Lot 90: Antique 1905 OKLAHOMA NATIONAL GUARD Trophy of Appreciation Silver Plated

This extremely rare artifact commemorates a personal Trophy presented to A.L. Eddington by COMPANY F of the Oklahoma National Guard in 1905. This trophy shows detailing of both hunting rifles and a hunting dog in fine craftsmanship. Measures about 11" Tall and 6" x 6". Unpolished. A fine artifact for any Military collector. One of the first actions taken by the Oklahoma Territorial Council when it convened in August 1890 was the creation of the Territorial Militia. Although the formation of two infantry regiments, two cavalry battalions, and one artillery battery was allowed, little funding was provided, and in 1895 the militia was reorganized as the Oklahoma National Guard. The Oklahoma National Guard was not federalized during the Spanish-American War, but numerous officers and enlisted men served with the Rough Riders and with the First Territorial Volunteer Infantry Regiment. In 1899 the Oklahoma National Guard was reorganized as the First Oklahoma Infantry Regiment, supported by a signal company. In 1903 an engineer company was added. With statehood in 1907, units were shifted from western Oklahoma (former Oklahoma Territory) to eastern Oklahoma (former Indian Territory), and a hospital unit and two cavalry troops were added. Before World War I the guardsmen were used by Gov. Lee Cruce to combat illegal boxing and horse-racing operations and liquor-law and blue-law violations. The Oklahoma National Guard was reorganized under the National Defense Act passed on June 3, 1916, and fifteen days later was called into federal service for duty along the Mexican border. Mobilized in Oklahoma City, the guardsmen were stationed at San Benito and Donna, Texas. They returned home and were mustered out on March 1–2, 1917. On March 31, 1917, the First Oklahoma Infantry was mobilized for service in World War I. At Camp Bowie, Texas, the First Oklahoma combined with the Seventh Texas Infantry to form the 142d Regiment of the Thirty-sixth Infantry Division. The guardsmen arrived in France on July 31, 1918, and in October served around Blanc Mont Ridge and in the Ferme Forest. They were in reserve when the war ended on November 11, 1918. Returning home, the troops were discharged in July 1919. To replace the guardsmen on active duty, in 1918 the Second and Third Oklahoma Infantry Regiments and a separate infantry battalion were recruited. These units later combined and constituted the Oklahoma National Guard until 1920. In 1919 these troops were sent to Drumright, Henryetta, Coalgate, and Haileyville during a labor disturbance. Under the provisions of the National Defense Act of 1920 Oklahoma was assigned to the Eighth Corps Area and allotted two National Guard divisions. The Second Oklahoma Infantry Regiment was designated the 179th Infantry Regiment and the Third Oklahoma Regiment became the 180th Infantry Regiment. Medical, engineer, and artillery regiments were allotted to Oklahoma, along with the headquarters of the Forty-fifth Infantry Division. Other troops of the division were distributed in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. By 1923 the Forty-fifth's organization was complete. Between 1918 and 1941 the Oklahoma National Guard was frequently called to state duty. In 1921 the guardsmen were rushed to Tulsa to quell that city's violent racial conflict. Gov. John Walton used the troops to prevent the legislature from convening during his impeachment. Gov. William H. Murray dispatched the National Guard thirty-four times during his administration, and Gov. Ernest W. Marland used the guardsmen to allow the drilling of oil wells on the Capitol grounds in Oklahoma City.