Key Information
The Cherokee Strip: Its History & Grand Opening, 3rd Edition, By D. Earl Newsom
1992, 2009 [ISBN: 1-58107-150-7; 212 pages, 7 1/2 x 9 inch, soft cover] $18.95
The opening of the Cherokee Outlet, popularly known as the Cherokee Strip, on September 16, 1893 was one of the great spectacles of American history. Relive the excitement in this outstanding volume by D. Earl Newsom, which includes:
- 160 historical and present-day photographs
- history of the Cherokee Nation and development of the Outlet
- close looks at the Cherokee Strip towns of Alva, Blackwell, Enid, Newkirk, Perry, Ponca City, and Woodward
- history of the famous 101 Ranch
- a look at the present and future, as well as the history of the Strip
- eyewitness accounts of the run from a diary of one landseeker
The Contents
Why the Strip Was Created – The Cherokees are Driven West
The New Cherokee Nation – The Trail of Tears Leads to Oklahoma
Cattlemen Invade the Strip – The Live Stock Association Takes Over
On the Cherokee Strip – The 1889 Land Run Stirs Settlers
Preparing for Opening – Rules Are Set for the Great Land Run
The Grand Opening – A Day of Triumph and Tragedy
Alva – The Vast Empire of Woods is Settles
Blackwell – “The Rock” Endures After 100 Years
Enid – “Queen City of the Outlet”
Newkirk – Saloons Provide County Tax Base
Perry – Thousands Jammed Hell’s Half Acre
Ponca City – One Man’s Dream Came True
Woodward – The Pioneers Survive Blizzards and Bobcats
The 101 Ranch – “Magic Empire” of the Cherokee Strip
Fighting Over the Spoils – The Big Countries Are Carved Up
The Strip in Crisis – Farmers and Oilmen Fight to Survive
The Years Aheard – Cities Look to Industry and Tourism
Reflections From One Hundred Years Ago – Some Eyewitness Recordings
The Author
A native of Drumright, OK, D. Earl Newsome is author of four other historical books, including Kicking Bird and the Birth of Oklahoma, Stillwater-One hundred Years of Memories, and two volumes on the great Drumright oil field. He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. He began his career as a newspaper reporter and editor and then taught journalism at Texas A&M College and the University of Maryland. He received numerous citations for academic and professional achievement. Earl passed away in 2013.