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TODAY AT THE HISTORY CENTER! |
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Visit the Oklahoma History Center for a panel discussion from 1 to 3 p.m., about Choctaw and Oklahoma historian Muriel Hazel Wright (1889–1975). Wright was the longtime editor of The Chronicles of Oklahoma and the author of numerous works, including A Guide to the Indian Tribes of Oklahoma (1951).
The panel discussion moderated by Patricia Loughlin (University of Central Oklahoma) and featuring Anna Davis (Oklahoma Historical Society), Grace Ellis (Yale University), and Brianna Theobald (University of Rochester) will reaffirm Wright’s significance by framing her work in broader historic context, including the Native club women’s movement and national discourses concerning American history textbooks. For more information, contact matthew.pearce@history.ok.gov or call 405-522-8659. This is a free event, but registration is required.
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This summer visit OHS museums and sites!
There is something for every interest at OHS museums and historic sites—all right here in Oklahoma, where our diverse and exciting past unfolds across the state. Take time to visit one of the Oklahoma Historical Society’s museums, historic sites, or affiliates on your summer travels! Be sure to check the OHS website calendar for the latest events and programs happening across the state.
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LISTEN TO THE LATEST
The 1834 Dodge-Leavenworth Expedition
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In 1833, Congress authorized a new regiment in the Army that would combine the skills of Regular Army soldiers with the frontier savvy of the Rangers. The First Dragoon Regiment was tasked with being the first US envoy to make contact with the Plains Indian tribes to negotiate for peace. The 500-person strong Dragoon unit set out in June 1834 to fulfill their mission, but their journey was fraught with lack of water, sickness, and death. In this latest episode of A Very OK Podcast, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss the hardships the Dragoons endured to establish relations with the Comanches, Wichitas, and Kiowas. Their guest is Correy Twilley, director of the US Army Air Defense Artillery Training Support Facility at Fort Sill.
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Join the Oklahoma History Center Museum on select Mondays in June and July from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. for OkieTales. Families will hear a live book reading before getting to experience history hands-on! After reading the story, kids can see, touch, and feel historical items related to the subject. Activities and crafts may also be included as an interactive way for young families to experience history at the museum. It’s a free come-and-go program with paid admission to the museum. OHS members can get in for free.
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Night Artillery Firing at Fort Towson
Experience the drama of a night artillery firing of Fort Towson’s Mountain Howitzer on Saturday, July 12 from 7:45 to 9 p.m. The program will start with a boom, with a daylight firing at 7:45 p.m., to be followed by a talk about the artillery piece. A second firing will occur at twilight, and a third will happen after dark.
For more information, call 580-873-2634 or email fttowson@history.ok.gov. The Fort Towson Historic Site is located at 896 N. 4375 Rd. in Fort Towson.
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Honey Springs Battlefield offers a biennial multiday event, which begins with an Education Day for school groups on Friday. Activities continue on Saturday and Sunday with self-guided tours through the Union, Confederate, and civilian camps, and a reenactment at 1 p.m. Visitors can experience military drills, demonstrations, and living history programs, and take a walk through Sutler’s Row, which features a number of vendors selling clothes, books, souvenirs, and reproduction nineteenth-century military equipment. Visitors from around the state come to see special presentations and watch the battle unfold.
Take part in the Battle of Honey Springs Reenactment!
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Parlor Jams with Wayne Cantwell start in June
On the last Saturday of June, July, August, September, and October, from 1 to 3 p.m., The Chisholm will present a series of jam sessions in the parlor room of Horizon Hill, the home of Territorial Governor A. J. Seay. Wayne Cantwell, “the Flyin’ Fiddler,” will lead the old-fashioned jam sessions in the parlor of Horizon Hill. Musicians of all levels are encouraged to participate in this excellent learning opportunity to sit and play alongside seasoned performers! For more information, contact the museum at 405-375-5176.
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Explore the Oklahoma Sports Heroes exhibit |
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Visit the Oklahoma Sports Heroes exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center Museum (OHCM), where learning about the amazing achievements of Oklahoma athletes is designed to be a fun experience for everyone. Through artifacts and images, the installation in the Sam Noble Gallery explores sports legends from the past.
Custom QR codes link to exciting videos, films, and interviews that offer deeper insights into the lives of Oklahoma athletes. Interactive touch screens and hands-on activities encourage guest participation and testing of athletic skills!
Learn about the AAGPBL pitcher Earlene “Beans” Risigner of Hess, wrestler Danny Hodge of Perry, MLB player “Pepper” Martin of Temple, Harlem Globetrotter Marques Haynes of Sand Springs, and many others.
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Saturday Guided Tours
Volunteer docents offer a guided tour of the Oklahoma History Center Museum every Saturday at 11:30 a.m. The tour lasts about 90 minutes, and guests may join the tour when they arrive. To request a Saturday tour at a different time, please contact us in advance at 405-522-0765 or admissions@history.ok.gov. Guided tours are included with regular admission.
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Mabel Tompkins on Sky Rocket jumping a table at Hillside Pleasure Park, Newark, NJ, c. 1907 (19439.3.9.B, restored, Mabel Tompkins Collection, OHS).
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“QUEEN OF THE PRAIRIES”
Mabel Hackney Tompkins
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Mabel Tompkins, 1907-1908 (19439.3.31.B, Mabel Tompkins Collection, OHS).
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Mabel Hackney Tompkins was born May 6, 1878, in Illinois. Raised in Kansas, the first daughter of a large farming family, she showed an early talent for riding horses. According to her obituary, Mabel's “mother taught her the rudiments of riding at the age of five, and from then on she was more at home in the saddle than in a living room chair.” At 17, in 1895, she joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, traveling and performing. Tompkins thrilled national audiences with her skills in major cities, ball parks, expositions, and on a tour of France. She was billed with the nickname “Queen of the Prairies.”(1)
The photo above, of Mabel Hackney Tompkins performing at a Wild West show with her horse Sky Rocket, shows her adept skills as a rider—she is clearing the table with precision while wearing a dress and riding sidesaddle. Tompkins developed the act by seating several gentlemen at the table, instructing them to act as though they were enjoying a beverage while she and the horse made the jump. At the time, she and her husband Charles Harland Tompkins were featured performers on the eastern fair circuit, which traveled through major cities in the eastern half of the United States.(2) The couple operated their own Wild West show from 1912 to 1917.
As a tribute and memorial to his beloved wife, Charles donated the items that became the Mabel Tompkins Collection to the Oklahoma Historical Society on January 25, 1951.(3)
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1. “Mrs. Tompkins, Queen of the Prairies,” Dies: Famed Horsewoman, Trooper Expires In Okla. City Hospital,” The El Reno American, El Reno, Oklahoma, Thursday, March 30, 1950, page 1.
2. Evans, Charles, "Two Oklahomans Honored," The Chronicles of Oklahoma 29 (1), Oklahoma Historical Society, 1951, p. 16.
3. Ibid, p. 17.
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Follow the OHS website calendar to learn about our events and programs at OHS museums and historic sites across the state! Our calendar constantly changes with the latest programs and activities, from seasonal events to celebrations, exhibits, films, educational classes, and workshops. |
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Connect with the Oklahoma Historical Society on social media—where you can learn more about Oklahoma history and get up-to-date information about events and exhibits across the state!
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Masthead image: 1908 Pennant Winners, Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Triangular patches on the front of the team uniforms carry the encouragement "We Can, We Will, Bartlesville" (152.4, Howard Sharp Collection, OHS). |
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