Vol. 37, No. 6 Published monthly by the Oklahoma Historical Society, serving since 1893 June 2006

Allan Houser’s Unconquered unveiled atOklahoma History Center

In a ceremony at the Oklahoma HistoryCenter on April 26, 2006, at 1:30 p.m.,Unconquered, a monumental bronze sculp-ture by Oklahoma artist Allan Houser, wasunveiled. The ten-foot-tall, 3000-pound workis situated outside the new building’s mainentrance, in the central plaza.

“This world-class sculpture was the lastpiece produced by Allan Houser before hisdeath in 1994,” said Dr. Bob Blackburn,director of the Oklahoma Historical Soci-ety. “We are privileged to have it at the en-trance to the Oklahoma History Center.”

The piece was purchased by means of a$750,000 grant from the Inasmuch Foun-dation, created by Edith Kinney Gaylord toimprove the quality of life in Oklahoma.

“We were pleased to help the OklahomaHistory Center acquire the Unconquered,”said Bob Ross, president of the InasmuchFoundation. “This is one of the greatestpieces of art produced by one of the world’sgreatest artists, our own Allan Houser.”

When the Smithsonian’s National Mu-seum of the American Indian opened lastfall, he was one of the two artists featuredin a special exhibit. Another of his monu-mental sculptures, As Long as the WatersFlow, stands on the south plaza of theOklahoma State Capitol.

The Houser family, including Allan’s wife,Ann, and sons Phillip and Steven, attendedthe unveiling ceremony. Phillip, an artist inhis own right, played his father’s flute as amemorial to the spirit of the family and thetribe. Ann talked about her late husband’sintent when he created Unconquered.

The work reflects the history of Houser’sown family in the Southwest and Oklahoma.The artist’s great-uncle was Geronimo, andhis father, Sam Haozous, was also prisonerof war at Fort Sill.

Allan Houser, or Haozous, left the fam-ily’s farm at age twenty to study with Doro-thy Dunn at Santa Fe Indian School. Bythe 1940s he was working in clay andstone. By the 1970s he was recognizedaround the world for his art works, whichranged from representational to abstract.

In the final year of his life he refined andcompleted his vision for the work Uncon-quered. He created it first in clay for atwenty-one-inch-tall bronze edition. He de-picted two armed Chiricahua warriors fac-ing their enemies, defending their familiesand their traditional way of life. In the finalmonths of his own life, he enlarged theform to 119 inches in height and 80 inchesin width for the casting of the monumental

bronze. Allan Houser departed this life onAugust 22, 1994.

Also speaking at the unveiling ceremonywas Cliff Hudson, who, with his wife Leslie,donated the funds for the base and inter-pretive features for the sculpture. “For thepast seven years, we have been searchingfor a way to acquire this world-class sculp-ture for Oklahoma,” said Hudson. “Throughthe generosity of the Inasmuch Foundation,we accomplished our mission.”

Dan Provo, museum director aft theOklahoma History Center, added that Un-conquered provides another way to shareOklahoma’s unique history with the rest ofthe world. “Allan’s story, and that of his fa-ther, mother, and extended family, opens awindow into our past that is both enlight-ening and inspirational,” he said. “It is aperfect complement to the museum galler-ies, where hundreds of stories blend into asense of community.”

OHS Annual Meeting banquethonors 2005 award winnersAt the annual banquet, held this year on

April 28, the OHS Board of Directors gavespecial awards to three notable Oklaho-mans who have contributed to the suc-cessful creation of the Oklahoma History

Center: Lee Allan Smith,Hollis G. Lloyd, and J.Blake Wade. The MurielWright Award for the

best article in the year’sissues of The Chroniclesof Oklahoma was cap-tured by Dr. RichardLowitt of OU. The J. B.

Thoburn Student Historian Award was be-stowed on Mary Hestilow, of the ClassenSchool of Oklahoma City. The Indian Gal-lery Advisory Board was named this year’sOutstanding OHS Support Group, and theChisholm Trail Heritage Center, Bill Benson,Director, was tapped as Outstanding LocalHistorical Museum.

The 2005 Outstanding Dissertation onOklahoma History was awarded to RoseStremlau for “Cherokee Families: CulturalResistance During the Allotment Era,” andthe year’s Outstanding Thesis award wentto Rhonda Ragsdale for “A Study of theSelf-Segregated Community of Tatums.”The award for writing 2005’s OutstandingBook on Oklahoma History went to Patri-cia Loughlin for Hidden Treasures of theAmerican West: Muriel H. Wright, AngieDebo, and Alice Marriott. Inducted into theOklahoma Historians Hall of Fame wereAlice Tyner Timmons, Robert F. Read,Denzil D. Garrison, and Joe C. Jackson).

After unveiling the sculpture, the Houserfamily blessed it (staff photo).

Joe C. Jackson and Dr. Bob Blackburn(All photos by Fred Marvel).

Oklahoma Historical SocietyPublications Division

Editorial Office: 405/522-4860Dianna Everett, Ph.D., Editor

Linda D. Wilson, Assistant Editor

William E. Siemens, Graphic Artist

Membership Office: Alma Moore405/522-5242

<ohsmembers@okhistory.org>

Mistletoe Leaves (USPS 018–315) is published monthly by the OklahomaHistorical Society, 2401 N. Laird Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73105–7914.Periodicals postage paid at Oklahoma City, OK.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mistletoe Leaves, 2401 N. Laird Ave-nue, Oklahoma City, OK 73105–7914.

By authorization of the Oklahoma Historical Society’s Board of Directors,5,100 copies are prepared at a cost of $1025.00 each month. The publicationis financed in part with federal funds from the National Park Service, UnitedStates Department of the Interior.

Contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of theOklahoma Historical Society or the United States Department of the Interior.Mention of trade names does not constitute endorsement or recommendationby either organization.

Mistletoe Leaves is published for the members and friends of the Okla-homa Historical Society in partial fulfillment of the Society’s purpose to“preserve and perpetuate the history of Oklahoma and its people, to stimulatepopular interest in historical study and research, and to promote anddisseminate historical knowledge.”

The public and OHS members are encouraged to submit heritage-relateditems for publication. Students and teachers are invited to share studies andprograms and to duplicate contents as desired. Editors are welcome to reprintmaterials with credit.

All Oklahoma Historical Society facilities are for the education and enjoy-ment of all. State and federal regulations prohibit unlawful discrimination instate and federally assisted programs on the basis of race, color, nationalorigin, and/or handicap.

Anyone denied benefits should contact the Executive Director of the Okla-homa Historical Society, 2401 N. Laird Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73105–7914, telephone 405/521-2491, and/or the Director, Office of Equal Oppor-tunity, United States Department of the Interior, Washington, DC 20240.

As any Oklahoma farmer or gardenerwill tell us, to harvest a crop, first you planta seed, nurture it with care, and watch itgrow.

Here, at the Oklahoma Historical Soci-ety, we have long wanted to harvest a cropof photographic sales. We have more than5 million images in the collections. Wewant to share those images with people.And we need a stream of revenue to rein-vest in conserving and processing the col-lections, most of which are negatives.

For too many years, our hopes for abountiful harvest of sales were based on ahunting-and-gathering approach, hopingthat customers would find us and walk inthe door. For too many years, we knew thatwas not enough.

We needed to plant seeds for a betterharvest.

Thanks to Chesapeake Energy Corpora-tion, we have planted a seed that is alreadyshowing great promise. That seed was a$25,000 grant to purchase an Epson 9800Digital Printer capable of producing eitherblack-and-white or four-color images in avariety of sizes on a variety of surfaces.

The printer will produce art-quality im-ages up to 44 inches wide and as long as

the roll of fabric or the amount of memoryavailable on the computer. Prints can bemade on flat, matte, or high-gloss paper,on canvas, or on vinyl.

Using this printer, OHS graphic artistsBill Siemens and Cynthia Manning havebeen producing incredible images thatrange from oversized banners to be usedfor the Pawnee Bill Wild West Show thissummer to reproductions of maps from theOHS collections.

Amazingly, when the four-color mapsare held up next to the originals, it is hardto tell the difference.

Thus far, we have made approximately20 prints from the collections, includingimages of steam-powered trains from thePreston George Collection, images of down-town Oklahoma City in the 1960s from theJim Argo Collection, and maps of the pro-posed State of Sequoyah, the Indian Terri-tory, and the early statehood era with allmajor railroad lines.

Some of the images are already framedand hanging in the LeRoy H. Fischer BoardRoom. All are available for purchase in theOklahoma History Center Gift Shop.

In addition to creating items for sale, theprinter will be used to produce exhibit dis-plays with better quality control and at areduced price. This, in turn, will allow us tobe much more aggressive in developingnew exhibits across the state.

Yes, as any Oklahoma farmer or gar-dener will tell us, we need to plant seedsbefore we reap the harvest. Thanks to thegrant from Chesapeake Energy Corpora-tion and the creativity of our staff, we willsoon harvest a bountiful crop of Oklahomahistory.

By Bob L. BlackburnExecutive Director

Director’sColumn

New Annual Members

Bowman, Sigrid A., EdmondDeMoss, Robert W., ClevelandGoforth, Richard, WellingJohansson, Dr. M. Jane, PryorLoughlin, Patti, StillwaterParker, Pat, DuncanRodke, Vera Pauline, PaoliSadler, Martha A., Green Valley, AZSmalley, Jeri, NormanTyson, Dr. Barbara J., Hodgen

New Family Members

Brown, Dudley & Sara, TahlequahDavis, Charles & Jane, EdmondHeer, Dolores & Christina, Oklahoma CityHernandez, Dianne, EdmondPowers, Linda & Donald E., Jr., Oklahoma CityWilson, Harry & Doris, Oklahoma City

New Institutional Members

Harvard College Library, Cambridge, MAMinnie Slief Library, CheyenneWeatherford Library, WeatherfordPicher Mining Field Museum, Picher

Development NewsBy Dr. Tim Zwink

I am very pleased to announce that recently Cliff and Leslie Hudson presented theOklahoma Historical Society a gift of $20,000. The Hudsons’ generous contribution pro-vided sponsorship for the base of Unconquered, our new, impressive sculpture by AllanHouser, located at the entrance of the new Oklahoma History Center.

As you may recall, the Inasmuch Foundation, founded by Edith Kinney Gaylord,awarded the OHS a grant of $750,000 to enable our acquisition of Unconquered, aworld-class sculpture.

We are extremely grateful for these wonderful donations from Cliff and Leslie Hudsonand the Inasmuch Foundation. Due to this support, the entrance to the Oklahoma HistoryCenter has been significantly enhanced.

Unconquered creates a special space at the History Center. If you have not yet seenUnconquered, I strongly encourage you to do so.

For additional information about donor opportunities, please contact me at 405/522-5217 or <tzwink@okhistory.org>.

OHC to host Oklahoma FolklifeFestival on June 24

The revived Oklahoma Folklife Festival,dormant for a decade or more, will be heldin Oklahoma City at the Oklahoma HistoryCenter on June 24.

The festival will include music, dance, andfoodways from several Oklahoma cultures.There will be demonstrations of traditionalcrafts and various hands-on activities.

In addition, papers on Oklahoma folklifeand popular culture will be presented atthe event.

A day’s family-oriented activities will be-gin mid-morning and continue through theafternoon.

There is no admission charge to attend.The OHC is located at 2401 North LairdAvenue in the Capitol Complex.

EventsEnid will host the Tulsa Chautauqua enti-tled “Portraits of the Renaissance: Poets,Pirates, and Playwrights” featuring na-tional and local scholars portraying Chris-topher Columbus, Lucrezia Borgia, GraceO’Malley, William Shakespeare, and Leo-nardo da Vinci from May 31 through June4. From June 7 to June 11 the sameChautauqua will be presented in Tulsa onthe grounds of OSU-Tulsa. E-mail LouiseMilacek at <louisemilacek@sbcglobal.net>for information about the Enid event, andfor the Tulsa event call 918/584-3333, ex-tension 19, or e-mail <afox@ahct.org>.(Humanities Interview)

Perry’s historic Courthouse Square’sgrounds will be the location for a GreatPlains Chautauqua with the theme “FromSea to Shining Sea: Cultural Change andAmerican Expansion, 1790–1850” fromJune 3 through June 8. The troupe willtravel to Miami for presentations on June10 to June 14. Portrayal of historic char-acters will include John Jacob Astor,Tecumseh, Sacagawea, William Clark,and York, Clark’s childhood friend andservant. Dolley Madison will moderate thepresentations. For more information con-tact the Oklahoma Humanities Council at405/235-0280. (Humanities Interview)

Tulsa’s Doubletree Downtown Hotel willbe the venue for the 18th Annual Induc-tion Ceremony and Banquet for theOklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame on Wednes-day, June 21. Reception begins at 6 p.m.,dinner at 7 p.m., and awards ceremony at8 p.m. Contact the Oklahoma Jazz Hall ofFame at 322 N. Greenwood Ave., Tulsa,OK 74120-1026. (Special to ML)

Oklahoma City’s National Cowboy andWestern Heritage Museum announces itsannual Prix de West Invitational Art Exhi-bition and Sale on June 9 and 10. Theevent will feature approximately 300 worksby more than 90 artists. The public is alsoinvited to attend art-related seminars pre-sented by noted authorities and art dem-onstrations conducted by Prix de West art-ists. For more information call the mu-seum at 405/478-2250 or go to their website, <www.nationalcowboymuseum.org>.(Special to ML)

El Reno’s Fort Reno is offering “Ghosts ofFort Reno” tours by lantern light. Toursare scheduled on Saturday evenings thissummer on June 17, July 15, and August19. Tour-goers will hear legends and talesof haunted buildings, ghostly appari-tions, murders, and lost treasure. A para-normal research team from OklahomaCity will give presentations. These toursare fund raisers for the preservation and

restoration of the fort’s buildings. Cost is$5 for adults and $4 for seniors aged 60and over and children aged 5 to 12. Res-ervations are required and may be madeby calling 405/262-3987. Find more in-formation at <http://www.fortreno.org>.(El Reno Tribune)

WritingsFriendship History Group is selling twobooks: The Early Day Friendship Area: ItsSettlement and Communities and TheNorth Fork: A Tale of the SouthwesternFrontier. Sale proceeds will be donated tothe Navajoe Cemetery Perpetual Fund andthe Altus Centennial Memorial Centerproject. The books are available by callingVerna Johnson of the Friendship HistoryGroup at 580/482-7602. (Altus Times)

Wyandotte’s Gregath Publishing Com-pany announces that they have a limitedquantity of the first edition of A Brief His-tory of the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe, BookTwo (2001), by Roberta White Smith andJennifer Logan. The 212-page, hard-bound book is indexed and includes pho-tographs and maps. The order number isG612B2, and the cost is $22.50. Orderscan be mailed to the Gregath PublishingCompany, P.O. Box 505, Wyandotte, OK74370, or call 918/542-4148. (Special toML)

Oklahoma Climatological Survey offersits Spring 2006 edition of its seasonal cli-mate series Oklahoma Climate online at<http://climate.ocs.ou.edu>. Some of thequestions answered in this issue include:“Are Oklahoma’s weather patterns cycli-cal?” and “La Niña, El Niño, and ENSO:How do sea surface temperatures thou-sands of miles away impact Oklahoma’sweather?” (Special to ML)

HappeningsOklahoma Genealogical Society holdsits monthly meetings on the first Mondayof each month at 6 p.m. in the Chesa-peake Events Center at the OklahomaHistory Center, 2401 N. Laird Avenue,Oklahoma City. For information e-mail<okgensoc@aol.com> or go to the web siteat <www.rootsweb.com/~okgs/>.(Special to ML)

Historic Fort Reno, Inc., a nonprofitcorporation, received a Save America’sTreasures grant from the U.S. Depart-ment of the Interior, National Park Ser-vice, for restoration of buildings at theFort Reno Historic District. Exterior res-toration on the Officers’ Duplex (Building

6) was completed in February 2006. Res-toration of the Commander’s Quarters isthe next priority. The organization is en-gaged in fund-raising activities to gener-ate matching funds. See the related eventmentioned under Events at El Reno’s FortReno. (Preservation Oklahoma News)

Tahlequah recently renovated its historicNational Guard Armory into a municipalcenter with space for a community the-ater, a banquet hall, and city administra-tion offices. Built in the 1930s throughfunding from the Works Projects Admin-istration, the stone building has 18,000square feet. The city spent $600,000 topurchase and repair the structure, whichis listed in the National Register of His-toric Places (NR 94000488). (Tulsa World)

2006 Year of the Museum has receivedrecognition from the United States Con-gress through Senate Resolution 437 andHouse Resolution 389. These resolutionssupport the goals and ideals of the Year ofthe Museum in making museums morevisible and celebrating their contributionsto the American public. Dr. Bob Blackburnand Kathy Dickson of the Oklahoma His-torical Society asked Governor Brad Henryto declare 2006 as the Year of the Museumin Oklahoma. Find more information atthe Oklahoma Museums Association website, <www.okmuseums.org>, or visit theOHS site at <www.okhistory.org>. Clickon “Outreach” for OHS museums, his-toric homes, and sites located near you.(Special to ML)

The Western History Association willhold its 47th Annual Conference October3–6, 2007, in Oklahoma City to markOklahoma’s centennial of statehood. Theassociation invites paper and panel pro-posals for “Crossroads of the West: Meet-ings and Exchanges, Old and New.” Theywelcome topics that explore new interpre-tations of the Western cultural experience,considering issues of ethnicity, race, gen-der, and the environment. For more infor-mation contact the Western History Asso-ciation at the University of New Mexico bytelephone at 505/277-5234 or by e-mailat <wha@unm.edu>. (Special to ML)

Northwest Oklahoma Veteran’s Memo-rial at Shattuck has been approved as anOklahoma Centennial Project. The me-morial will be built on the southeast cor-ner of the Shattuck school’s gazebo area.Military veterans from the Shattuck areacan have their name included on the me-morial at a cost of $40. The names ofthose killed in action will be included atno charge. Contact Dr. T. W. Miller, chairof the memorial committee, at P.O. Box847, Shattuck, OK 73858. (Ellis County[Arnett] Capital)

On March 8, 2006, two large exhibitionbuildings in Ardmore, a park with a dimin-utive library in Olustee, and an early ranchheadquarters in rural Jackson County be-came the latest Oklahoma properties listedin the National Register of Historic Places.The Ardmore Municipal Auditorium andHardy Murphy Coliseum, both Depres-sion-era public works projects, the OlusteePublic Library and Park, and the Cross SRanch Headquarters were added to the Na-tional Register, the federal government’s of-ficial list of properties significant in our his-tory. The State Historic Preservation Officeis proud to announce the addition of thesefour properties, bringing the total numberof listings from the state to 1,080.

Now called Heritage Hall, the ArdmoreMunicipal Auditorium (photo below by C.Savage) was completed in 1943. Local ar-chitect J. B. White designed the ArtModerne building, incorporating remnantsof an earlier auditorium building. Workersand funding for the building were provided

by the Works Projects Administration(WPA), a New Deal–era work-relief pro-gram. It was the largest WPA project com-pleted within the city limits. The nomina-tion was prepared by Cynthia Savage forthe City of Ardmore.

Hardy Murphy Coliseum in Ardmore wasalso initiated as a WPA project and wasalso designed by architect J. B. White.Work on the coliseum, constructed of lo-cally quarried sandstone and concrete, wasbegun in 1941, but the building was notcompleted until 1949 due to material andmanpower shortages caused by World WarII. The large exhibition space was home tocountless rodeos, fair expos, and other per-formances. One of the first acts booked forthe arena was Gene Autry’s rodeo. The coli-seum was named for a time after Autry, butin 1961 the name was changed to honor lo-cal rodeo star Hardy Murphy. The City ofArdmore sponsored the nomination of theauditorium and the coliseum to the Na-tional Register. Cynthia Savage completedthe nomination for the City of Ardmore.

The Cross S Ranch Headquarters build-ing is located near Olustee, in JacksonCounty. The two-story, sandstone ranchhouse represents the earliest settlementand agricultural industry of Old GreerCounty. Once a part of Texas, the rich graz-ing lands of Old Greer County attractedcattlemen. The Cross S Ranch, established

by the Eddleman brothers of Texas in1880, was one of the largest in the area.Court disputes about the jurisdiction ofOklahoma Territory and Texas concerningOld Greer County eventually led to the areabeing allocated to Oklahoma.

As settlers moved in, the larger free-rangeranches were broken up. The Cross Sshrank in size, but not importance. TheEddelmans concentrated on horses and be-came known for the quality of their stock.Dating to 1891, the ranch house is all thatremains of this once-important ranch oper-ation. The nomination (and photo, above)was prepared by Dr. Michael Cassity andwas sponsored by the Western Trail Histori-cal Society.

Also in Jackson County, Olustee PublicLibrary and Park represents the efforts ofthe New State Womens’ Club (NSC), an or-ganization dedicated to social, cultural,and civic improvement. One of the majorefforts of the NSC was the operation of alending library for the town. Housed in var-ious donated spaces, the library lacked apermanent home. Another long-term goalfor the club was the creation of a publicpark for the town. The club spearheadedthe drive to acquire land for a park, thenundertook the responsibility of landscap-ing and maintaining it in the 1920s. In1936 the NSC lobbied for an appropriationfrom the WPA to construct a library build-ing in the park. The diminutive stone build-ing was completed that year and was oper-ated by the club until 1996. The WesternTrail Historical Society sponsored the nom-ination, completed by Cynthia Savage.

The State Historic Preservation Officecontinues to strive to gain recognition forthose places significant in Oklahoma’s his-tory. The SHPO’s goal is to have 5 nomina-tions from each of Oklahoma’s 77 countiesby the 2007 Centennial of Oklahoma State-hood. These four properties add to thecompendium of the state’s documentedhistory, and the two Jackson County list-ings complete that county. Counties withfewer than 5 listings include Coal, Cotton,Dewey, Greer, Harmon, Love, McClain, Ma-jor, Marshall, Nowata, and Woodward. Formore information on these or other Na-tional Register properties, contact JimGabbert at 405/522-4478 or by e-mail at<jgabbert@ok-history.mus.ok.us>.

Four Oklahoma properties listed in the National Registerof Historic Places in March

By Jim Gabbert

OHS Places . . .OKLAHOMA ROUTE 66 MUSEUM

2229 Gary FreewayClinton, OK 73601-5304(North from I- 40, exit 65 to Gary Freeway)Phone: 580/323-7866Summer Hours: Mon.–Sat. 9–7, Sun. 1–6Admission: Adults $3, Children $1

If high gasoline prices are keeping youclose to home this summer, you can still“get your kicks on Route 66!” Visit theOklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton.Opened in 1995 by the Oklahoma Histori-cal Society, the museum offers six galleriesfilled with artifacts, vintage automobiles,television and movie clips, and historicphotographs that tell the story of U.S.Route 66. In The Grapes of Wrath authorJohn Steinbeck applied the name “theMother Road” to the highway.

At the museum visitors will see a 1930sInternational Harvester farm truck depict-ing the mode of travel for Oklahoma fami-lies heading for California during the GreatDepression and the Dust Bowl. Represen-tative of the dining options available toearly travelers, a classic roadside diner isfeatured, with an AMI jukebox, vinyl cafébooth, and chrome fixtures. Another gal-lery spotlights Oklahoman Cyrus Avery,who championed the idea of a nationalhighway system and served as vice presi-dent of the U.S. 66 Highway Association in1927.

Past events at the Oklahoma Route 66Museum have included a special exhibi-tion and book signing by Hiroshy Ohtsukaof Japan in June 2005.

In celebration of “2006 Year of the Mu-seum” visit the Oklahoma Route 66 Mu-seum and other OHS museums, historichomes, and sites. While in Clinton, locatethe Y Service Station and Café at 1733Neptune Drive. The station served Route66 motorists and was listed in the NationalRegister of Historic Places (NR 04000523)in 2004.

Wave the flag at Fort Gibson onthe Fourth of July!

Fort Gibson Historic Site will present “An1840s Independence Day” on Tuesday, July4, 2006. This living history event will showvisitors how the Fourth of July was ob-served at an 1840s army post. Members ofthe Sixth Infantry Living History Associa-tion will do infantry and artillery drill, in-cluding firing demonstrations. At noonthere will be a reading of the Declaration ofIndependence and a cannon salute. Troopswill also demonstrate games and pastimesof the period. Living history activities willtake place in the log fort area of the site from10 a.m. to 5 p.m., when the site closes.Later in the evening the troops will presentthe colors at the Fort Gibson town fireworksdisplay. Admission is $3 for adults, $2.50for seniors (65 and over), and $1 for stu-dents (aged 6–18); children 5 and under willbe admitted free. For more information call918/478-4088.

Research Division offersnew resources on CD

OHS Research Division has a new findingaid available on CD. “The African AmericanExperience in Oklahoma” includes bibliogra-phies, the Tulsa Race Riot Report, a Guide tothe Freedman Records, an oral history col-lections guide, and information on resourcesrelating to Oklahoma’s All-Black towns andnewspapers that are available in the OHS li-brary and archive. Suggestions for students,teachers, and scholars are also included.The CD costs $14.95 and is available forpurchase in the Research Center at theOklahoma History Center.

Another CD resource, titled “CelebratingOklahoma’s Centennial with Oral HistoryProjects,” is also available. This researchand planning tool covers topics such asmethods for oral history, a checklist for in-terviewers, creating a questionnaire for aninterview, legal and ethical considerations,oral history for exhibits planning, and ap-proaches to oral history in ethnic commu-nities. It also provides an overview of theOral History Collections of the OHS Re-search Center. The CD costs $4.95 forin-state patrons (postpaid) and $6.95 forout-of-staters.

Purchasing information may be obtainedby contacting Rodger Harris, Oral Histo-rian, at 405/522-5207 or by e-mail at<rharris@okhistory.org>.

Also visit <www.okhistory.org> and clickon “Research.”

Hidden Collections . . .The Frederick Douglass Moon

CollectionBy Larry O’Dell

The Frederick Douglass Moon Collection(97.16), located in the Oklahoma HistoricalSociety’s Research Division, provides akeen glimpse into the development and or-ganization of African American educationprior to and after the Brown v. Board of Ed-ucation decision, which prompted integra-tion. Moon, born at Fallis, Oklahoma Terri-tory, on May 4, 1896, attended high schooland two years of college at the OklahomaColored Agricultural and Normal Univer-sity (later called Langston University). Hefinished his academic work at the Univer-sity of Chicago, attaining a master of artsdegree. He had a long and distinguishedcareer in Oklahoma education. In 1921 heobtained his first teaching position, atCrescent. By 1929 he held the presidencyof the Oklahoma Association of NegroTeachers (OANT). Moon became principalof the Wewoka separate school, and in1940 he took the same job at OklahomaCity’s Douglass High School.

In 1972 Moon began serving on theOklahoma City Board of Education, be-coming the first African American presi-dent in 1974. He also was prominent incivic affairs, including leadership roles inthe YMCA, Urban League, Langston Alum-ni Association, Urban Renewal Authority,and Oklahoma City’s Human Relations

Commission. F. D. Moon died on December16, 1975.

The collection mirrors Moon’s career, fo-cusing on education. The correspondenceincludes several familiar names, includingRoscoe Dunjee, Gov. E. W. Marland, Gov.Leon Phillips, and Rev. Nicholas Comfort.There are papers written by Moon duringcollege, as well as a rough draft of his mas-ter’s thesis on the organization and admin-istration of accredited secondary schoolsfor Negroes in Oklahoma. The numerousrecords and letters related to his principalpositions include a large faculty record bookthat contains notes from meetings and otherinformation for Oklahoma City’s Douglass.Also included are copies of the Wewoka stu-dents’ newspaper, the Douglass Tribune.Moon also retained other interesting news-paper clippings, primarily from the BlackDispatch and the National Black Monitor.Other important history can be found infolders related to accrediting Oklahomahigh schools and his letters and businessconducted as head of the Langston AlumniAssociation and the OANT. The latter filescontain a copy of the 1929 Official Proceed-ings of the Oklahoma Association of NegroTeachers. On a more personal note, the col-lection also holds letters between and onbehalf of former students and F. D. Moon.Scholars of Oklahoma education or AfricanAmerican and 20th-century history wouldbe well served to study this small (1.3 cubicfeet) compilation.

Pioneer Woman Museum opensbasketry exhibit on June 11In conjunction with the Basket Weavers

Guild of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Na-tive American Basketweavers, the PioneerWoman Museum will display BasketsWoven in Oklahoma from June 11 throughAugust 6. The exhibit pays tribute to thediversity of Native, non-Native, traditional,and contemporary styles of basketry thatare presently being made in Oklahoma.The exhibit also includes an explanation ofmethods of construction and materialsused for basket making and an historicaldisplay of Native baskets spanning the na-tion. An opening reception for BasketsWoven in Oklahoma will be held on June11, 2006, from 1 to 5 p.m. The public iswelcome, and refreshments will be served.

From June 26 through June 30 GloriaGalasso, of Tres Hermanas Fiber Shop inPonca City, will present a Weaving Kampfor Kids. The sessions are open to childrenaged 8 to 14. They will learn how to weaveon small, picture-frame looms that theymay take home. Classes will be held from 2to 4 p.m. each afternoon. The $60 registra-tion fee includes supplies. Space is limitedto 10 students. Call or come to the PioneerWoman Museum, 701 Monument Road inPonca City to register. Payment is requiredat that time, but credit cards will be acceptedover the telephone at 580/765-6108.

OHS Faces . . .Melvena Heisch,

Deputy State Historic

Preservation Officer

She’s a lifer. Melvena Thurman Heischhas marked thirty years of service with theOHS. Originally from Reydon, she gradu-ated from Oklahoma State University withbachelor’s and master’s degrees in history.

In 1975 Heisch interned at OHS in everydivision, and in January 1976 she went towork for Howard Meredith in OHS’s StateHistoric Preservation Office (SHPO). Shesoon moved up to the job of architecturalhistorian and in 1979 became the agency’sdeputy SHPO. Apart from that, Heisch isthe author/editor of books and articles, in-cluding Women in Oklahoma (1982) and ThePhysical Legacy: Buildings of OklahomaCounty (1981).

Mistletoe Leaves asked Heisch to de-scribe her duties: “I administer the federalhistoric preservation programs for theSHPO, including the National Register ofHistoric Places, survey programs, and theCertified Local Governments Program. Mystaff works with the National Park Serviceto ensure that Oklahoma’s preservationprogram is consistent with the NationalHistoric Preservation Act and addresses allof the state’s needs. We also provide techni-cal assistance and public outreach efforts.”

She added that “the nature of the federalpreservation programs we administer is diffi-cult to briefly describe. People often assume

that the SHPO is partof a federal bureau-cracy that enforces“rules and regs.” Nottrue! Every day, wework with people andgroups all around thestate to learn aboutthe buildings, struc-tures, sites, and ob-jects that representtheir community heri-tage. We help them

learn about their past and provide the toolsthey can use to preserve their heritage andsave local landmarks.”

Mistletoe Leaves also asked her to tell usher most satisfying work experience: “Themost satisfying are those times when I getto see the real pride an individual or grouphas in their community. Just hearing thesincerity in their voices when they thankus for helping with a National Registernomination makes me feel what we are do-ing is really important. I absolutely loveputting together the program for our an-nual statewide preservation conferenceand working with local cosponsors. Theyare proud of their cities and want to sharetheir heritage with all of us. It’s a cliché, butit’s really true. Preservation depends onpublic/private partnerships, and we havegreat partners here in Oklahoma.”

Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show revivedin Pawnee on June 10, 17, 24

Martha Ray, Jerry Brown, and KathyBarnes (staff photo)

Pawnee Bill’s Ranch House (OHS photo).

Schedule of Events10:00 a.m.

Ranch Site opens

12:00 p.m.Vendors on “the Hill” open (food, crafts)

2:00 p.m.Parade, downtown Pawnee

2:30 p.m.Entertainment begins on “the Hill”

A new show every 30 minutes!!

5:30 p.m.Midway opens at the Arena

Pawnee Bill’s Side Show opens at theArena

BBQ dinner begins serving

7:30 p.m.Pre-show, “Salute to Oklahoma,” in the

Arena

7:45 p.m.Grand Entry

The Original Pawnee Bill’s Wild WestShow, in the Arena

At a glance--Show Tickets $12 adults, $6 children 10 underDinner Tickets $8 adults, $4 children 6 underNo credit cards, pleasewww.pawneebillswildwestshow.com

Behind the scenes . . .

Creating the graphics for Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show 2006Within the OHS Outreach Division is a well-hidden department that, in one way or another,

assists in almost everything the agency’s staff does and produces many of the interpretive ma-terials that the general public sees at the sites, museums, and historic homes.

The four members of the graphics staff, with their computers, printers, scanners, and other“heavy duty” electronics, design and create the artwork for simple things like business cards aswell as the huge exhibit text panels that grace our museums.

During spring 2006 graphics supervisor and team leader Bill Siemens and two of the graphicartists, Cynthia Manning and Lee Williams, faced significant tasks: Create huge banners thatwill decorate Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show arena and at the same time produce small “tradingcards” that represent the show’s past and present players.

Their jobs were made easier by the addition of the Epson 9800 printer, which makes genuinegiclée (pronounced “zhee-clay”) prints. The artist scans an image into a computer (or createsthe image with the computer software). The images are sent to the high-resolution inkjetprinter. The printer’s 8 nozzles spray archival ink (capable of creating thousands of colors incontinuous tone) onto any kind of surface imaginable, including tyvek, acetate, and canvascloth. The new graphics printing capabilities were underwritten by a grant from ChesapeakeEnergy Corporation.

This amazing tool has already been used to produce exhibit materials designed by the fourthOHS graphic artist, Eddie Hillhouse. He created new vinyl interpretive panels for SpiroMounds Archaeological Center exhibits as well as vinyl banners for the Research Division’s up-coming James “Jimmy” Stewart exhibit. It will honor the Oklahoma City civil rights activistlater this year.

For the Pawnee Bill extravaganza, and using originals from the Wild West Show era,Manning designed six 4-foot by 6-foot banners, which oozed out of the Epson printer in“four-color” brilliance, on canvas.

Manning also designed trading cards—similar to “baseball cards”—that will be traded backand forth by visitors. A complete set represents several dozen images of the “original” Wild WestShow cast, such as Pawnee Bill, “Topsy Number 1,” Lulu Belle Parr, and Trapper Iodine, andcurrent cast members, such as Wayne Spears as Pawnee Bill and Peggy Coleman as “TopsyNumber 1.” The cards will be available at the shows in June.

Some of the graphics are being created the “old-fashioned” way. Lee Williams took an enor-mous piece of canvas and hand painted a visually complex, 25- by 16-foot banner that will beone of the backdrops in the arena. She created the original artwork, titled “Pawnee Bill’s RealWild West,” and based its content on historical images from the turn-of-the-century Wild WestShows.

See their handiwork at the Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show later this month.

A portion of Lee Williams’s central backdrop for the show.

Unseen star of the show—Epson’s 9800printer.

When is a new show an old show? When itis a freshly written, faithful adaptation ofPawnee Bill’s Original Wild West Show. Fea-turing a cast of 100s (107, to be exact), thenew show will premier in Pawnee, Oklahoma,on June 10, 2006. Co-directors and produc-ers Martha Ray (Historic Homes Director forOHS), Jerry Brown (boot maker and formerdirector of the show), and Kathy Barnes (Paw-nee school librarian) are billing their new ex-travaganza as “A rip-roarin’, rough-ridin’,whip-poppin’, shoot-‘em-up wild west show.”

According to Ray, the new show is beingpresented in recognition of the OklahomaState Centennial. The presentation has beenrevamped to feature the acts from the 1906and 1907 original Pawnee Bill’s Wild WestShows. With new producers and directorscombining stage, script, and historical pres-ervation backgrounds, the Wild West Showis expected to be as historically accurate asmodern laws and conventions will allow.

The festivities begin in the tradition of theoriginal Pawnee Bill’s (Gordon Lillie) show,with the entire cast on parade at 2 p.m.through downtown Pawnee and out to theranch. The general public will follow theshow out to the ranch, in the same way thatpeople followed the performers and animalsfrom the railroad unloading site to the arenaa hundred years ago. Throughout the day,entertainments will be presented “on theHill” at the Pawnee Bill site.

The Side Show is not to be missed: SpottedElk and Harry Wolf will demonstrate theirprowess at Ping-Pong, a game that theshow’s cast and crew played for fun betweenperformances. Belly dancer Princess Olga willgyrate for your entertainment. Madame ViolaAli will tell your fortune (if you’re not scared tofind out what’s in store), Madame Ermilla willread your palm (is there money in your fu-ture?), mermaid Annette Kellerman will be upto her usual antics, and a strong man and aclown will amaze and amuse you!

Other afternoon entertainments, begin-ning every thirty minutes, will be staged at

three different locations. Featured perform-ers will include Annie Oakley and Frank But-ler, Buffalo Bill, and Medicine Man Dr.Hedgethicket (alias George Hopkins), as wellas gunfighters and period music.

A petting zoo and storytelling will amusethe younger folks, and period demonstra-tions will take place in the ranch blacksmithshop and log cabin.

All-day show tickets are $12 for adults, $6for children aged 10 and under, and areavailable only on the day of the show.

At 5:30 p.m. a barbecue dinner will beginserving. Dinner tickets go on sale at 5:30(dinner is not included in the show admis-sion price). Dinner tickets are $8 per adultand $4 per child aged 6 and under (cash orcheck only, no credit cards).

For more ticket information call the Paw-nee Bill Ranch at 918/762-2513. Visit<www.pawneebillswildwestshow.com> to getdriving directions and additional history ofPawnee Bill, his Wild West Show, and thePawnee Bill Ranch.

PERIODICALS

Oklahoma Historical Society2401 N. Laird AvenueOklahoma City, OK 73105-7914

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Vol. 37, No. 6 June 2006

Robert Waldmire’s Route 66 Icons: From Chicago toSanta Monica on display in Juneat Route 66 Museum in Clinton

Throughout the month of June the OklahomaRoute 66 Museum will be hosting an exhibition ofdrawings and paintings by traveling Route 66 “FreeSpirit” artist Robert “Bob” Waldmire of Springfield, Illi-nois. This event is a special occasion for both the mu-seum as well as for Bob Waldmire. It is his first-everart show. The exhibition Route 66 Icons: From Chicagoto Santa Monica concentrates on the many Route 66 images that have become synon-ymous with “the Mother Road.” Waldmire is also displaying his 1965 white Ford Mus-tang, which itself is a Route 66 icon. To commemorate the Mustang’s 40thanniversary, Waldmire steered it from Chicago to Santa Monica via every driveablepiece of Route 66. Along the route, more than 250 Route 66 enthusiasts, both domes-tic and international, signed their names on the Mustang. As a special treat to visi-tors, Waldmire will be at the museum from June 1 through June 5.

Waldmire has more than one reason to adore Route 66. Hisfather, the inventor of the Cozy-Dog (also referred to as corndog), opened a restaurant, the Cozy-Dog Drive-In, on Route 66in Springfield, Illinois. At the age of 25 Waldmire decided to taketo the road and become a traveling artist, but not until 1987 didhe dedicate his career to Route 66. He drives from Chicago toSanta Monica constantly in a 1972 Volkswagen van, which hecalls his “studio-home-on-wheels.” He has garnered many hon-ors over his career, but none equaled the thrill of being pre-sented the 2004 John Steinbeck Award. Winners of this awardare selected from nominations made to the National HistoricRoute 66 Federation and the John Steinbeck Foundation. Acommittee chooses the recipient based on his or her work topreserve, restore, and promote the legendary highway.

The Route 66 Icons exhibition is organized by the Oklahoma Historical Society,Friends of the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, Inc., and the Oklahoma Route 66 Mu-seum. It will be available for viewing in the museum’s Wow! Room.

Summer hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.and Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m. For additional information contact Pat Smith at580/323-7866 or by e-mail at <rt66mus@okhistory.org>. The museum is located at2229 W. Gary Boulevard in Clinton.

The Cherokee National Youth Choir, directedby Mary Kay Henderson, entertained at theAnnual Meeting awards banquet on April 28(Fred Marvel photo).

The Indian Gallery Advisory Board, led byJack Baker and Tim Tallchief, accepted the

Society’s special support group award(Fred Marvel photo).

Learn about frontier education on June 21 at EnidAt 12 noon on Wednesday, June 21, the Museum of the Cherokee Strip in Enid will

host its monthly Brown Bag Lecture. The theme for June is education.Dr. Brad Agnew, professor of history at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah,

will present a program titled “Education on the Oklahoma Frontier.” His lecture willexplore Oklahoma education in all its variations, from one-room subscription schoolsto tribal high schools and private academies. Agnew is the author of many articles andbooks, including the book Fort Gibson, Terminal on the Trail of Tears.

The monthly Brown Bag Lecture Series is made possible in part by a grant from theOklahoma Humanities Council as a part of their Territory Speakers Program. Localfunding was provided by the Sons and Daughters of the Cherokee Strip. Admission isfree, and everyone is encouraged to bring a lunch. For more information, call GlenMcIntyre at 580/237-1907.

Spiro Mounds summer solstice walks are June 21 and 22. Call Spiro MoundsArchaeological Center at 918/962-2062 for information.

INSIDE: See pages 4 and 5 for information on the newPawnee Bill’s Wild West Show, June 10, 17, and 24, at the

Pawnee Bill Ranch.