"In Contested Territory, Murray R. Wickett offers the first complete history of the interaction between whites, Native Americans, and African Americans in the Indian and Oklahoma Territories from the end of the Civil War until Oklahoma statehood in 1907, addressing questions about the nature of American race relations, the answers to which far transcend the territorial boundaries of the region.".

"Wickett tells his story with an array of sources that includes poems, anecdotes, and particularly well-chosen pictures. Through government records, newspapers, diaries, and oral history interviews, he also allows those who experienced the temper of the times firsthand to speak for themselves."--BOOK JACKET.