When did Oklahoma become a state?

Oklahoma became a state on Nov. 16, 1907. The "Sooner State" was the 46th state admitted to the Union, preceded by Utah and followed by New Mexico.

Modern Oklahoma was first explored by Spain's Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in 1541. Much of the state was acquired by the United States in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, with the western panhandle obtained from the 1845 annexation of Texas.

Oklahoma occupies 68,667 square miles of land. It is bordered by Texas to the south, New Mexico to the west, Colorado to the northwest, Kansas to the north and Missouri and Arkansas to the east.