Salena Crain – Noble County, Oklahoma

Homesteading patent issued to Salena Crain under Theodore Roosevelt's presidency.

Government Land Office

Quick Facts

Significance:

Oklahoma Black Homesteader

Place of Birth:

Texas

Date of Birth:

1850

Salena Crain filed an application for a homestead on October 28, 1901 in the Perry, Oklahoma land office. The sudden passing of her husband led to her filing a claim for the homestead they both cultivated for decades, leading to the drawn-out process of submitting applications with the Oklahoma land office.

The land was originally settled on September 16, 1893, where Salena and her husband established their residency a couple of months later in December 1893. Salena's application was for the 161-acre property located in the Northwest quarter of Section 4, in Township 21N of Range 1E, of the Indian Meridian. Several witnesses, including W. H. Malcolm, Marion Lambert, James H. Serles, and W. H. Baker from Perry, Oklahoma, confirmed the accuracy of her claims.

Salena Crain, who was around 63 years old at the time, filed her claim, which was approved on March 27, 1903, and officially patented on May 18 of the same year.

The land was described as a mixture of prairie, timber, and farmland and included seventy acres of cultivated land. While living on the property, Salena made several improvements including building a home, a water well, stables, a corn crib, and planting an orchard. These improvements were valued at approximately $300.

While cultivating her homestead, she also dedicated her life to raising and taking care of her four children. Although she was initially born in Texas, she made Oklahoma her lifelong home after she moved to the state with her husband. She eventually gained rightful ownership of her Noble County homestead and lived there over the course of her life.