Kansas has received a great deal of mention in the history of the United States with regard to its connection with the Civil War. This event has influenced the histories of the state, perhaps to too great a degree, and consequently historians are prone to over-emphasize the eastern third of the state and to ignore the West which had little connection with the conflict. This is regrettable, for, while the East was important, the West had been building up a place in history that should not be ignored. The history of the connection between Kansas and Oklahoma deserves a place in the annals of the Southwest. The story of David L. Payne, the father of Oklahoma, and his struggle to open that territory to settlement is intimately linked with Kansas, since the movement was carried on largely by Kansas men. This work, in relating the life of that leader and the organization of the colony he established, is an attempt to record an interesting phase of frontier history while original material is still available. I wish to acknowledge my debt to Joseph B. Thoburn, curator of the Oklahoma Historical Library, who assisted me in the use of the valuable original material in the Payne Collection, and who also gave me the notes from a very important interview with Lewis Weythman, a fellow boomer and friend of Payne, who has since died. I also wish to express my appreciation to Dr. John Rydjord, the head of the department of history, who assisted me with suggestions and corrections and to whose inspiration is due any value to history this paper may possess.