"The Unassigned Lands" was that area in what is now central Oklahoma that was not yet populated with tribes moved into the region during the post-Civil War re-settlement. It was still reserved with the intention of moving certain native groups from the west coast. But as "government land" not used by the government it was thought to be "fair game" for settlement by non-indiginous claimants. David Payne (and others) repeatedly led parties of "Boomers" into the heart of the so-called Indian Territory and was repeatedly captured and "deported" by the army.

"No Man's Land" was the northern portion of the former Texas panhandle that was above the compromise of 1850 line and was later "boomed" as "Cimarron Territory" and the proposed new "State of Cimarrom" but was added to the new Oklahoma Territory which was created on 5 May 1890, just over one year after the "Run of '89" which opened the former "Unassigned Lands" to non-Indian settlement. Following that settlement the Dawes Commission was created (upon a bill introduced by Senator Dawes of Massachusetts, who resigned from the Senate to become chairman of the commission). The Dawes commission treatied with the various tribes that had been "resettled" into the Indian Territory and with the Five Civilized Tribes, persuading them to accept individual allotments and to cede the remainder of their lands to the U. S. Government so the land could then be settled by non-Indians.

From this there were six more land "Runs" and eight land openings by lottery after the "Run of '93" demonstrated it was much too dangerous to continue the race for land.