We had our beginnings in a land called Indian Territory. Prior
to the relocation of Native American tribes from the
Southeastern states to Indian Territory in the mid-1800s, our
land had been claimed by England, Spain and France. The
Louisiana Purchase Treaty, dated April 30, 1803 , included the
area now known as Oklahoma. President Jefferson thought that the
purchase of this vast territory would be just the place to put
the Native Americans, whom the government thought were plaguing
the people in the East. These native peoples, however, were just
protecting their lands and culture. The Indian Removal Act of
1830 spelled doom for the Native Americans in the Southeastern
part of the United States . The removal of the Creek (Muscogee)
people took place during the final months of 1836 and the spring
and summer of 1837. The U.S. Army troops organized what is now
known as the Trail of Tears and forcibly moved these proud
people to a new land-Indian Territory. Our area became part of
the lands given to the Creeks,