Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-27
THE OKLAHOMA LANDS.
The Presidents Proclamation Opening
the Territory for Settlement.

the Territory for Settlement.
The President to-day issued the following
proclamation, opening the Oklahoma lands.
By the President Of TIE United States Of America
a proclamation:
Whereas pursuant to section 8, Of the act
| of Congress approved March 8, 1885, entitled
ian act making appropriations for the current
| and contingent expenses Of the Indian depart
ment, and for fulfilling treaty stipulations with
various Indian tribes, for the year ending June
80, 1885, and for other purposes" certain ar
| ticles Of cession and agreement were made and
concluded at the city Of Washington on the
10Th day Of January, in the year Of our Lord,
1889, by and between the United States of
America and the Muscogee Cor Creek nation Of
Indians whereby the said Muscogee Cor Creek
nation of Indians for the consideration therein
mentioned, coded and granted to the United
States, without reservation or condition, full
and complete title to the entire western hall
of the domain of the said Muscogee Cor Creek
nation, in the Indian territory, lying west OF
the division line surveyed and established
under the treaty with said nation, dated the
14th day OF June, 1866. and also granted and
released to the United States all and every
claim, estate, right or interest of any and
every description in and to any and all land
and territory whatever, except SO much of the
former domain of said Muscogee COR
Creek nation as lies east of said
line of division surveyed and established as
aforesaid, and then used and occupied as the
home of said nation, and which articles of
cession and agreement were duly accepted.
ratified and confirmed by said Muscogee (or
creek nation of Indians by act of its council.
approved on the 3lst day of January, 1889, and
by the United States by act of Congress, APP
proved March /, 1885, and
Whereas, by section IL of the act, entitled
San act making appropriations for the current
and contingent expenses of the Indian depart
ment, and for fulfilling treaty stipulations
with various Indian tribes for the year
ending June 30, 1890, and for other
purposes" approved March 2. 1889, a
sum of money was appropriated to pay
in full the Seminole nation of Indians for all
the right. title, interest and claim which said
nation of Indians might have in and to certain
lands coded by article 8 of the treaty between
the United States and said nation of Indians,
concluded June IA, 1866, and proclaimed August
16, 1866, said appropriation to become operative
upon the execution by the duly appointed dele
gates of said nation, specially empowered to
do so, OF a release and conveyance to the
United States of all right, title, interest and
claim of said nation of Indians, IN and to said
lands, in manner and form satisfactory to the
President of the United States. and
Whereas, said release and conveyance, bear
ing date the 10th day of March, 1889, has been
duly and fully executed, approved, and deliy-
cred; and
Whereas, section 10 of the act last aforesaid
relating to said lands provides as follows:
Sec. IS. That the lands acquired by the
United States under said agreement shall be
part OF the public domain, to be disposed of
only as herein provided, and sections 10 and sc
of each township, whether surveyed or unsur-
veyed, are hereby reserved for the use and
benefit of the public schools TO be established
within the limits of said lands, under such con-
ditions and regulations as may be hereafter
enacted by Congress.
That the lands acquired by conveyance
from the Seminole Indians hereunder, except
the 18th and Seth sections shall be dis
posed of to actual settlers under the homestead
laws only, except as herein otherwise provided
Except that section 1901 of the Revised
Statutes shall not apply And provided further,
that any person who having attempted to- but
for any cause failed to secure title i'll fee to a
homestead under existing laws, or who made
entry under what is known as the committed
provision of the homestead laws shall be quail
fed to make homestead entry upon said lands
and provided further, that the rights of
honorably discharged Union soldiers and
sailors in the late civil war as defined and de-
scribed in sections 1904 and 2305 of the Revised
Statutes shall not be abridged.
And provided further, that each entry
shall be in square form as nearly as practicable,
one-quarter section thereof; but until said
lands are opened for settlement by proclama-
ton of the President no person shall be per-
mitted to enter upon and occupy the same, and
no person violating this provision shall ever be
permitted to enter any Of said lands or acquire
any right thereto.
THE Secretary Of the Interior may. after
said proclamation, and not before, permit
entry of said lands for town-sites, under Sec
tions 1887 and 1885, of the Revised Statutes,
but no such entry shall embrace more than
one-half section of land"
Now, therefore, 1, Benjamin Harrison, Presi-
dent of the United States, by virtue of the
power in me vested by the said act of Congress-
approved March second eighteen hundred and
eighty-nine aforesaid, do hereby declare and
make known, that so much of the lands. as
aforesaid, acquired from conveyed by the
Muscogee Cor Creek nation Of Indians, and
from or by the Seminole nation of Indians, re-
spectively, as is contained within the following
described boundaries viz:
Beginning at point where the degree of
longitude 90 west from Greenwich, as surveye d
in the years 1858 and 1871, intersects the
Canadian river; thence, north along and with
the said degree to point where the same in
tersects the Cimarron river, thence up said
river, long the right bank thereof, to a point
where the same is intersected by the south
line of what is known as the Cherokee lands
wing west of the Arkansas river or as the
Cherokee Outlet" said line being the north
inc of the lands ceded by the Muscogee Cor
Creek nation of Indians to the United States
by the treaty of June IA, 1866, thence
east long said line to point where
the same intersects the west line of the
lands set apart as a reservation for the Pawnee
Indians by act of Congress approved April TO-
1876, being the range line between ranges 4
and east of the Indian meridian, thence
south on said line to point where the same
intersects the middle of the main channel of
the Cimarron river; thence up said river along
the middle of the main channel thereof to q
point where the same intersects the range line
between range one east and range one west
(being the Indian meridian) which line forms
the western boundary of the reservation set
apart respectively for the Iowa and Kickapoo
Indians by executive orders dated respectively
August Is, 1888; thence south along said range
line or meridian to point where the same in
tersects the right bank of the north fork
of the Canadian river; thence up said river
along the right bank thereof to a point where
the same is intersected by the west line of the
reservation occupied by the citizen
band of Pottawatomies and the Alb
sentee Shawnee Indians, set apart under the
provisions of the treaty of February u, 1867,
between the United States and the Pottawato-
mics tribe of Indians, and referred to in the
Act of Congress approved May 49,. 1872:
thence south along the said west line
OF the aforesaid reservation to point
where the same intersects the middle of
the main channel Of the Canadian river;
thence up the said river. along the middle of
the main channel thereof to a point opposite
the place of beginning, and thence north to the