MICHAEL J. HIGHTOWER

What readers and reviewers have to say...

I have just finished the wonderful book “1889” by Michael Hightower (published 2018). It comprehensively tells our city’s origin story from 1866 through 1890 in a way that turned the mythical into something very real and accessible. Highly recommended for any resident of OKC. David Holt, Mayor of Oklahoma City, Instagram post, July 10, 2021

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The land runs and lotteries that brought thousands of Euro-American settlers into Oklahoma Territory remain in the collective memory of the state’s residents. From monuments and memorials to the use of the term Sooners (individuals who attempted to illegally claim land before the official opening) as the University of Oklahoma’s nickname to yearly elementary school reenactments of land runs, the unique settlement history of Oklahoma is frequently celebrated. Michael J. Hightower adds to our understanding of this period in 1889: The Boomer Movement, the Land Run, and Early Oklahoma City, an account of the decades-long push to open the central part of the state to non-Native settlement that resulted in the Unassigned Lands run and a period of rapid urbanization at the townsite that became Oklahoma City.

Hightower divides 1889 into three parts. He first focuses on boomer (advocates for the non-Native settlement of Oklahoma) designs to settle Indian Territory in the 1870s and 1880s, including more than a dozen significant expeditions to homestead in Oklahoma without federal approval. The second [End Page 196] section relates events immediately surrounding the April 22, 1889, Unassigned Lands run that resulted in tens of thousands of people claiming land in central Oklahoma. Finally, Hightower chronicles the urban development of Oklahoma City that followed the run, as the location quickly evolved from a railroad stop into an upstart city. Throughout the book, Hightower links the opening of Oklahoma to non-Native populations to the larger context of American Gilded Age economic inequalities and a political environment that consistently favored the connected few over the majority of less fortunate Americans. Various geopolitical actors, such as the cattle industry, railroad corporations, American Indians, state legislatures, federal government officials, and the boomer movement led by David L. Payne and William L. Couch, played a role in facilitating, or hindering, settlement of public lands in central Oklahoma. Various sources, including archival material from multiple facilities and period newspapers, are used to build Hightower’s historical narrative.

Unlike other popular representations of Oklahoma land runs, which focus on rural settlement and agricultural homesteading in the state, Hightower concentrates on townsite development and the rapid evolution of cities. Using Oklahoma City as a case study, he outlines the chaotic political environment after the land run, frequent disputes over property rights, the widespread violence and lawlessness in the city, contacts with nearby Native people, and the competition with Guthrie, Oklahoma, over which town would be the territorial (and later state) capital. The roles of early Oklahoma City leaders like Charles F. Colcord, Henry Overholser, and Angelo C. Scott in shaping the urban area are highlighted.

Frequent use of historical images of early Oklahoma scenes and individuals adds to Hightower’s written descriptions. On multiple occasions, historical events are linked to modern locations, businesses, and landmarks in and around Oklahoma City. However, the one original map in the book is not detailed enough to orient readers, particularly those who are unfamiliar with the modern metropolitan area, to these places. A large-scale map of Oklahoma City would have enhanced the written analysis in 1889.

Otherwise, 1889 is a welcome addition to the existing literature on the historical development of Oklahoma. Written in an accessible and engaging style, the book will be useful in undergraduate and graduate seminars and should be well received by nonacademics wishing to better understand the political and economic context of opening Oklahoma to non-Native people. Hightower’s account of the contested settlement of the Unassigned Lands within the larger political and economic context of the Gilded Age offers new interpretations of the history of Oklahoma.

Douglas A. Hurt
University of Missouri

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1889 is a much-needed contribution to the history of Oklahoma, the American West, and Gilded Age America. Michael J. Hightower offers the best and most complete coverage of the Boomer movement that I have read. Sterling Evans, editor of Farming across Borders: A Transnational History of the North American West

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This book is the best available about the opening of the Unassigned Lands of Oklahoma. Michael Hightower incorporates diverse sources to provide a coherent story, often challenging prior histories and enriching all… As one who has written on Oklahoma history for more than forty years, I wish I had written this book. Western Historical Quarterly. Reviewed by Alvin O. Turner, Emeritus, East Central Oklahoma University

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Hightower’s analysis of how Oklahoma’s foundation story symbolized Gilded Age American politics is enmeshed in a fascinating narrative of frontier settlement life. His outstanding storytelling ability generates an entertaining yet thought-provoking book. Great Plains Quarterly. Reviewed by Julie Hufstetler, Oklahoma Wesleyan University

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Hightower uses the oral histories well and allows people’s voices to provide additional rich detail to newspaper accounts and government reports. In sum, this lively book will work well in undergraduate and graduate classes, both in terms of providing background about early Oklahoma history and the Gilded Age more broadly, but also as a way for students to think about how to use oral histories in their own projects. Oral History Assn. Reviewed by Evan C. Rothera, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith

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