Cimarron, Proposed Territory of
CIMARRON, PROPOSED TERRITORY OF
CIMARRON, PROPOSED TERRITORY OF. Known as the Public Land Strip, or No Man's Land, the proposed territory of Cimarron took in the area of the present-day Oklahoma Panhandle. Settled by squatters and cattlemen, the territory had no law. To protect squatter claims, settlers started a movement to organize the country into Cimarron Territory. In March 1887 territorial representatives drew up a resolution assuming authority for the territory. The proposal was referred to the committee on territories in Congress. There it remained, without action. The territory became part of Oklahoma, which was admitted to the Union in 1907, and the westernmost county in the Panhandle retained the name "Cimarron."
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Baird, W. David, and Danney Goble. The Story of Oklahoma. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1994.
Gibson, Arrell Morgan. Oklahoma: A History of Five Centuries. 2d ed. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1981.
AnnaLewis/f. b.