Oklahoma City

Oklahoma's history is tied to the Trail of Tears, when the U.S. government forced American Indian tribes to move to the region in the 1800s. Indian Territory, as it came to be called, later formed the eastern half of the state. Most of Oklahoma’s land had been given to the Native Americans, except one parcel called the Unassigned Lands. Near the end of the century, frontier Americans migrated to stake out the land and set up homesteads. By 1900, the population had doubled, and in 1907 Oklahoma became a state. In 1910, Oklahoma City was named the capitol.