Picture thousands of people lined up, all waiting for one cannon shot. On April 22, 1889, the U.S. government opened two million acres of land in Oklahoma. Anyone who wanted a piece could have one. The rules were simple. Everyone had to line up along the border. At exactly noon, a cannon fired. Thousands of people charged forward on horses, in wagons, on bicycles, and on foot. They raced to find the best plots of land. Some people cheated. They had snuck into the territory early to grab the best spots. These cheaters were called "Sooners." Oklahoma is still called the Sooner State today. By nightfall, tent cities had sprung up across the prairie. The town of Guthrie went from empty land to a city of ten thousand people in a single afternoon. Within weeks, people were building homes, shops, and schools. But the land was not really empty. Native American tribes had been living there for decades. The government had promised this land to them after forcing them off their original homelands. The Land Rush broke those treaties. It was one of many times the U.S. government failed to keep its word to Native peoples.