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

Native Oklahoma

— Norman Legacy Trail —

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 20, 2025

1. Native Oklahoma Marker

Inscription. The land area that is now Oklahoma (Choctaw word for “red people”) became part of the United States on November 3, 1809, as part of the Louisiana Purchase. This country formed parts of the homelands of the Apache, the Comanche, the Kiowa-Apache, the Wichita, the Osage and the Caddo. When Congress created Arkansas Territory, on March 2, 1819, it included the area that is present-day Oklahoma west to the one hundredth meridian. In 1830, the federal government adopted a formal policy of removal of the Five Tribes – Choctaw, Cherokee, Creek, Seminole and Chickasaw from their southeastern homelands to the western half of Arkansas Territory that would then become known as Indian Territory.

Indigenous peoples would have passed through the present location of Norman for hundreds and perhaps thousands of years prior to the city's settlement. Norman is situated on the north bank of one of the Great Plains' major rivers, the Canadian, and on the western margins of a once vast forest called the Cross Timbers. Norman would come into existence years later (1889) but before that time many events and people passed near the site of the

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future city.

1. In 1820, Major Stephen H. Long traveled easterly from the Rocky Mountains along the Canadian River to Ft. Smith, camping near the future city of Norman on the 28th and 29th of August.

2. Washington Irving, the great American writer and author of "A Tour on the Prairies", camped and hunted buffalo a few miles northeast of Norman in late October, 1832.

3. In the summer of 1834, a military expedition of soldiers from Ft. Smith marched into the southwest part of Oklahoma, camping near the site of Norman. Among the expedition were Lt. Jefferson Davis, Jesse Chisholm and the western artist George Catlin.

4. Following the discovery of gold in California in 1848, a new route to the west for gold-seekers was charted from Ft. Smith to Santa Fe. This trail was developed in 1849 by Captain Randolph B. Marcy, and followed the Canadian River passing just south of Norman. It became known as one of several “California trails”.

5. The Chisholm Trail evolved about 1867 and provided a route for cattle drives from south Texas to a railhead at Abilene, Kansas (used from 1867 to 1880's).

6. In 1870, the U.S. Land Office

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 20, 2025

2. Native Oklahoma Marker

began the survey of Oklahoma into townships and sections. During the years of 1872-73, a land survey member named Abner Ernest Norman worked in the Norman vicinity. His survey team built and lived in a dugout that was named by Abner's crew as “Norman's Camp”.

7. In 1887, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad was completed across Indian Territory and through the Unassigned Lands. On May 2, 1887, railroad official assigned the name Norman (for Norman's Camp) to the station grounds.

Erected by City of Norman, Oklahoma.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is November 3, 1809.

Location. 35° 12.916′ N, 97° 26.392′ W. Marker is in Norman, Oklahoma, in Cleveland County. It is on South Jones Avenue north of East Duffy Street, on the left when traveling north. Marker is on the Norman Legacy Trail, which runs parallel and to the west of South Jones Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Norman OK 73069, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 20, 2025

3. Native Oklahoma Marker

This marker is on the left.

this marker is in Central Oklahoma — Frontier Country

and in Greater Oklahoma City.

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 least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Indian Territory, 1866-1889 (here, next to this marker); The Great Land Run of 1889 (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The City of Norman 1889-1907 (about 400 feet away); Extra! Extra! Read All About It! (about 400 feet away); University on the Prairie (approx. 0.2 miles away); A Tough Decade (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Brooks Years and World War One (approx. 0.2 miles away); Norman the University City (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Norman.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 15, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 87 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 15, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2, 3. submitted on July 16, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.