Holding the Claim - Dillingham Mem. Garden - Enid, OK - Figurative Public Sculpture on Waymarking.com

Dillingham Memorial Garden is a beautifully landscaped garden with plantings, a grid of walkways, and several sculptures, located in Government Springs Park. At the center of the garden is a large brick circle with a raised area planted with wild prairie grass, which contains the sculpture, “Holding the Claim.”

Located on the historic Chisholm Trail, Government Springs Park is the site of a watering hole, a welcome sight to those who traveled the 1,000 mile long Chisholm Trail. This sculpture is memorializing the estimated 100,000 people who made the land run in 1893 into the Cherokee Strip, to stake a claim on a piece of land.

The sculpture depicts one of these land run participants. He is squatting in front of a campfire, “holding his claim,” and waiting for his family to arrive the next day. Dressed in a cowboy hat and long jacket, the man has a large moustache, and is holding a metal cup in his left hand. With his right hand, he is stirring the fire over which a metal coffee pot is sitting. His patient horse is calmly eating grass behind him. The horse's front legs are hobbled with a rope, to keep him from running away. Several personal items lay nearby, including a saddle, saddlebags, bed roll, canteen and a revolver.

A large bronze plaque attached to the retaining wall reads:

HOLDING THE CLAIM
by Harold T. Holden
The Cherokee Strip Centennial Sculpture
1893-1993

”Let ‘er rip for the Strip” was the cry in 1893 as the race began with a shot
from a cavalry officer’s gun. There were no cheering crowds for the winning
settlers in history’s largest most spectacular competitive event. They drove
their stakes to win their prize and then surveyed the Promised Land. Holding the
claim was their next concern as they waited until morning for families to arrive.

There were no celebrations in camp that first night…they were alone to
savor the victory. A contented sleep would finally come with
vivid dreams of life and new homes on the prairie.

This centennial monument is dedicated to the Cherokee Strip pioneers and all
caretakers of this great land past, present and future.

*************

The vision, perseverance and creation of this monument was made possible by
Dr. John Charles Ogle, Elizabeth Ogle and Harold T. and Edna Mae Holden
and all of those dedicated and generous citizens who shared the Centennial dream.

Cherokee Strip Booster Club, Inc. – Major Donor

Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Holding the Claim Figure Type: Combination of two figure types Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Harold T. Holden Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: 1993 Materials used: Bronze Location: Dillingham Mem. Garden - Govertment Springs Park

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Date Logged Log User Rating   11/23/2018 YoSam. visited it 01/26/2018 The Snowdog visited it 03/14/2017 Max and 99 visited it

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