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 BIG EVENT THIS SATURDAY!
Fort Towson 200th Anniversary Commemoration
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The Fort Towson Historic Site will host a living history event to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the fort. The ceremony will recognize the contribution of the soldiers who manned Fort Towson when it was active while celebrating the tremendous contributions of the Choctaw and Chickasaw people.
The event will be held on May 18 from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Living historians will present a glimpse into the lives of military members and civilians who lived in military outposts 200 years ago. Scheduled presentations will be held every hour between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The event will be free to the public.
Throughout the day, guests can explore the site and learn from living historians about period infantry, artillery, laundresses, officer’s wives, topographical engineers, 1st Choctaw mounted rifles, dragoons, historical music, and 1800s merchandise.
The event will include presentations and demonstrations about the clothing of the period, the importance of trade at the military outpost with the civilian sutler, and the connection between the fort’s establishment and the Choctaw and Chickasaw people.
An artillery demonstration will be held to show that cannon fire was a part of daily life for soldiers at Fort Towson. The bicentennial programming will also include livestock care, harnessing a team of mules, and an historical overview of the roads leading into the fort.
For more information, call 580-873-2634 or email fttowson@history.ok.gov.
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1800s Vendors and Sutlers
In addition to all of the demonstrations taking place at Fort Towson Historic Site this weekend, there will be numerous vendors and sutlers showcasing and selling various sundries, goods and provisions.
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Fort Towson Bicentennial commemorative postage cancellation
To commemorate 200 years of the Fort Towson Historic Site, the United States Post Office location in Fort Towson will have a special pictorial postmark available from May 18 to June 9. The Fort Towson Post Office is open weekdays from 7:30 to 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The pictorial postmark is also available by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope or postcard to the Fort Towson Post Office at 100 N. Main St., Fort Towson, OK 74735, between May 18 and June 9.
The Fort Towson Historic Site will have postcards and stamps for sale during their 200th commemoration events on Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A basket will be placed in the gift shop for those who want to mail their postcards that day, with mail pickup happening at 1 p.m.
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LEARN ABOUT LIFE AT THE FORT
Towson Tales video series
The Fort Towson Historic Site staff is generating a new video series entitled Towson Tales to commemorate 200 years since the establishment of the military outpost. The informative videos are set around the site’s grounds and center on first-person historical documents, letters, reports, and newspaper accounts for their content.
Each video adds to the series and helps to paint a full picture of life at the military site.
Subscribe to the YouTube channel of the Fort Towson Historic Site for more videos and information about the military outpost and those who served there. Click on the photos below to watch a selection of episodes from the Towson Tales series.
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LISTEN TO THE LATEST
The Birth of the State Park System
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Oklahoma was a state for almost thirty years before the state park system was created. Seven new state parks were constructed in 1935 with federal funds and free labor provided by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).
In the latest episode of A Very OK Podcast, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss the political conditions that led Oklahoma to create the State Park Commission, the invaluable work of the CCC, and the lasting impact of the parks. Their guest is Dr. Matthew Pearce, state historian of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
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PAWNEE BILL'S WILD WEST SHOW
Experience a day of Western entertainment
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The Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will celebrate the lives of Major Gordon W. “Pawnee Bill” Lillie, his wife May Lillie, and their famous Wild West Shows with a one-day celebration to be held on Saturday, June 8. Pawnee Bill’s Original Wild West Show will take place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the original historic ranch site.
In 1883 Gordon was recruited to help coordinate the efforts of the Pawnee troupe in the first-ever Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show. While traveling with the show in Philadelphia, Gordon met May Manning, a fifteen-year-old Quaker girl who was watching the parade. Gordon courted her for two years, and they married on August 31, 1886.
See the full schedule of events.
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MAKING AN IMPRESSION
Oklahoma's First Ladies Go to the Ball
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On Friday, June 7, the Oklahoma History Center Museum will open a new exhibit in the Sam Noble Gallery entitled Inaugural Impressions: Oklahoma’s First Ladies Go to the Ball. This installation will feature the dresses Oklahoma’s first ladies wore to the state’s inaugurations. Unlike past exhibits focused on fashion, Inaugural Impressions will explore women’s roles, accomplishments, and contributions while their husbands served as governors.
The exhibit will feature a variety of gowns from the Oklahoma Historical Society’s collections. While exploring the Oklahoma’s first ladies have always played a leading role in our history. Their professionalism and poise have increased the public’s awareness of worthy causes.
A special members-only reception at the Oklahoma History Center will be held on Thursday, June 6. The reception will feature hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Some of Oklahoma’s living first ladies have promised to attend the event!
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HELP PRESERVE OKLAHOMA'S HERITAGE
Join the Oklahoma Historical Society!
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The Will Rogers Medallion Award program
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On Thursday, May 23, at 7 p.m., Will Rogers Medallion Award Executive Director Chris Enss and award-winning author Preston Lewis will discuss the Will Rogers Medallion Award program at the May Thursday Night Lecture Series at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum. Preston Lewis is the Spur Award-winning author of more than 40 western, juvenile and historical novels on the Old West as well as numerous articles, short stories and book reviews on the American frontier.
The Will Rogers Medallion Award was originally created to recognize quality works of cowboy poetry that honored the Will Rogers heritage but has expanded to include other works of Western literature and film. The Will Rogers Medallion Award competition takes place annually, and the awards ceremony is held every fall in Fort Worth, Texas.
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Wayward women of the West presentation |
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On Wednesday, May 22, at 6:30 p.m., the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library will host a free lecture with authors Chris Enss and Preston Lewis. The program is called “Cats and Cathouses” and will dive into wayward women of the West and cats. Enns is a New York Times bestselling author who has written about women of the Old West for over 30 years. Lewis is a Spur Award-winning author of more than 40 Western, juvenile, and historical novels on the Old West.
The Oklahoma Territorial Museum is located at 406 E. Oklahoma Ave. in Guthrie. For more information, please call 405-282-1889.
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Preston George Collection available |
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The Preston George Collection consisting of 7,393 items, spanning 16 decades, is now available on The Gateway to Oklahoma History.
George had a lifelong interest in the railroad,
photographing trains while working as a civil engineer in Colorado and Oklahoma. While the
photographs George took in the 1930s and 1940s have been a part of the Oklahoma Historical Society’s collection for years, the larger collection on The Gateway also includes his personal collection of railroad photographs and postcards.
Born in 1906 in Indian Territory, George’s interest in trains began at an early age but did not culminate into a full-fledged pastime until the 1930s. “I ran across a copy of Railroad Stories, later renamed Railroad Magazine, and saw the many photos of locomotives and trains,” said George in an interview. “This started me on a new hobby. Soon, I was snapping still pictures of locomotives with a cheap Kodak camera and
trading them far and wide with other fans.”
Smoke over Oklahoma: The Railroad Photographs of Preston George was published in 2017. A traveling exhibit based on the book’s images is available for loan through the Oklahoma History Center Museum. The Preston George Collection can be viewed by clicking here.
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Will's Wild West Kids Camp rides again! |
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Grab your lasso and join the fun at Will‘s Wild West Kids Camp June 17–19 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum (WRMM) in Claremore.
Will’s Wild West Kids Camp will transport participants back in time to the Wild West with hands-on activities in a fun learning environment. Campers ages 5 to 12 must be registered before the event. Register by Tuesday, June 11.
Will’s Wild West Kids Camp is $45 per child for non-members of the WRMM and $30 for members. Campers are asked to wear comfortable shoes and clothes. A chuck wagon lunch is provided, and campers will receive a cowboy hat, shirt, rope, and completed crafts to take home.
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ON A PERSONAL NOTE
Voices of Oklahoma celebrates 15 years
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Our partner organization, the Voices of Oklahoma project founded by John Erling, has been preserving and sharing the oral histories of influential Oklahomans for 15 years!
In celebration of Voices of Oklahoma’s 15th anniversary, founder John Erling shares a cherished recording of his father, John Arnt Frette with listeners. The oral history tells how Erling's great grandparents persevered through the challenges of establishing their family home after emigrating from Norway.
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JUST RELEASED!
Voices of Oklahoma: Volume III
For 30 years, John Erling entertained Tulsans as the stimulating host of Erling in the Morning on KRMG radio. He is known for his interviews with people from all walks of life—from politicians to celebrities to everyday people. For the last 15 years, Erling has devoted his energy and enthusiasm to the Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.
A new book, written by John Erling with John Hamill, Voices of Oklahoma - Volume III, was recently released with a new collection of stories from the oral history website voicesofoklahoma.com. It features inspiring and entertaining adventures of Sooner State citizens.
Many of the selected interviews in this volume take readers inside the origin stories of the book and movie Killers of the Flower Moon, including Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear, Drs. Joe and Carol Conner, Yancey Red Corn, and David Grann.
Pick up your copy today to find stories about why wiener is spelled “weiner” on a Coney Island storefront in Tulsa. Study the life of the first woman to co-host a national network television sports show, The Wide World of Sport. Read about the era when Tulsa was an “open town” from a cop on the beat, go behind the scenes with Lucille Ball, and hear about the life of the greatest left-handed pitcher in baseball.
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 Voices of Oklahoma has multiple online resources available to students, educators, scholars, and anyone curious about the state's history.
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Click event listings below for more information.
15 - Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Committee meeting *canceled,* Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
16 - Summer Sounds Concert featuring Jason Scott and High Heat, The Chisholm, Kingfisher
18 - 200th Anniversary Commemoration, Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson
18 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
18 - The Wayne McCombs Classic, 1880s-era Baseball Game, Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
19 - Picnic in the Village, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
22 - “Cats and Cathouses” presentation, Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library, Guthrie
23 - Thursday Night Lecture Series: The Will Rogers Medallion Award with Chris Enss and Preston Lewis, Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
24 - Mr. Pettigrew film screening, Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
25 - Nature Walk led by Kara Richardson, Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson
25 - "Dirt Tells the Story of Our History" talk with Christina Rich-Splawn, Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue, Ponca City
28-30 - History Day Camp, Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson
31 - “Hunter Trapper” Living History program ends, Fort Gibson Historic Site, Fort Gibson
31 - Movie Night featuring Angels in the Outfield (1994), Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
1 - Clem Rogers and the Legacy of the Rogers Ranch exhibit closes, Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore
1 - Vintage Snack Sets exhibit opens, Fred and Addie Drummond Home, Hominy
1 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip - Sneed Cabin grand opening, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
1 - "Sounds of the Prairie" bluegrass performance, Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School, Perry
7 - Inaugural Impressions: Oklahoma’s First Ladies Go to the Ball exhibit opens, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
7 - Basic Barn Quilt Workshop, The Chisholm, Kingfisher
7 - Oklahoma History Center Open House, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
8 - Quilting Workshop, Sod House Museum, Aline
8 - Guided Tours, Honey Springs Battlefield, Checotah
8 - Basic Barn Quilt Workshop, The Chisholm, Kingfisher
8 - Pawnee Bill’s Original Wild West Show, Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum, Pawnee
11–15 - “Lift Every Voice: 60 Years Since the Civil Rights Act” Enid Chautauqua in the Park, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
12 - OU/OAS Archaeological Field School concludes, Spiro Mounds Archaeological Site, Spiro
13 - “Masonic Lodges of Oklahoma” presentation by Kenneth Sivard, State Historic Preservation Office
15 - Guided Tours, Honey Springs Battlefield, Checotah
15 - History Alive! on the Cherokee Strip, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid
15 - Pinhole Camera Workshop with Jim Meeks, Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
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Masthead image: Colorized image detail of a letter written by Josiah H. Vose from Fort Towson, April 22, 1834 to Major General Thomas S. Jesup, Quartermaster General in Washington D.C. The letter requests that a "suitable house" and stable be built for Vose in his role as commanding officer by first of December of 1834. (Detail page 1, RG94: Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762–1984, NAID: 423, National Archives). Hear the full contents of the letter being read in the "Post Commander's Quarters" episode of Fort Towson's video series Towson Tales. |
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