Homesteader Preparing to Stake a Claim ~ Ponca City, OK
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 36° 42.190 W 097° 04.689
14S E 671670 N 4063665
Centennial Monument to the Cherokee Strip Land Run.
Waymark Code: WM7CWK
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 10/06/2009
Views: 20
Untitled Statue
Commissioned by Ponca City's Last Land Run Foundation, the sculpture commemorates the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893. The original name was "This Land Is Mine," but it was dropped after protests by Native-American groups.
County of Statue: Kay County.
Location of Statue: 5th St. & Grand Ave., city hall grounds, Ponca City.
Founder: Loveland Sculpture Works.
Contractors: Dane Pryse & Throop Construction.
Statue Proper Description:
Equestrian statue depicts a male figure preparing to stake a claim. The horse is rearing up on its hind legs and the figure, claim stake in proper left hand, appears ready to dismount quickly to drive the stake into the ground. The figure wears a wide-brimmed hat, vest, long-sleeved shirt and trousers tucked into boots. There is a bed roll and an axe strapped to the saddle.
Plaque Text:
These 100 donors present
This Centennial Bronze by
JO SAYLORS in
COMMEMORATION OF THE CHEROKEE STRIP
LAND RUN, SEPTEMBER 16, 1893
Marker Text:
This monument honors those who rode across the prairie to claim a piece of free land. Who knows how long the "Strip" had been the scene of Native American hunting parties? From the early 1800's it was designated as an outlet to hunting grounds in the west for the Cherokee nation. In 1891, the Federal Government purchased the outlet from the Cherokees. Then, at high noon on September 16, 1893, one hundred thousand people seeking free land raced across its borders. One participant is depicted by this bronze. He represents a young homesteader seeking a secure future for his family.
This participant in the biggest horse race in history is running for a future for his young family. As he jumps from his horse with a stake in hand he realizes that he has found it.