The History of our Show
Before I enlighten you all with a brief history lesson, I would like to share some exciting news. Pioneer Theatre Guild has decided to add a new family member to our production calendar this year! We have added a third musical! No, your eyes are not deceiving you.....PTG will be putting on THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM SPELLING BEE this spring. For those who don't know the show, it is a quirky and hilarious musical centered around a Middle School Spelling Bee. It opened on Broadway in 2005, so this little newborn will be a nice contrast to older and historically significant Oklahoma.
On that note... This week the cast and crew of “Oklahoma!” was fortunate enough to be visited by local historian Nancy Bryk. Nancy currently works at the Hands-On Museum here in Ann Arbor, but she spent some quality time with us bringing to life the reality of Oklahoma’s statehood. Our production of “Oklahoma!” takes place in 1906, only one year before the state’s statehood. Nancy’s lecture really helped us to further develop our character’s stories and lifestyles.
Before it was settled, Oklahoma was largely composed of Native American Reservations. Nearly 50,000 Native Americans were moved there on a journey known as the Trail of Tears. During the civil War, the federal government became aware of the incredibly rich and fertile soil that in Oklahoma. This soil created a good farming environment, and in the 1880s the government decided to open up this land to settlers. The government began opening up specific territories to settlers in land runs. These runs involved settlers lining up along the boundaries of this territory, and at a designated time they would rush the land and claim their new property on a first- come- first- serve basis. The first and most significant of these runs was the Land Run of 1889. On April 22, 1889, 50,000 white settlers lined up along the state boundaries. At high noon, this mass of 50,000 raced into the open terrain.
The term “Sooner” was created during this time, describing those rebellious few that snuck into the woods before high noon to claim their land SOONER, and get priority on the most fertile plots. The pioneers of future Oklahoma (fitting that these will be played by Pioneer High School students, right?) had to live on and farm their land for seven years before it was officially their property. The process of forming cities in this land was faster than any other territory in history. At sunrise of April 22, the territory consisted only of Native American reservations. By sunset, Oklahoma City and Guthrie had both been created, each the new home to 10,000 settlers. “Oklahoma!” takes place near Claremore, which developed in Northeast Oklahoma. Claremore was an important center, as two railroads connected there. Railroads were the preferred transportation around this time, and were important in Oklahoma because it was a crucial stop between the East and West. More to come in a few days!