From the Civil War until the initial land run in 1889, the western half of Indian Territory served as the destination for the removal of various additional tribes from the western United States. These Indians, as well as those who already lived there, continued their traditional activities of hunting and subsistence agriculture and were not part of a modern economy. In the eastern half, however, there was rapid economic recovery spurred by railroad construction, expansion of timber and coal mining, and immigration of a substantial number of whites. The growth of the non-Indian population grew remarkably. A census of the Indian agency with jurisdiction over the Five Tribes reported an 1888 total population of 177,000, only 37 percent of whom were members of those tribes.
Reference: Oklahoma Historical Society. “Oklahoma Economy: The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.” Oklahoma Economy | The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, 2019
The Act mandates enhancing livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
