American History: Premier Auction

Lot of 4 boudoir cards, including two Land Rush photographs, capturing the "rush" for new homesteads in the "Unassigned Lands" of the new Oklahoma Territory. On April 22, 1889, an estimated 50,000 people lined up to stake claim to the nearly 2 million acres of unsettled Indian land recently acquired by the US government. Before sundown, at least 10,000 people had settled in Guthrie, which would be come the first capital of the Oklahoma Territory. One photograph shows a seemingly endless array of settlers' white tents and few structures in the early stages of construction, with people and horse-drawn wagons present in the foreground, captioned in pencil on mount verso, "Opening of Oklahoma Territory, For Settlement, April 1889 / Photo by Mitchell + Degroff / Guthrie, Indian Territory." Second Land Rush photograph offers a view of Guthrie teeming with settlers both on foot and driving wagons laden with supplies. A coffee tent is visible at right, with "#123" written in the negative. Inscribed on verso, "Guthrie, IT 1889 / by Walters & Evington, Guthrie." Also with scenes of both Main Street in Lisbon, OK and recently constructed buildings with flooding in the foreground following a heavy rain, credited on verso to Needham & McDonald, Oklahoma City, Indian Territory.