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A Very OK Podcast LIVE: The Bob Wills Story |
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A live recording of A Very OK Podcast will take place on Monday, March 6, starting at 6 p.m. at Ponyboy in Oklahoma City. A panel discussion will focus on the life of Bob Wills—the “King of Western Swing”—who was born on March 6, 1905. To commemorate his birthday, it will also be Bob Wills Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
A Very OK Podcast is hosted by Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) Executive Director Trait Thompson and former OHS Executive Director Dr. Bob Blackburn. Thompson and Blackburn will be joined by Jeff Moore, director of OKPOP; Carolyn Wills, Bob Wills’s daughter; and authors Brett Bingham and John Wooley.
The podcast event is part of the OHS series History OffCenter, which focuses on immersive, engaging experiences. Find out more about History OffCenter by clicking here.
Listen to every episode of A Very OK Podcast.
Ponyboy is located at 423 NW 23rd Street in Oklahoma City.
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This program is a partnership with the Oklahoma Arts Council, the official state agency for the support and development of the arts in Oklahoma. |
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RESEARCHING BLACK HISTORY with Nicka Smith
The Oklahoma Historical Society has twice welcomed the professional genealogist, historian, speaker, and documentarian Nicka Smith who has, through her extensive research, uncovered a myriad of ways to research Black history. Through her presentations now available on the OHS YouTube channel, viewers can discover many different methods for researching the lives of difficult-to-find ancestors. The OHS is pleased to share these presentations and hope they help in your search!
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“From Tulsa to Beyond: African American Genealogy in the Indian Territory and Oklahoma”
Discover how to research the lives of your ancestors using tribal records (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole), federal records, newspapers, college/university collections, historical society records, and more! Smith’s understanding of these records will help those researching family trees to discover deep roots in the Sooner State. This presentation was recorded on February 10, 2022.
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“Finding Isaac Rogers”
Isaac Rogers, born in Cherokee Nation, was a well-known US Civil War veteran and deputy marshal who met his demise on a platform in Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, on April 21, 1897—but who was he outside of those titles and that singular event? Follow the story of Rogers's life through the Cherokee Freedmen rolls, Dawes enrollment records, military records, newspaper accounts, photographs, and other sources in this presentation.
"Finding Isaac Rogers" was recorded for “Perspectives in History”: The 2021 Oklahoma History Conference.
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The Gateway to Oklahoma History
The Gateway to Oklahoma History is an online repository of our state's history—available for free at gateway.okhistory.org. This digital portal has millions of files to search through and multiple ways to view and sort search results. Below are just a few of the many collections that can guide research on Black history in Oklahoma.
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Click event listings below for more information.
18 - Museum OKademy volunteer training class and lecture, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
18 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
18 - Kids Make History, Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson
23 - “Lunch and Learn: Turning Records into an Archive: A Reflection on the Oklahoma Black Homesteader Project” presentation by Dr. Kalenda Eaton (VIRTUAL), State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma City
24 - Movie Night featuring Oklahoma! (1955), Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
25 - Make Your Own Retro Earrings workshop, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
25 - Hands-On Historic Skills, Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson
26 - Antique Doll exhibit closes, Fred and Addie Drummond Home, Hominy
27 - Kilgen Organ performance and silent film The Mark of Zorro (1920) featuring Christian Elliott, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
28 - Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
1 - #ExploreOHS Travel Contest begins, OHS museums and historic sites, statewide
1 - Taking Flight: Oklahomans Explore the Skies exhibit opens, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
1 - “Hidden Oklahoma: Notable Archaeological Discoveries in Northwestern Oklahoma” presentation by Dr. Leland Bement (VIRTUAL), State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma City
2 - Living History Education Day, Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson
3–5 - 1840s Encampment, Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson
4 - Museum OKademy volunteer training class and lecture, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
4 - Blacksmithing Demonstrations with the Saltfork Craftsmen, Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School, Perry
4 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
6 - A Very OK Podcast LIVE: The Bob Wills Story, Ponyboy, Oklahoma City
9 - “Lunch and Learn: Who is Elmira Sauberan Smyrl Scott?” presentation by Sara Werneke (VIRTUAL), State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma City
10–11 - “19th-Century Trading” living history program, Fort Gibson Historic Site, Fort Gibson
11 - Quilting workshop with Martha Ray, Sod House Museum, Aline
11 - Te Ata (2016) film screening and discussion, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
11 - Second Saturday Sewing Circle, Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson
13–17 - Spring Break Activities, Will Rogers Memorial Museum and Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch, Claremore and Oologah
15 - Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
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February is Black History Month
Click here to browse free resources about the Black experience in Oklahoma.
Masthead photo: A single-page circular and business directory advertising notable figures and officials of the town of Red Bird. Reverend Elbert L. Barber (fourth from left, middle row) was one of the town's developers who founded the First Baptist Church in Red Bird in 1889. He also became Red Bird's first justice of the peace and served as mayor. Iverson W. Lane (fifth from left, bottom row) fought for equal rights for Blacks in Wagoner County [Lane v. Wilson, 307 US 268 (1939)], which was decided in his favor in the US Supreme Court. He and Saub Bradley (sixth from left, bottom row) owned and operated two cotton gins, a grain elevator, and a farmers' merchandise store in Red Bird. This circular from the Currie Ballard Collection is on exhibit in the Kerr-McGee Gallery on the third floor of the Oklahoma History Center.
Red Bird is a historic All-Black town—one of 13 still incorporated today. A 14th town, IXL, was incorporated in 2001.
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