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BIG EVENT - THIS SATURDAY!
200th Anniversary Commemoration at Fort Gibson
Fort Gibson Historic Site will commemorate the bicentennial of its site on April 20. Fort Gibson was established in 1824 in Indian Territory. It was the first U.S. military post in what would become the state of Oklahoma and was further west than any other post in the United States at that time.
The town of Fort Gibson will mark the anniversary with a community parade that starts at 10 a.m. and ends at the historic site. The 200th Anniversary Commemoriation of Fort Gibson will begin with opening ceremonies to commemorate 200 years at Fort Gibson will occur from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., including speeches from state legislators and other dignitaries. From 12:30 to 5 p.m., visitors can learn about life at the outpost at several living history and education stations across the 80-acre historic site.
Demonstrations about the life of 1830s soldiers, military disciplinary measures, hunter/trapper watercraft, 18th-century keelboats, 19th-century gardening, encampments, cooking, women in the military, the essential service of laundresses, and traveling merchants will be a part of the public event. The bicentennial celebrations will also teach about the operations of the outpost’s bakehouse and sutler store and the art of 19th-century photography. Visitors to the site can also observe roping demonstrations, chuck wagon cooks, and the art of land surveying, as well as learn an overview of artillery drills and safety.
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LISTEN TO THE LATEST
200 Years of Fort Gibson and Fort Towson
In February 1824, the general-in-chief of the Army authorized the abandonment of Fort Smith and the creation of a new fort in the southwest. Colonel Matthew Arbuckle, selected a site near the Three Forks and named it Cantonment Gibson. Its mission was to protect white settlers, work for peace between tribes in the region, and establish a diplomatic relationship with Plains tribes. A few months later, Major Alexander Cummings, established Cantonment Towson near the Kiamichi and Red rivers with a mission of protecting the international border and later, serving as a buffer between the Choctaw and Plains tribes. In this episode of A Very OK Podcast, we discuss the important role each fort played as well as what daily life was like for those stationed there. Our guests on this episode are Jennifer Frazee, director at Fort Gibson Historic Site, and Calista Stephens, director at Fort Towson Historic Site.
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The Oklahoma History Symposium - May 4
Make plans to attend “Perspectives in History”: The Oklahoma History Symposium on Saturday, May 4, at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. Presented by the Oklahoma Historical Society, The Oklahoma History Symposium is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Please note our cafe is closed, and boxed lunches will not be available for purchase on the day of the event. See the full schedule of events by clicking here.
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ATTENTION MEMBERS!
YOUR VOTE COUNTS!
OHS Board Ballots due at noon on Thursday, April 25
As a member of the Oklahoma Historical Society, you have a crucial role not just in safeguarding our state's history but in actively shaping its future. A significant way you can do this is by participating in the election of board members. Their decisions heavily influence the direction of the organization and determine how our state’s history is preserved, interpreted, and shared with future generations. By exercising your right to vote, you directly contribute to the governance of the Oklahoma Historical Society, ensuring it stays true to its mission. For further details about the election process, please visit the Oklahoma Historical Society website or contact Angela Spindle at 405-522-0472 or angela.spindle@history.ok.gov.
This year’s ballots are due by noon on Thursday, April 25 in our Membership Office at the Oklahoma History Center.
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SHPO May workshops
The State Historic Preservation Office is pleased to announce its May Workshop series. The sessions will be held via Big Marker with registration by clicking here. All four workshops will be held from 10 to 11 a.m.
Due to a staff vacancy, there will be no live National Register workshop in May of 2024. Please visit the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office’s YouTube channel for past NRHP workshops by clicking here. For more information or to register for classes, please contact Tifani Darata at tdarata@history.ok.gov or 405-521-6249.
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SIGN UP TODAY!
Virtual Field Trip with Dr. Theodore Gonzalves
On Monday, May 6, the Oklahoma History Center Museum's Learning and Engagement department will host a virtual field trip in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution. The session for elementary students is from 10 to 11 a.m., and the high school session is from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Dr. Theodore Gonzalves, curator of Asian Pacific American History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, will discuss artifacts and objects featured in his book Smithsonian Asian Pacific American History, Art, and Culture in 101 Objects (2023).
The virtual field trip will take place on Microsoft Teams. Educators should register their class(es) online in advance. The sessions will not be recorded to protect the students’ identities. Discussion is encouraged, and questions will be allowed. During the virtual field trip, teachers will be instructed to keep their cameras off and mute their microphones.
Register for the Virtual Field Trip by clicking here.
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SEE THE EXHIBIT!
Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of the Negro Leagues
The touring exhibit Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of the Negro Leagues, which tells the complex history of Negro Leagues baseball, will remain on display at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center (CSRHC) through Sunday, April 21.
Did you know?
It was on April 15, 1947, that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. On that date, he stepped onto Ebbets Field for his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson earned the Rookie of the Year Award that year, Most Valuable Player in 1949, and became the first African American inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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COUNT YOUR CHICKENS
"Poultry of Antiquity: Using Historical Techniques to Raise Poultry Breeds" program
On Saturday, April 27, from 1 to 3 p.m., Hunter’s Home will host a workshop to teach historical techniques about raising chicken breeds, some dating back centuries, that lived in Indian Territory in the 1840s and 1850s. This workshop will explore the background history of several chicken breeds that are readily available, where to find them, and how to raise them using historical techniques.
Did you know today you can raise chickens whose ancestors lived during the reign of Julius Caesar? That specific silver-grey Dorking chicken breed being raised at Hunter’s Home. This workshop is free with the regular cost of admission.
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DIG THIS!
"Dirt Tells the Story of Our History"
On Saturday, April 27, at the Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue, Christina Rich-Splawn will give a talk about her passion for archaeology and history. Artifacts and information about her participation in archaeological digs will also be shared at the "Dirt Tells the Story of Our History" presentation. The talk with Christina Rich-Splawn is free to the public, and light refreshments will be provided. Call 580-765-6108 for more information about this event.
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Volunteers make our mission possible
April is Volunteer Appreciation Month! Over the years, the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) has developed numerous collections, programs, research centers, museums, historic homes, and military sites across the state. We recognize that we would only be able to function throughout the year with our faithful and steadfast volunteers who give their time at all our locations.
Volunteers make the mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society possible by providing invaluable resources through educational programs, assisting in daily operations, and with long-term goals. Our volunteers help us in countless ways, including giving tours to visitors of every age and making it possible to host significant public events. Our volunteers keep the doors open and the tickets flowing for nighttime events, tidy and beautify outside spaces, and work tirelessly behind the scenes, keeping our collections efforts moving forward.
Thanks, OHS volunteers, for all you do to carry the OHS mission forward—helping us collect, preserve, and share the history and culture of Oklahoma and its people!
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Oklahoma History Center event spaces
The Oklahoma History Center has many event spaces to accommodate special occasions of all kinds. The facility fee is very reasonable and includes setup, staffing, security, maintenance, and audio/visual equipment use. A preferred catering list can be provided, and outside catering is allowed with prior approval and an additional fee. Special discounts are available for government and nonprofit organizations.
Let the Oklahoma History Center’s knowledgeable and capable staff help make your event a success. For more information about OHC facility rentals, click here.
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The Devon Great Hall (pictured above) is a striking setting for daytime or for evening events. Hardwood floors with polished granite accents create an atmosphere of sophistication.
A soaring 80-foot, floor-to-ceiling glass atrium offers a dramatic view of the Oklahoma State Capitol. Guests will marvel at the replica of Wiley Post’s famous Winnie Mae airplane suspended overhead.
For more information contact events@history.ok.gov or 405-522-0745.
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Grocery costs have you down?
The Gateway to Oklahoma History is a great resource for reading past issues of newspapers from 1845 to the present.
What caught our eye?
This advertisement from The Stillwater Gazette (Stillwater, Okla.), Vol. 56, No. 24, Ed. 1 Friday, April 20, 1945, when a loaf of bread cost 29 cents, a pound of coffee was 24 cents, and five pounds of potatoes could be purchased for 39 cents!
The Gateway is the online repository of the Oklahoma Historical Society. It is a free digital portal with millions of items that are for sharing Oklahoma's rich history and culture 24 hours a day. Visitors can search, view, and download thousands of historic newspapers, publications, photographs, maps, and documents.
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Click event listings below for more information.
17 - Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meeting, Oklahoma History Center
18 - Historic Preservation Review Committee meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
18 - From the Stacks: Readings from the Carnegie Library, Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library, Guthrie
18 - Thursday Night Learning Lecture: Will Rogers and His America with author Gary Clayton Anderson, Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
19 - Fort Gibson Education Day **full,** Fort Gibson Historic Site, Fort Gibson
19 - Movie Night featuring Will Rogers in A Connecticut Yankee (1931), Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
20 - 200th Anniversary Commemoration, Fort Gibson Historic Site, Fort Gibson
20 - Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of the Negro Leagues exhibit closes, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
20 - Something to Grow About: Earth Day Native Plant and Seed Swap, Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum, Pawnee
20 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
20 - “Glass and a Glass!” – Pendants, Magnets, and Keychains, Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue, Ponca City
27 - Poultry of Antiquity: Using Historical Techniques to Raise Poultry Breeds, Hunter’s Home, Park Hill
27 - “Dirt Tells the Story of Our History” talk with Christina Rich-Splawn, Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue, Ponca City
1–2 - Oklahoma National History Day State Contest, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
2 - Boots, Beer, & BBQ Gala Dinner, Chisholm Trail Museum and Horizon Hill, Kingfisher
3 - “Hunter Trapper” Living History program begins, Fort Gibson Historic Site, Fort Gibson
3 - Oklahoma Historical Society Board of Directors meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
4 - “Perspectives in History” The Oklahoma History Symposium, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
4 - Spring on the Farm, Hunter’s Home, Park Hill
4 - Oklahoma Historical Society Membership Meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
4 - Blacksmithing Demonstration, Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School, Perry
4 - Oklahoma Historical Society Board of Directors Organizational Meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
4 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
6 - From Our Hands, exhibit opening, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
6 - Virtual Field Trip with Dr. Theodore Gonzalves, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
8 - Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) webinar, State Historic Preservation Office
8 - Oklahoma Restaurant Roundtable, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
9 - Drafting and Executing Section 106 Agreement Documents with the OKSHPO webinar, State Historic Preservation Office
11 - Quilting Workshop, Sod House Museum, Aline
11 - Civil War-Era Music Program, Honey Springs Battlefield, Checotah
13 - OU/OAS Archaeological Field School at Spiro Mounds begins, Spiro Mounds Archaeological Site, Spiro
13 - The Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program Overview webinar, State Historic Preservation Office
14 - The Historic Preservation Tax Credit: A Case Study webinar, State Historic Preservation Office
14 - “Asian American Pacific Islander Experiences in Oklahoma: A Historical Journey,” Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
15 - Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
16 - Summer Sounds Concert featuring Jason Scott and High Heat, The Chisholm, Kingfisher
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Masthead image: Detail of the Report of A.W. Robb, acting quartermaster for Fort Gibson, ending August 31, 1864. It includes a hand-written account of clothing, camp, and garrison equipage used by the post. (1981.119.03, Kay Senseney Collection, Oklahoma Historical Society Manuscript Collection).
To enlarge and read the report, click here.
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