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November is Native American Heritage Month
Many notable Native American women contributed to the rich aviation history of Oklahoma. In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we are sharing the stories of Bessie Coleman (Cherokee Nation), Mary Golda Ross (Cherokee Nation), and Eula Pearl Carter Scott (Chickasaw), who all made significant contributions to Oklahoma aviation and space exploration. Visit the Oklahoma History Center Museum to see the exhibit Taking Flight: Oklahomans Explore the Skies, which explores how Oklahomans contributed to all aspects of aviation.
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America Meredith (Cherokee Nation), Mary Golda Ross: Ad Astra Per Astra, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 30 × 40 in., collection of the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, 26/8630. Image courtesy of the artist. |
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Mary Golda Ross (Cherokee Nation), was born on August 9, 1908, in Park Hill, Oklahoma. She was the daughter of William Wallace Ross, Jr., and Mary Henrietta Moore Ross and the great-great-granddaughter of Cherokee Chief John Ross. Ross excelled in mathematics, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in the subject from Northeastern State Teachers College (now Northeastern State University) in Tahlequah. She attained her master’s degree in 1938, with an emphasis in astronomy and mathematics. Ross was hired by Lockheed Aircraft Company as a mathematician in 1942. She solved the complicated design issues with the Lockheed P-38 Lightning aircraft and was retained by the company after World War II. Mary Golda Ross went on to attain certification in engineering at UCLA, worked as an advanced systems staff engineer, and authored a publication for The National Aeronautics and Space Administration that detailed space travel to Venus and Mars. Read more about the life of Mary Golda Ross in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture by clicking here.
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Bessie Coleman (Cherokee Nation) was the first Black, Native-American woman to hold a pilot’s license. She grew up in a family of 13 children in Texas, leaving there for a short time to complete one term at Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University (now Langston University) in Langston, Oklahoma. At age 23, Coleman moved to Chicago and worked a variety of small jobs. While living there, she heard stories about pilots returning from World War I and became interested in flying. American flight schools admitted neither women nor Blacks, so, after receiving private financial backing, she moved to Paris to train and become licensed to fly. Over the next several years, she would spend time both in the United States and Europe, appearing as a barnstormer and stunt flyer. She did not live long enough to see the establishment of flying schools that admitted Blacks, but she did inspire others dreaming of accepted Black aviation.
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Eula Pearl Carter Scott (Chickasaw) was a stunt pilot and activist born in 1915 in Marlow, Oklahoma. Her father, George Washington Carter, was an aviation enthusiast. He developed an airfield and built an airplane hangar on his farm. Eula Carter first flew in an airplane with Wiley Post—a family friend—inspiring her to become a pilot. She flew her first solo flight at age 13, becoming one of the youngest Oklahomans to fly. As her expertise grew, she performed as a stunt pilot around the state.
Scott went on to serve in the Chickasaw Legislature for three terms. In 1995, she was inducted into the Chickasaw Nation Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Aviation and Space Hall of Fame. She was a member of the International Women’s Air and Space Museum and a charter member of the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institution. In 2014, her portrait, painted by artist Christopher Nick (seen at left), was dedicated at the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Read more about the life of Eula Scott in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture by clicking here.
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UPCOMING OHS PROGRAMS AND EVENTS |
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THIS SATURDAY
"Glass and a Glass" glass fusion classes
The Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue will host three sessions of an interactive glass fusing class called “Glass and a Glass” with artist Audrey Schmitz on Saturday, November 18. Three sessions will be held at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and again at 3 p.m.
Participants will make an original holiday tree ornament to take home. Attendees will learn about making fused glass while enjoying a complimentary drink. Along with a wide array of colorful art glass, other materials such as frit, wire, dots, millefiori, and stringer glass will be available for individual tree ornaments. Additional holiday tree ornaments can be made for an extra fee. “Glass and a Glass” is for ages 18 and up. No prior experience with glass is required.
The cost of each class is $20. It includes all materials. Please call the Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue at 580-765-6108 to reserve a spot.
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“Hunting and Recreational Shooting in the 19th Century”
On Saturday, November 18, from 10 a.m. to noon, the Hunter’s Home staff will present a program introducing the traditional use of firearms at a 19th-century farm. Audiences will learn how to use black powder muzzleloaders and how to clean them safely. The audience will also have the opportunity to participate in a turkey shoot to experience a historic shooting sport and will have the chance to win prizes. This program is free with regular admission to Hunter’s Home.
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Learning Lecture with author Gary Clayton Anderson
On Friday, November 17, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum welcomes author Gary Clayton Anderson, who will discuss his book Will Rogers And His America: With A New Afterword (OU Press, 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 the widely-read journalist. He 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. Call 918-341-0719 for more information.
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Story Time at Hunter's Home
Hunter’s Home will host families for story time on Saturday, November 18, at 10:30 a.m. The featured book is Winter on the Farm by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It tells the story of a boy’s busy day on the family farm during winter, doing his chores and tending to the family’s livestock.
Storytime will include an activity and snack. The event is free with paid admission. No registration is required. For more information, call 918-456-2751.
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Kilgen Theatre Organ performance featuring Donnie Rankin and the silent film Steamboat Bill, Jr.
The November performance of the Kilgen Theatre Organ at the Oklahoma History Center (OHC) will feature Donnie Rankin IV accompanying the Buster Keaton classic film Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928). Rankin is internationally known, having played for theatre organ audiences worldwide, including appearances in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
The performance will take place on Monday, November 27, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Devon Great Hall of the OHC. Tickets are $10 for Oklahoma Historical Society members, $20 for the general public, and are available by calling 405-522-0765.
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YOUR INPUT MATTERS!
Take part in the Oklahoma Historical Society
Strategic Plan Survey
The Oklahoma Historical Society is currently working toward the development of a new strategic plan and has partnered with the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits to help facilitate this process.
We encourage you to take part in this critical initiative, which will be invaluable as we work towards creating a comprehensive plan that will guide our agency’s direction for the next few years. We want to ensure that this strategic plan aligns with our shared vision, values, and aspirations.
Thank you for taking part in helping to shape the future of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The survey will remain open through Monday, November 20.
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We want your perspective!
The 2024 Oklahoma History Symposium will be Saturday, April 20. The Oklahoma Historical Society is seeking proposals for the one-day event. Presentations must be either 30 or 50 minutes in length including a 10-minute audience question-and-answer session. Formats may include: traditional presentations, research sessions, discussion sessions, and panel discussions. Graduate students are encouraged to submit!
The OHS remains open to submissions addressing unique perspectives of Oklahoma history. Click here to see a list of suggested topics that will be given precedence.
Contact symposium@history.ok.gov for more information.
The proposal submission deadline has been extended to Friday, December 15, 2023.
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Click event listings below for more information.
18 - Hunting and Recreational Shooting in the 19th Century, Hunter’s Home, Park Hill
18 - Story Time at Hunter’s Home, Hunter’s Home, Park Hill
18 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
18 - “Glass and a Glass” glass fusion class, Pioneer Woman Statue and Museum, Ponca City
27 - Silver Selections from the USS Oklahoma exhibit opens, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
27 - Kilgen Theatre Organ performance featuring Donnie Rankin and the silent film Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
28 - Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
1–2 - Oklahoma History Center Museum Store Annual Holiday Sale, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
1 - Museum After Dark: Christmas in the Village, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
2 - Guthrie’s Distinctive Homes Tour and Wassail at the Carnegie Library, Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library, Guthrie
2 - Photos with Santa at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
2 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
5 - Holiday Market at the Museum, Museum of the Western Prairie, Altus
9 - Quilting workshop with Martha Ray, Sod House Museum, Aline
9 - Holiday Open House, Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue, Ponca City
9 - Photos with Santa at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
9 - Christmas Open House, Fred and Addie Drummond Home, Hominy
9 - Holiday Open House, Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum, Pawnee
9 - Christmas Open House, Sod House Museum, Aline
9 - Civil War Christmas program, Honey Springs Battlefield, Checotah
9 - Fort Gibson Christmas Candlelight Tour, Fort Gibson Historic Site, Fort Gibson
10 - Christmas Open House, Hunter’s Home, Park Hill
10 - Christmas Tea, Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School, Perry
15 - “A Night of Christmas Music” live performance starring acclaimed vocalist Darla Z, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
15–16 - Holiday Candlelight Tours, Hunter’s Home, Park Hill
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Masthead photo: A group at the Mead School, Mead, Indian Territory. From left to right, back row: Dr. William G. Austin, William R. Davis, Blacksmith, Dr. Robert M. Creswell. Front row, Mrs. Myrtle Armstrong, unknown, Dr. David Armstrong (20288.91.214.1.A, Chickasaw Council House Museum Collection, OHS).
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America Meredith (Cherokee Nation), Mary Golda Ross: Ad Astra Per Astra, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 30 × 40 in., collection of the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, 26/8630. Image courtesy of the artist.
Bessie Coleman, Aviatrix, 1925, detail. From the collection "Souvenir of Negro Progress: Chicago, 1779–1925," Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, New York Public Library. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-4d79-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99.
Painting detail of Eula "Pearl" Carter Scott (Chickasaw) portrait and her 1929 Curtiss Robin monoplane, oil on canvas, by Oklahoma artist Christopher Nick, sponsored by the Chickasaw Nation, Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby, and Rep. Ray McCarter, Ed.D. Image courtesy of the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund, Inc. The painting, dedicated in 2014, hangs at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
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