EXTRA! - "Built from the Fire"

Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center 45th Anniversary and Reopening Celebration

The public is invited to Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center on Saturday, May 13, from 1 to 4 p.m., for a 45th anniversary and reopening celebration of the site.

Spiro Mounds opened to the public 45 years ago, on May 9, 1978. The site opened with the help of the Oklahoma Archeological Survey, which remains a strong partner. It is the first and still the only Oklahoma prehistoric American Indian archaeological site open to the public.

The celebration will start at 1 p.m. with refreshments, including cake and a book signing event with one of the authors of the book Spiro Mounds and WPA Archaeology in Oklahoma written by Drs. Scott Hammerstedt and Amanda Regnier. The book will be available for sale at the admission-free event, and Dr. Scott Hammerstedt will be present to sign copies. The Arcadia Publishing title is a treasure trove of photography chronicling the early history of archaeological excavations at the Spiro site, both by looters and professional archaeologists alike. The center encourages anyone interested in the history of the Spiro Mounds to attend, explore, and see the exhibits. 

The anniversary celebration is also the perfect time to meet Anna Vincent—the new site director. Vincent is only the second director at Spiro Mounds since its opening. Dennis Peterson, the first director, retired in the fall of 2022.

Vincent grew up a few miles from Spiro Mounds and graduated from Spiro High School. After graduation from the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith (UAFS), she had a goal of finding a job related to Oklahoma history. While at UAFS, Vincent previously worked for the Arkansas Archeological Survey. She spent time in the lab on campus and assisting with archaeological excavations at the UAFS Drennen-Scott House in Van Buren, Arkansas.

The Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society. Regular hours of operation are Tuesday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. On May 13, the Center will be open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. without a midday break. For more information, please call 918-962-2062. The Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center is located at 18154 1st Street in Spiro.

Panel Discussion and Book Signing with author Victor Luckerson

The Oklahoma Historical Society is proud to present the Built from the Fire Panel Discussion and Book Signing with Victor Luckerson.

Built from the Fire: The Epic Story of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, America’s Black Wall Street (2023) is Luckerson's multigenerational saga of a family and a community in Tulsa’s Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street, that in one century survived the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, urban renewal, and gentrification.

The program will take place on Thursday, May 25, from 7-8:30 p.m. Luckerson will lead a discussion about the book and the importance of archiving in the telling and shaping of Black history. Joining him will be David Goodwin, principal/operations for the Oklahoma Eagle newspaper and descendant of the Goodwin family featured in the book; and Sydnee Monday, editor of Kokila Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. J. D. Baker, platform manager at Cortado Ventures and former special assistant to Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, will moderate the discussion.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Luckerson will be available after the discussion to sign copies of Built from the Fire, which will be sold individually for $30 on the night of the event. This event is free and open to the public, but we ask that you please register online as space is limited.

Thursday Night Lecture Series with author Gary Clayton Anderson

On Thursday, May 11, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum welcomes author Gary Clayton Anderson who will be discussing his book Will Rogers and His America: With a New Afterword (2023) in a special appearance at 7 p.m.

Anderson is a George Lynn Cross Research Professor at the University of Oklahoma. He will be discussing the title and its new afterword and the differences he found in the cowboy-trick-roping Will Rogers and his life as a widely-read journalist. Anderson points out Will’s influence during the social, political, and economic transformations of the Roaring Twenties and Great Depression. The first publication of Will Rogers and His America (without the afterword) was published in 2010.

Admission is free and the public is invited to attend this Thursday night lecture at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum theatre in Claremore. For more information call 918-341-0719.

Annual Picnic

The Indian Women’s Pocahontas Club (Cherokee) invites the public to take part in a very special day at the Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch in Oologah on Saturday, May 20, from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. The club will be hosting its annual picnic, which celebrates Cherokee heritage and brings people together for a relaxing afternoon. The Indian Women's Pocahontas Club began in 1899. To find more information about the activities and activism of the club, visit www.indianwpc.org, or call 918-724-3006.

19th-century strikers going to bat for history

During the annual picnic festivities taking place at Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch on Saturday, May 20, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum's (WRMM) baseball team will be conducting an 1880s-era baseball game, starting at 2 p.m. Experience how America's pastime began! Bring the family and your gloves to learn about the history of baseball while watching a 19th-century-style baseball game.

If you like "round ball," have a good throwing arm, love to hit dingers, or, just in general have baseball fever, consider participating as a player on the WRMM baseball team! Contact "Bats Masterson" (a.k.a.) Bart Taylor at bart.taylor@history.ok.gov or 918-343-8127.