Book excerpt: Stillwater has been known across the nation as the place "where Oklahoma began." From the boomer camps to the Land Run of 1889, the city has a rich, vibrant history. The tenacity of its residents, though, is the reason Stillwater survived. While towns like Guthrie and Oklahoma City--which had railroads--recorded between 10,000 and 15,000 new residents on the first day of the Land Run, Stillwater could only muster a handful. Although it lacked amenities, Stillwater flourished in grit, hard work, and perseverance. After hard-fought battles to retain the Payne County seat and Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, Stillwater was here to stay. It may have once been proclaimed "where Oklahoma began," but it now has earned its place as "Stillwater, where Oklahoma's future belongs."