the demographic characteristics of the non-Native American settlers in Payne County, Oklahoma, using the 1890 Territorial Census, which includes information on gender, household size and composition, and birth region. For comparison, we use census data from the 1880 Midwest census region to examine whether the household characteristics of the Payne County settlers were unique or representative of Midwestern families from which they emigrated. We find that US-born individuals were more likely to participate in the land run, but that the number and age of children were not significantly different from the Midwestern region.