Oklahoma’s Panhandle Was The Real ‘No Man’s Land’

Even though the panhandle makes Oklahoma iconically identifiable worldwide, its history is lesser known. There was a time when it was an absolute lawless land of saloons, brothels, and all manner of ill-repute long before it was organized into the Sooner State.

The story you may be familiar with is how it came to be.

The main portion of Oklahoma was included in the Louisiana Purchase. It was mostly square except for the Southern border along the Red River, and that's how it remained for nearly a century.

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You might think there was nothing here, as people still think it's purely fly-over territory, but as a land covered with big rivers, it was a very popular place for French fur trappers and a handful of native tribes who were here long before the Indian Removal Act.

It was a land of bountiful riches for the toughest men to carve out a fruitful living.

Texas ceded the land.

You probably know this too as it's been all over social media as a meme for the last few years. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 banned slavery above the 36°30' parallel line within the Louisiana Purchase.

Oklahoma's panhandle was originally part of Texas, but when the Lone Star State realized they couldn't do it on their own and appealed to join the union, they ceded all lands above the 36°30' parallel line in order to avoid having a strip of "free" land in the North where slavery was outlawed.

From 1850 to 1890, the panhandle belonged to no state, territory, or government for that matter.

No Man's Land.

The narrow strip of land between the new State of Texas and the existing State of Kansas was left unassigned to any state or territory. As such, with no government, law enforcement, or legal way to own or settle the land, it was the definition of Wild West.

In the forty years that No Man's Land existed outside the law, it was a haven for outlaws and criminals alike. With no laws or lawmen to enforce laws, it became a place of brothels, saloons, gambling establishments, and squatting.

It was also the first place a rancher looked if his cows came up missing, a favorite locale of rustlers and livestock thieves.

Wild Ideas.

Over those four decades of lawlessness, there were plenty of big ideas for what to do with No Man's Land, but nobody seemed to have the desire to see any of them through.

The biggest suggestion was to gift the strip of land to Kansas, let it be their problem, but Kansas' constitution established a hard and fast border no farther South than 37°. It was a big "No, thank you," from Kansas.

There was also an idea to reattach it to Texas since slavery had been outlawed nationwide in 1865 anyway, so why not? But in fearing the sensitive subject becoming a national outcry, and the possibility of another Civil War, it was dropped just as quickly as mentioned.

Plans for it to join New Mexico and Colorado were also floated. Nobody knew what to do with it at all. They even proposed it become its own, the Cimmaron Territory, which could have eventually ended up as the 47th state, but the motions failed.

Integration.

As the country moved West across the continent, land was in high demand. With the success of the first Oklahoma Land Run in 1889, officials saw it fit to give the growing Territory the panhandle. Plus, it was more money to be made.

I know, you're thinking "The Oklahoma Land Runs were free lands opened up to whoever claimed them..." and you'd be right, technically. It was free to stake a claim, but it came with fees before and after claiming your 160 acres.

First, you had to register with the land office for your legal right to claim a parcel. After getting your claim, you then had to file paperwork to ensure it was yours legally. All of that came with hard costs. Add in the fact you had to build a home on the land to "prove" your claim and avoid the $200 non-settler buy-out program.

The Organic Act of 1890 officially integrated No Man's Land into the Oklahoma Territory (which was basically the Western half of the state, the Eastern half was still the Indian Territory). It was opened to settlement by the federal government in 1890.

Government Shenanigans.

The most unpopular decision made in No Man's Land was the US Government opted to not recognize the settlers who established their homes and farms pre-1890. It was all considered public domain, but in true Wild West fashion, most fought off the hoards of new settlers and defended their long-established homes anyway.

It was quite literally the last hurrah of the Wild West American Frontier.