Central Oklahoma City in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

The Boomers

1879-1889

— The ‘89er Trail —

The Boomers Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jason Voigt, April 9, 2021

1. The Boomers Marker

Inscription.
Captain David Payne and his Boomers defied federal authorities to attempt settlement in the Unassigned Lands.

From the 1830s onward, most of present-day Oklahoma was reserved for Native Americans who had been forcibly relocated from their ancestral lands. Following the Union victory in the Civil War, the tribes who had sided with the Confederacy were forced to cede their lands in western Oklahoma, leaving a large area of Unassigned Lands in the middle.

Believing they had a legal right to settle on former Indian land, Boomers, led by Captain David L. Payne staged highly publicized settlement expeditions beginning in 1880. Each time, they were escorted back to Kansas by U.S. soldiers stationed at western forts.

Payne died suddenly in 1884, and was succeeded by Captain William L. Couch, who led additional Boomer incursions in 1884 and 1885. After 1885, Couch took his case to Washington, D.C., lobbying Congress to legalize settlement. On the day of the run, in 1889, Couch was on the payroll of the railroad at Oklahoma Station, ready with family members and other die-hard Boomers to realize his dream of settling the

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Promised Land.

Erected 2018 by Oklahoma City Community Foundation, Wiggin Properties. (Marker Number 1.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the The '89er Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1879.

Location. 35° 27.981′ N, 97° 30.56′ W. Marker is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in Oklahoma County. It is in Central Oklahoma City. It is on East Sheridan Avenue west of Mickey Mantle Drive, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 124 E Sheridan Ave, Oklahoma City OK 73104, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Oklahoma—Frontier Country.

It is also in the American South,

specifically on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At

The '89er Trail: The Boomers Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by 89er Trail Fund 2018, April 2018

2. The '89er Trail: The Boomers Marker

Marker 1 in front of The Painted Door in Bricktown.

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Indians, Railroads, Ranchers & the Military (a few steps from this marker); The Ill-Fated July Fourth Celebration (within shouting distance of this marker); Military Land Becomes School Land (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); William B. Tietgens (about 400 feet away); Allie Pierce Reynolds (about 400 feet away); Bobby Murcer (about 400 feet away); John L.R. "Pepper" Martin (about 400 feet away); Carl Owen Hubbell (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oklahoma City.

Also see . . . '89er Trail Marker 1: The Boomers. See more photos hear the audio. (Submitted on April 18, 2018.)

Additional commentary.
1.
This is 1 of 28 historical markers in downtown Oklahoma City sharing the story of the city's birth via the Land Run of 1889.

— Submitted April 18, 2018.

Additional keywords. Land Run of 1889

Photographed by Jason Voigt, April 9, 2021

3. The Boomers Marker

Marker is where the red arrow points

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 18, 2018. This page has been viewed 446 times since then and 28 times this year. Last updated on June 14, 2018. Photos: 1. submitted on July 1, 2021, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. 2. submitted on April 18, 2018. 3. submitted on July 1, 2021, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.