David L. Payne

David L. Payne was a 19th-century American pioneer and leader of the Oklahoma Land Run in 1889. He was passionate about opening Native American lands in present-day Oklahoma to settlement by non-Native Americans, aiming to establish a new community called "Payne's Park." Although he died before the land run, his efforts helped ignite the movement, making him a symbol of westward expansion and American frontier spirit. His leadership and advocacy played a significant role in shaping the settlement of Oklahoma and the expansion of the United States during that era.