Collection: Oklahoma

100% American-made Oklahoma State Flags

Prior to statehood, Oklahoma nearly became an all-Native American state. Though the idea garnered plenty of support, it ultimately failed and gave way to the Oklahoma Statehood Convention in 1907. On November 11, 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state admitted to the Union.

Oklahoma lies entirely in the Great Plains, which plays a major role in lifestyle and industry in Oklahoma. Of course, the large, open area of the Plains primes them to extreme weather. Oklahoma is particularly famous for its tornado activity.

Tornadoes form, in part, due to extreme weather changes. One factor is temperature. Native Son, Will Rogers, once said, “If you don’t like the weather in Oklahoma, wait a minute and it’ll change.” Oklahoma City residents know this to be true. On November 11, 1911, the temperature in Oklahoma City reached its record high and record low for the date all in one day… the temperature fell 66 degrees in a matter of hours.

Oklahoma is known as the Sooner State because of the nature of early land distribution — a number of land runs, including the famous Land Run of 1889, were held so that settlers could acquire land in a (seemingly) fair way. A land run was always scheduled to begin at a specific time. Settlers who cheated the rules by entering the their land early were called “Sooners.” The nickname has been official since the state’s inception.