1887 Oklahoma Country~Indian Territory Map~20"x16"

Superb 20" x 16" Print of the 1887 "Map of the Oklahoma Country in Indian Territory" by George F. Cram
Reproduction

Indian Territory was established by the United States in the 1830's as a protected reservation for the Native American or Indian Tribes that were being displaced by incoming settlers. Indian Territory had a long, interesting and often tragic history before 1907, after which it was accepted into the Union as the State of Oklahoma. What is known as Indian Territory was actually a shifting conglomeration of reservations, unclaimed lands and public lands that underwent constant change under the changing political winds for its entire history. 

The history of Indian Territory is tied closely to the the development of Texas from its early days as a Republic. Due to the geography of the two states they almost always were shown on a common map.

The George F. Cram Co. of Chicago made many of the best individual maps of what was known as Indian Territory and these were published in their popular Atlases of the period. Many of the Cram maps were also licensed for use in other Atlases and Geographies.

An unusual and beautiful map

This 1887 map is very unique in that it shows one fairly small segment of the area almost in the center of the Territory. It was not a part of the Indian Lands and was known to some as "Oklahoma Country". Within its bounds on the Cimarron River  was the small city of Guthrie which was to become the first capital of Oklahoma. At the time of this map the Santa Fe railroad had built south out of Kansas headed for Gainesville, Texas and the cities of Alfred, Seward, Edmond, Moore, Norman, Wayne & Purcell among others were on the map.  Oklahoma City, the future state capital is shown only as a stop named Oklahoma on the Canadian River.

The map we are offering is a direct reproduction from an original in the Electric Books collection

1887 was toward the end of the time of the great Cattle Drives to railheads in Kansas and further north. The legendary Chisholm Trail passed through this section of Indian Territory on its way from the longhorn crossing at Red River Station in Texas on north to to Newton and Abilene. Jesse Chisholm who was long gone by this time had left a legacy from his first travels through the Territory to Texas.

What makes this map very unique is the high level of detail that is normally omitted in the maps of the period since most of them covered much larger areas. For instance, while the Chisholm Trail was widely known, it was very seldom shown on maps of the period. This 1887 map has great detail on the trails. Some other interesting points on this map:

• Chisholm's Old Ranch
• Chisholm's Cattle Trail
• Abilene Old Road Trail
• Branch of Abilene Trail
• Cherokee House
• Baker's Stage Station
• Prairie Dog Town
• Kingfisher
• Mission House
• Rock Mound Cliffs
• Negro Settlement
• Indian Wigwam
• Sulphur Spring
• Whitaker
• Fort Reno
• Fort Sill - Arkansas City Road
• Old Ft. Smith & Santa Fe Road

This is both a decorative and interesting map printed on very heavy paper. It will look great in a mat and frame but will withstand usage for research and history purposes.

Other great maps..

If you are interested in the post Civil War period and the great cattle drives then we suggest that you also click here to look at our Great Trails maps

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This listing shows the size of the paper sheet, NOT the size of the map image itself. Most maps do not fill the sheet completely.