Paul Babioh, age 10, of Wichita, `Kansas, for his question:

Why is Oklahoma called the Sooner State?

The sooner you get to a bargain sale the better. So thought the hardy pioneers who wanted to make their homes in Oklahoma. The sooner they arrived, the better would be their chances to select suitable farmland on which to settle.

The date was April 22, 1889. The. U.S. government had parchased two million acres of land from the Indians in what is now Central Oklahoma. The government announced that tracts of this territory would be given to homesteaders and the news spread far and wide. The pioneers came on foot, in carts and wagons and some arrived in style on the Santa Fe railroad.

The territory was opened officially at noon by a gunshot on April 22. But, wouldn't you know, some of those hardy settlers just couldn't wait for the official gunshot. They rushed in ahead of time and got there sooner than the more patient pioneers. This is why Oklahoma is called the Sooner State‑‑some got there sooner than they should have,