About This Stamp
The Postal Service commemorated the centennial of the Cherokee Strip land run with a stamp on April 17, 1993, in Enid, Oklahoma. The stamp features land run contestants on horseback and in a covered wagon racing to stake a claim.
The Cherokee Strip was an 8-million acre parcel of land in the northwest quadrant of Oklahoma. When the federal government moved members of the Cherokee tribe from the southeastern United States to Indian Territory (eastern Oklahoma) in the late 1830s, the Cherokee received an outlet to the western hunting grounds that became known as the Cherokee Strip.
On September 16, 1893, by presidential order, the Cherokee Strip was opened for settlement in a great land run. Over 100,000 people entered the race, which was undoubtedly one of the largest, most spectacular competitive events in history.
Designed by artist Harold T. Holden of Kremlin, Oklahoma, the stamps were printed in the offset/intaglio process by the American Bank Note Company and issued in sheets of 20.