"Like Everyone Else - Only Di ..." a Guthrie Travel Page by mrclay2000

Like just about every other city or town in central Oklahoma, Guthrie came into being overnight, on April 22, 1889, when the Indian Territory (2 million acres in central Oklahoma) were opened to white settlement. At noon on that day, 50,000 settlers gathered to await a cannon shot that signaled the mad dash into the unclaimed lands. Those who went at the sound (or boom) of the gun were known as "Boomers." Many of these settlers found trespassers already encamped on choice preserves and locations, leading to claim disputes with local authorities, as to whose claim should predominate -- either that of the "boomer" who started with the others, or the "sooners" who started way too soon.

From these humble beginnings, Guthrie suddenly became the largest American town west of the Mississippi. Originally the state capital of Oklahoma (1907-1910), she lost this distinction in 1910 when the State Seal of Oklahoma was surreptitiously removed (many say "stolen") to Oklahoma City, which by virtue of possession became the new state capital.