FACTS
N i c k n a m e : The Sooner State
S t a t e h o o d : 1907; 46th state
C a p i t a l : Oklahoma City
A b b r e v i a t i o n : OK
S t a t e b i r d : scissor-tailed flycatcher
S t a t e f l o w e r : Oklahoma rose
State tree: redbud
State animal: buffalo
Oklahoma was originally part of the Louisiana Territory (a huge swath of land that
includes present-day Oklahoma) which Napolean Bonaparte of France sold to the United
States in 1803.
In the 1830s many Native Americans were forced to leave their homelands in the
eastern United States and relocate in what’s now Oklahoma, which was then called
Indian Territory.
In the 1890s part of Indian Territory became Oklahoma Territory.
Then in 1907 the Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory were combined again to
become the state of Oklahoma.
The word Oklahoma is a combination of two words in the Choctaw language, okla,
which means people, and humma, which means red.
In 1889 settlers were allowed to race into parts of Oklahoma and claim land for
themselves. But some managed to get to these spots before the territory was officially
open to them. They were called “sooners,” which eventually became the state’s
nickname: the Sooner State.
Oklahoma is bordered by Kansas to the north and Texas to the south. The Red River
forms the wiggly boundary between Oklahoma and Texas.
Oklahoma is one of America’s top producers of petroleum, crude oil, and natural gas.
Celebrities from Oklahoma include:
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Mickey Mantle – Baseball player
Maria Tallchief - First Native American to become a prima ballerina
Jim Thorpe - Athlete and Olympic medalist
Woody Guthrie – Folk singer
Carrie Underwood - Singer and American Idol winner