OKHOTSK 



OLBERS 



591 



Copyright 1891, 1897, and 



Uppli 



. liy J. B. 



itt Company. 



Okhotsk, SEA OF, an extensive inlet of the 

 North Pacific Ocean, on the east coast of Russian 

 Siberia, nearly enclosed by Kamchatka and the 

 Kuriles and Saghalien. It is little navigated. 

 On its northern shore, at the mouth of the Okhota, 

 is the small seaport of Okhotsk, with a pop. of 300. 



Oklahoma* an organised territory of the 

 United States of America, is bounded W. and S. by 

 the state of Texas, E. and SE. 

 by Indian Territory, and N. by 

 the states of Kansas and Colo- 

 rado. The territory includes what was formerly 

 che western portion of Indian Territory, together 

 with the Public Land Strip N. of the Texas 'pan- 

 handle.' This strip, ceded to the United States by 

 Texas at the time of its annexation, was by an 

 oversight not included in any of the adjacent states 

 or territories, and until its incorporation in Okla- 

 homa Territory was known as No Man's Land. 

 The area of Oklahoma is 39,030 so. m. The popula- 

 tion in 1890 was 61,834 persons, including 5338 in 

 Greer county, between the forks of the Red River 

 and claimed by Texas ; it has been awarded to 

 Oklahoma. The federal census of 1900 showed a 

 IMjpulation of 39S,3:tl. 



The surface, which rises gradually toward ths 

 north and west, is for the most part an upland 

 prairie. The most important elevations are the 

 Wichita Mountains in the south. The charms of 

 Oklahoma ('Beautiful Country') have been much 

 overrated. It is fairly well watered by the 

 Red and Arkansas rivers and their affluents, but 

 many of the streams are brackish, and so saturated 

 with alkaline salts as to be at times unfit for 

 drinking purposes or for irrigation. The rainfall 

 is much lighter and also less uniform than in 

 Indian Territory. In the river-valleys and in some 

 of the upland regions there are fertile and produc- 

 tive spots, but much of the region is likely to be 

 subject to the satne disappointment which prevails 

 in western Kansas during unfavourable seasons. 

 The so-called Public Land Strip, formerly the 

 refuge of desperadoes, is now the civilised Beaver 

 county, a rich agricultural and stock country, 

 thnugn subject to sudden changes, produced by the 

 'northers,' in its usually mild climate. The im- 

 provement is directly due to the exertions of the 

 40 voung woman teachers in the public schools. 



The history of Oklahoma dates from the year 

 1866, when the tribes to whom the lands of Indian 

 Territory had previously been granted ceded the 

 western portion of their domain to the United 

 States. The land thus acquired was known as the 

 Oklahoma district, but it was agreed that it should 

 be used only for settlement by other Indian tribes 

 or fn-edmen. Notwithstanding this stipulation 

 western speculators claimed that the lands were 

 the property of the government, and open, like 

 other public lands, for settlement under the Home- 

 stead ( q. v. ) la ws. In 1879 an organised effort was 

 made to take forcible possession of the lands, and 

 adventurers from Texas, Kansas, and Missouri, 

 iM|iii|i|'d and ready for permanent settlement, 

 invadi.nl the territory. Their action was forbidden 

 by proclamations from President Hayes, and the 

 intruders were finally ejected by United States 

 troops. From this time until his death in 1884, 

 David L. Payne, the leader of the ' boomer*, ' was 

 repeatedly arrested, but he always evaded punish- 

 ment and returned to the forbidden land, with the 

 number of his followers augmented. He is said to 

 have received more than 8100,000 in fees from 

 ("Tsuns who secured from him |K>rmission to settle 

 in Oklahoma. After his death the invasions were 

 continued with even greater pertinacity by his 

 lieutenants. Although the government repeatedly 

 proclaimed the integrity of the treaties with the 

 Indians and enforced them by the authority of the 



military, negotiations were opened, as a result of 

 which, upon the receipt of an additional sum, the 

 Indians waived all claims to a district in the heart 

 of Indian Territory. This unoccupied area was 

 opened for public settlement in 1889, and the terri- 

 tory was regularly organised with extended boun- 

 daries in 18'JO. In 1891 the restriction prohibiting 

 settlement was removed from other sections, and in 

 1893 the Cherokee Outlet was thrown open. United 

 States officials were appointed by the President, a 

 public school system was organised, and a normal 

 school was established at tdmond. Educational 

 facilities have grown with the territory. There is 

 a territorial university at Norman ; there are three 

 normal schools, at Edmond, Alva, and Langston ; 

 Stillwater has an agricultural and mechanical col- 

 lege ; and graded schools are found in the towns 

 of size, with high schools in the cities. In 1897 

 there were 90,585 children of school age, and ( 1898 ) 

 there were 1879 organised school districts. The 

 annual income from the school lands amounts to 

 an average of $200,000. Oklahoma presents an 

 unprecedented instance of a commonwealth created 

 almost in a mature condition at a moment's notice. 

 In an incredibly short space of time the wilderness 

 was transformed into a region of productive farms 

 and ixjpulous towns. Guthrie, the capital, and 

 Oklahoma City have each over 10,000 inhabitants. 

 Norman, El Reno, Kingfisher City, Stillwater, 

 Beaver, Perry, and Enid are among the rapidly 

 growing ceatres. 



Okrjl, a name for the Hibiscus (q.v. ) esculentus. 



Olaf. the Saint, one of the most revered of the 

 early Norwegian kings, was l>orn in 995, and after 

 having distinguished himself by his gallant ex- 

 ploits, and made his name a terror in several war- 

 like expeditions on the coasts of Normandy and 

 England, succeeded, in 1015, in wresting the throne 

 of Norway from Eric and Svend Jarl. The cruel 

 severity with which he endeavoured to exterminate 

 paganism by fire and sword alienated the all'ec- 

 tions of his subjects, who hastened to tender their 

 allegiance to Canute of Denmark on his landing 

 in Norway in 1028. Olaf Hed to the court of his 

 brother-in-law, Jaroslav of Russia, who gave him 

 a band of 4000 men, at the head of whom he 

 returned, in 1030, and gave Canute battle at 

 Stiklestad, where Olaf was defeated by the aid 

 of his own subjects, and slain. His body was 

 removed to the cathedral of Trondhjem, where 

 the fame of its miraculous power spread far and 

 wide ; and Olaf >yas solemnly proclaimed patron 

 saint of Norway in the succeeding century. See 

 Pussio et Miracula Beati Olaui, edited by F. Met- 

 calfe( Oxford, 1881). 



Oland. See (ELAND. 



Olaus. For Olaus Magnus, see MAGNUS ; for 

 Olaus Petri, see SWEDEN (Literature). 



Olbers, HEINRICH WILHELM MATTHAUS, phy- 

 sician and astronomer, was born at Arbergen, a 

 village of Bremen, October 11, 1758, studied medi- 

 cine at GOttingen from 1777 till 1780, and subse- 

 quently practised at Bremen. In 1811 he was a 

 successful competitor for the prize proposed by 

 Napoleon for the best 'Memoir on the Croup.' 

 He became known as an astronomer by his calcula- 

 tion of the orbit of the comet of 1779. He dis- 

 covered the minor planets Pallas (1802) and Vesta 

 (1807); and in 1781 he hail the honour of first re- 

 discovering the planet Uranus. He also discovered 

 five comets in 1798, 1802, 1804, 1815, and 1821, all 

 of which, with the exception of that of 1815 (hence 

 called Others' comet), liad been some days pre- 

 viously observed at Paris. His observations, cal- 

 culations, and notices of various comets, which 

 are of inestimable value to astronomers, were pub- 

 lished in various forms. Olbers also made some 



