James Walker – Beaver County, Oklahoma

Homesteading patent issued to James Walker under William H. Taft's presidency.

Government Land Office

Quick Facts

Significance:

Oklahoma Black Homesteader

Place of Birth:

Louisiana

Date of Birth:

1861

On April 24, 1904, James Walker, born in Louisiana, submitted an application for a homestead with the General Land Office in Woodward, Oklahoma. By August of that year, he established his residence on the property, situated in the Southwest quarter of Section 25, Township 4, North of Range 23 East of the Cimarron Meridian, in Beaver County, Oklahoma.

Nearly 50-acres of the land was cultivated, and several improvements were made to the property. The improvements to the property were valued at about $200 and included a home, 12ft by 14ft in size, fencing, a well, a bank barn, and several fruit trees. He also raised several different crops throughout his time on the homestead, including, cotton, maize, kaffir corn, broomcorn, watermelons, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes.

Walker provided several witnesses who confirmed the accuracy of his land claims, including, Vincent V. Cosner, William Shrotridge, Arthur N. Hogsett, and James Bridwell, all residing in Beaver, Oklahoma. The General Land Office in Beaver County approved Walker’s ownership of the property with a patent approval on October 24, 1910, six years after he first submitted his homestead application.