In what one author dubbed, “the worst way to start a city,” the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 saw over 50,000 people literally rush into the Unassigned Lands of the Oklahoma Territory to stake their claim for free land. This monumentous event led to the eventual establishment of Oklahoma City, which is now the capital and largest city in Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Land Run Monument was created to commemorate this event. It serves as one of the largest series of sculptures in the world, consisting of 47 statues spread across a distance of 365 feet. Featuring larger than life bronze figures, frozen in motion as they race to claim their piece of property, the sculptures have come to symbolize the past of the city while also creating an incredible legacy for its’ future.
Creating a City in Less Than a Day
The Unassigned Lands, located in what would eventually become the state of Oklahoma, were an area of land ceded to the United States by Native Americans following the Civil War in 1865. After years of pressure by settlers throughout the region, the United States government announced that anyone who wanted to claim property in the Unassigned Lands could do so if they played by certain rules, which resulted in the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889.
Anyone who wanted to make a claim had to line up at the border of the Unassigned Lands, which was around 300 miles in circumference. On April 22, 1889, a canon shot indicated that settlers could rush in and hammer down wooden stakes to claim their land. Many thousands of people showed up at the border, and by the end of the day, Oklahoma City had established about 10,000 people in the area – all in less than a day.
Millions of Oklahomans have been able to trace their ancestry back to an original participant of the Land Run, and to say it has helped shape the identity of the city is an understatement. The event is the origin of “boomers” and “sooners” who found themselves at odds over how the city would be laid out, and the compromises between these interests and groups can still be seen in the modern grid of Oklahoma City.
Participants described the scene as beyond chaotic, with everything from people shooting one another by accident to horses collapsing due to exhaustion. That activity and energy is captured in the Oklahoma Land Run Monument, which creates an experience for visitors that is as unique as it is impressive.
Being Inside the Wildest Scene You Can Imagine
The author of Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City described the Land Run as the wildest scene you can imagine, with people from all over the world lining up to stake their claim of land. At least 50,000 people lined up to rush into the Unassigned Lands, although they had to compete with the settlers who had illegally snuck over the border. This meant that the level of chaos throughout the day was both pervasive and palpable.
This chaos is effectively captured across the 45 figures that are frozen in motion. It’s a feeling and energy that extends all the way from the figures who started it all with the sound of a cannon shot at noon to the collection of horses, wagons, men, women and children who found themselves subsumed by the situation in every sense.
What’s especially notable about sculptor Paul Moore’s statues is how their position and placement bring viewers into the chaos. Viewers can literally walk up to and around the sculptures to feel as if they’re in the scene itself, which is complete with attention to the smallest details. The 1½ life-size scale of the statues also adds an extra element of awe for the viewer.
The Land Run Monument is a city park that is open to the public year around, and this access along with the experience of being in the Land Run itself has enabled it to have a major impact on the culture and identity of the city.
Support and Influence of a Community
While the impact of the Land Run can literally be seen in the streets throughout Oklahoma City, efforts to commemorate the event were almost 25 years in the making. It’s an effort that has seen the sponsors and supporters of the monument honored on pieces that sit near the entrance of the Land Run Monument, along with slabs that tell the story of the monument’s construction.
These commemorations showcase what it can mean for individuals and an entire community to be involved in the construction of a monument. The positive impact of the effort is something that can be seen directly in the area and indirectly throughout the city.
The Monument has contributed to the positive changes in the surrounding neighborhood. The nearby Chickasaw Plaza features the “Warrior” statue at the Chickasaw Plaza along the Bricktown Canal. The banks of the Bricktown Canal, which was built in 1999 as part of city regeneration efforts, is readily accessible to visitors, which has created numerous economic opportunities. The Monument has also proven to be a draw for tourists and serves as a key element in many versions of the Oklahoma City Visitor’s Guide.
The differences the Monument has made for residents and visitors is obvious in numerous ways, but the legacy it represents for the city is about much more than the piece’s influence on the culture and economy of the present.
A Celebration of the Past and Preservation of the Present
Art walks and sculpture series often attempt to convey a sense of history along with the significance of an event or area, but the Land Run Monument uniquely captures both in an especially consistent way. It’s the result of the determined efforts of several visionary Oklahomans, and their efforts are preserved in the piece itself as well as plaques and memorials spread across the site.
This celebration of the past and preservation of the present has created a legacy that provides the city with a sense of what it will mean to see both influence the future of the entire region.
