Historical Marker Program

Big Pasture

Tillman County
Location: at intersection of US-70 and Main Street in Grandfield
Coordinates: 34.231747, -98.683234
Material: Granite
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society
Topics: Land Openings; Ranching; Settlement Patterns; Territorial Period, 1861–1907

When the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Reservation was opened to settlement in 1901, over 500,000 acres were reserved for grazing land. Known as the Big Pasture, most of the region was leased for cattle ranching. The federal government later opened the Big Pasture for settlement, and land was sold by sealed bids beginning December 10, 1906. Bids opened starting March 15, 1907, marking the last big land opening in Oklahoma.