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Oklahoma is a state located in the south-central region of the United States. Its nickname is the "Sooner State", and is part of a region commonly known as the American "Heartland." Oklahoma City is the state's capital and largest city. The Congressional Quarterly and Census report places Oklahoma in the Southern United States. Oklahoma became the 46th state in the Union on November 16th, 1907. The state's name comes from the Choctaw words okla meaning people and homma meaning red, literally meaning "red people" and was chosen by Allen Wright, Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation during the 1866 treaty negotiations. Oklahoma was almost named Sequoyah in honor of Sequoyah, the Cherokee who created the Cherokee syllabary, which gave the Cherokees a way to write and read their own language. It is a state with a colorful history, including as a frontier state, as the destination of recently freed slaves looking for opportunity and equality, and as the heart of the oil boom in the early 20th century. The state's early history is dominated by the Trail of Tears, the forced removal of the Five Civilized Tribes from the southeastern United States to then Indian Territory. The western and native American heritage of the state is a large part of its cultural identity; for example, Tulsa is the home to the largest, most comprehensive collection of American Western art and artifacts in the world, housed in the Gilcrease Museum. Today, Oklahoma contains more native American tribal headquarters than any other state, as well as the nation's second largest American Indian population.
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Note: Oklahoma was acquired by the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. It soon became an area of settlement for various Indian tribes displaced from States farther east, and was known as the Indian Territory although it had various tribal governments rather than a central administration. Many non-Indians also settled in the area. Oklahoma Territory was established from a part of the Indian Territory in 1890 and expanded in 1893; the tribal jurisdictions continued in the remainder. On November 16, 1907 the two parts were admitted as the State of Oklahoma, with substantially the current boundaries. A dispute about the western boundary was settled in Texas' favor by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1930. Census coverage did not systematically include any of present-day Oklahoma until 1890; some Indian areas were first enumerated in 1900. In 1860 non-Indians were enumerated but not included in official population totals; non-Indians in the area in 1870 and 1880 were not enumerated. The 1890 total is for Oklahoma Territory (78,475) and Indian Territory (180,182); and the 1900 total is for Oklahoma Territory (398,331) and Indian Territory (392,060). Just prior to statehood, the U.S. Census Bureau took a special census on July 1, 1907, showing a total population of 1,414,177 (Oklahoma Territory, 733,062; Indian Territory, 681,115); results of this special census are included in the Oklahoma table.. Population for 1890 is total of Oklahoma Territory (78,475, including 3,569 non-Indians on Indian reservations but not reported by reservation) and Indian Territory (180,182, including 861 not reported by nation or reservation). Population for 1900 is total of Oklahoma Territory (398,331) and Indian Territory (392,060).. Population for 1907 is total according to special census of Oklahoma Territory (733,062) and Indian Territory (681,115, including 9,155 not reported by nation or reservation) taken as of July 1, 1907. The 1907 data are given both for the subdivisions of Indian Territory existing on July 1 and for the counties into which the new State was divided later in that year. Research Tips
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