Oklahoma
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It took a while for Sooners to be accepted as
Oklahoma's nickname. The Rough Riders and
Boomers were the first names given to the
athletic teams. The current name was coined
in 1908, but actually originated with a 1908
student pep club called the "Sooner Rooters."
What is a "Sooner?"
"Sooners" refer to settlers who posted illegal
claims before being allowed to settle in
Oklahoma Territory, which was strictly an
Indian settlement between 1820 and the 1880s.
In 1889, the federal government restructured
the territory and announced that it would
become a white settlement.
As part of an effort to attract eastern settlers,
land runs were to be conducted allowing
settlers to stake claims on free lands in
Oklahoma. 1889 would see the Old Oklahoma
Run, the first land run.Under the supervision
of the army, settlers gathered at the borders
of Oklahoma to participate in the land runs.
As soon as the opening shot was fired,
thousands of settlers, both men and women,
flocked to the plots of land they wanted to
claim.There were some settlers who did not
wait for the sound of the pistol, sneaking into
the territory early, evading army patrols.
Because they came into the territory before
the land run officially began, they were known
as Sooners.
It’s kind of interesting that the nickname
materialized from illegal behavior!
It took a while for Sooners to be accepted as
Oklahoma's nickname. The Rough Riders and
Boomers were the first names given to the
athletic teams. The current name was coined
in 1908, but actually originated with a 1908
student pep club called the "Sooner Rooters."
What is a "Sooner?"
"Sooners" refer to settlers who posted illegal
claims before being allowed to settle in
Oklahoma Territory, which was strictly an
Indian settlement between 1820 and the 1880s.
In 1889, the federal government restructured
the territory and announced that it would
become a white settlement.
As part of an effort to attract eastern settlers,
land runs were to be conducted allowing
settlers to stake claims on free lands in
Oklahoma. 1889 would see the Old Oklahoma
Run, the first land run.Under the supervision
of the army, settlers gathered at the borders
of Oklahoma to participate in the land runs.
As soon as the opening shot was fired,
thousands of settlers, both men and women,
flocked to the plots of land they wanted to
claim.There were some settlers who did not
wait for the sound of the pistol, sneaking into
the territory early, evading army patrols.
Because they came into the territory before
the land run officially began, they were known
as Sooners.
It’s kind of interesting that the nickname
materialized from illegal behavior!