Before the Founding of Lawton
Land Lottery and Auction
Game
Teaching Materials
President William McKinley (1843-1901) (Provenance: Platinum print, circa 1899, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.) |
On July 4, 1901, President William McKinley gave an order. He told the General Land Office to set up two land districts. Two new land districts were drawn on the map. Both were in the Oklahoma Territory. They were formed from lands that had once belonged to the three tribes. The northern area was called the El Reno
District. The southern area was called the Lawton
District. |
It
was near Fort Sill. The Lawton District (and the city of Lawton)
were named after the same man, 
William
Alford Richards got a new job. The date was May 13, 1901. Richards
took over both of the new Land Offices. His new job title was Assistant
Commissioner of the General Land Office. Richards started to work right
away. He divided up the land area set aside for the Land Lottery.
He set up three new counties. A county seat was set up in each new
county.
The new counties were named Kiowa, Hobart, and Lawton.
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