Historic Indian Territory Law

Welcome to my library of historic Indian Territory law! Linked digitized law books and materials include a description of land laws, acts of Congress, material on the proposed state of Sequoyah, and seven volumes of Indian Territory case law. This page mainly focuses on the period between the Oklahoma Organic Act of 1890 and the 1906 Oklahoma Enabling Act, which led to the combination of Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory into the state of Oklahoma in 1907. I have included some related acts that would eventually, through amendments and other acts, have an impact on the residents or the territory.

I wrote a blog post introducing the Indian Territory Law page.

Indian Territory: Law and Related Material

Year and Volume

Title/Description

Law Online

1887 An Act to provide for the allotment of lands in severalty to Indians on the various reservations, and to extend the protection of the laws of the United States and the territories over the Indians, and for other purposes aka Dawes Act Yale Law School
1889 An Act to establish a United States court in the Indian Territory, and for other purposes Library of Congress
1890 An Act to provide a temporary government for the territory of Oklahoma, to enlarge the jurisdiction of the United States Court in the Indian Territory, and for other purposes Library of Congress
1898 An Act for the protection of the people of the Indian Territory, and for other purposes aka Curtis Act Library of Congress
1901 An Act to put in force in the Indian Territory certain provisions of the laws of Arkansas relating to corporations, and to make said provisions applicable to said Territory Library of Congress
Published 1904 Land Laws of the Indian Territory Google Books
1905 An Address to the People of Indian Territory on the Question of Independent Statehood for Indian Territory Hathi Trust
1905 Constitution of the State of Sequoyah Internet Archive
1906 Proposed State of Sequoyah [Memorial] Hathi Trust
1906 An Act to provide for the final disposition of the affairs of the Five Civilized Tribes in the Indian Territory, and for other purposes aka Five Civilized Tribes Act

Library of Congress
1906 Patents in fees to allottees aka Burke Act

Cornell, Legal Information Institute
1906 An Act to enable the people of Oklahoma and of the Indian Territory to form a constitution and State government and be admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original States; and to enable the people of New Mexico and of Arizona to form a constitution and State government and be admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original States

Library of Congress
1913 Annotated Acts of Congress: Five Civilized Tribes and the Osage Nation Internet Archive

Indian Territory: Case Law

Year and Volume

Title/Description

Law Online

1896-1898 Volume I Indian Territory Reports: Cases Determined In the United States Court of Appeals for the Indian Territory Hathi Trust
1898-1899 Volume II Indian Territory Reports: Cases Determined In the United States Court of Appeals for the Indian Territory Hathi Trust
1899-1901 Volume III Indian Territory Reports: Cases Determined In the United States Court of Appeals for the Indian Territory Hathi Trust
1901-1903 Volume IV Indian Territory Reports: Cases Determined In the United States Court of Appeals for the Indian Territory Hathi Trust
1903-1904 Volume V Indian Territory Reports: Cases Determined In the United States Court of Appeals for the Indian Territory Hathi Trust
1903-1904 Volume VI Indian Territory Reports: Cases Determined In the United States Court of Appeals for the Indian Territory Hathi Trust
1907-1907 Volume VII Indian Territory Reports: Cases Determined In the United States Court of Appeals for the Indian Territory Hathi Trust