Library Resources Records Land

About Land Records

Oklahoma has had individual land ownership for a little over a century. It began in 1902 in the Indian Territory with the allotment of lands by the Dawes Commission. Prior to that time, land in the Indian Territory was communal property, and belonged to the respective Indian nation in which an individual lived. In Oklahoma Territory, with the exception of Indian allotments by the Jerome Commission in the late 1880s, ownership began in 1889, and spread with each of the land openings. The last land opening in Oklahoma Territory, with the minor exception of the salt plains in Alfalfa County, was in 1906. Land ownership in the Panhandle was possible after the first official survey was done for the area in the 1890s.

Oklahoma statehood occurred November 16, 1907, by joining Oklahoma Territory and the Indian Territory. The newest county in Oklahoma was formed in 1912.

Download the Land Records Research Guide (PDF 546kb) or American Indian Land Research Guide (PDF 565kb).

Oklahoma Land Openings Map

Counties formed from Indian Territory

Adair, Atoka, Bryan, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Coal, Craig, Creek, Delaware, Garvin, Haskell, Hughes, Johnston, Latimer, LeFlore, Love, Marshall, Mayes, McClain, McCurtain, McIntosh, Murray, Muskogee, Nowata, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Ottawa, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pushmataha, Rogers, Seminole, Sequoyah, Tulsa, Wagoner, Washington

Counties formed from Oklahoma Territory

Alfalfa, Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Custer, Dewey, Ellis, Garfield, Grant, Greer, Harmon, Harper, Jackson, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Lincoln, Logan, Major, Noble, Oklahoma, Osage, Pawnee, Payne, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills, Washita, Woods, Woodward

Counties formed from both territories (mostly the Indian Territory)

Grady, Jefferson, Stephens

Panhandle counties

Beaver, Cimmaron, and Texas.

The record books of the thirty judicial Recording Districts, the transitional form of government in the Indian Territory just prior to statehood, were not as a general practice preserved by the newly formed state counties. Consequently, the earliest land records in those counties start in November 1907.

In the Oklahoma Territory region, including the Panhandle, several large counties were divided into smaller counties. This may affect the location of county land records.

Resources for Land Records

Search the online catalog for additional resources for land information.
Search the Online Catalog 

Federal Land Tract Books

This microfilm collection offers information about homesteaders in Oklahoma Territory from 1889 to 1907. These 72 volumes include a physical description of the homestead, the amount of land, date & place of original registration, and the date of the final certificate. The Tract Books are arranged by township and range, not by surname.

The Oklahoma Genealogical Society published the Index to Early Oklahoma Land Tract Books, a five volume set that allows researchers to search by surname. This index includes the individual's name, land description, section number, date and microfilm page number.

New! - 1901 Land Lottery

The OHS collection includes land lottery tickets for some individuals who participated in the 1901 El Reno and Lawton land lottery but did not receive land. Click to find out more.

Plat Maps & Atlases

Plat maps and atlases are available for select areas, including:

The following county directories contain either legal land descriptions (section, township, range) or provide the name of the township in which the person resides:

Indian Territory Land Records

The 1900 Oklahoma Territory Census and the 1910 Oklahoma Census often indicate the township in which a person lived at the time of the census. The library has Oklahoma county township maps on reference that can be used to identify the township and range of that named municipal township within the county of interest.

School Land Records

Sections 16 and 36 of government townships (township and range) were usually reserved as School Land, which could be leased but not homesteaded. The money from School Land was designated by the Oklahoma Territory, and its successor the State of Oklahoma, to go to the support of specific colleges and universities. Some townships, however, had no sections of School Land, and some were almost entirely School Land. The School Land Tract Books are kept in the State Archives, Oklahoma Department of Libraries.

Townsite Lot Records

Townsite lot records were kept in Townsite Trustee Books. When available, these can be found at the town’s city hall or at the county seat.