An Illustrated Map of the Oklahoma Country or the Indian Territory West of Arkansas

Scarce pictorial map of Oklahoma with historical themes.

This two toned map of the Sooner State was published in Tulsa in 1939 by Vinson Lackey. The nickname was earned from eager settlers who entered Indian Territory before it was officially open for habitation by whites.

This process of ostensibly ‘legal’ acquisition from the Native Americans is covered in some detail in the accompanying text and illustrated further with dated boundary lines within the image. The original reservations are also noted, and numerous vignettes throughout the image highlight historical buildings and events.

The map was published during the final years of the Dust Bowl, which drastically affected the Oklahoma Panhandle and gave new meaning to the “No Man’s Land” that can be found there. I was able to find only six institutional holdings for this map, four in OCLC, plus the University of Oklahoma and the Haley Memorial Library. It is rare on the market.