Oklahoma's Number One Attraction! A national leader in the racing industry. A world-class showPlace: Glass-enclosed, climate-control grandstand * 300 Sonf TVs * 2 Jumbotron" screens Infield for families (weekends/holidays) 0 Equine art gallery L @ 4 restaurants & 24 concessions. finest Quarter Horses Glass Tunnel L to view Post Parade * Paddock Gardens Arena * 2 Handicapping Information 1 Centers with video replay libraries * Daily handicapping seminars. Racing Wednesday-Sun* First Race I p.m. I992 RACINGSEASON Exit 1-44at M.L. King Blvd. or Exit 1-35at N.E. 50th SpringMeet1ng:lan 3I.May 3 For information: 405-424-9000or 1-800-456-9000 Summer Meeting: May 15.July 12 Fall Meeting: Sept 18 Dec 6 OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA January-February 1992 Vol. 42, No. 1 WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM 10 Buffalo barely survived the last century, but they may lead ranchers into the next. By Burkhaard Bilger MAP TO THE COUNTRY STARS 22 With stars enough to stock a dozen Oprys, here's an Oklahoma country music who's who-and the towns they call home. TALL IN THE SADDLE 30 Talking shop with saddlemaker T.R. Lessor. By Stephen Berg, photographs by Dave Crenshaw ON ICE 36 Places in the heart of winter. By Barbara Pa/mer, i/lusfrafionsby Tim Jessel/ THE BROTHERS HILLERMAN 40 Two brothers made their mark their own way. By Robert R. Mercer,photograph by Robert R. Mercer and Barney Hi/han LOVE ON THE RANGE 46 Sometimes doing the right thing in life isn't easy-it's wonderful. By Jonathan King, photography by Scott Andeven I ONE ON ONE 4 IN SHORT 5 LETTERS 6 OMNIBUS Hoover's Oklahoma Days, by Ray Stratton 7 PORTFOLIO Murals in the Round 24 FOOD Breakfast in Bed. bv SuweBrmer 49 ARTS Getting Real, bv Ste~henBew 52 WEEKENDER Beyond Fort Sill, by M. Scott Cafler 55 ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR A guide to what's happening 57 COVER: Buffalo at Woolaroc Wildlife Refuge. Photograph by Jerry Poppenhouse from the book Woolaroc. January-February 1992 3 OKUWOMA his wasn't the only Oklahoma high Ro~in'the point. Oklahoma's Queen of Country, rnDN Reba McEntire, was yet again named Top Female Vocalist by the Academy David Walters, Governor of Country Music and Favorite Coun- ast October, after Garth try Female Vocalist at the "American Brooks won Entertainer of Music Awards." Oklahoma City's @ -" the Year at the "Country Vince Gill won a Grammy for "When I Music Association Awards," Call Your Name," and Joe Diffie of Pab/is/redby the Oklahoma a carefully lettered sign appeared over Alma became one of the first country Tourism and Recreation Department the door of a two-story yellow house at newcomers to have his first four singles Berl Schwartz 227 S. Duck in Stillwater. all go straight to the top slot on the Publisher The sign read, "Garth Brooks and country charts. Jennne hi. Devlin. Sandy Lived Here, 1987-88." It's been said that people come to Editor Over in Yukon, the city manager Oklahoma to see one of three things: Felron Srroud, Srroud Design. Inc., Art Direction suddenly found he had as many trav- cowboys, Indians, or oil wells. We'd Barbara Palmer, Associate Editor elers stopping by city hall to ask for begun to suspect there was a fourth. Steve Rice. Marketing directions to 408 Yukon Avenue, the After all, Garth, Reba, Vince, and Joe hlelanie hlayberry, Circulation Manager Lisa Breckenridge. Administrative Assistant house where the coun- Pam Poston, Subscription Services try star grew up, as he Pam Fox, Accounting had looking for Route Steffie Corcoran, Copy Editor Contributing Editors 66. In fact, some days Burkhard Bilger. hl. Scott Caner, the street outside the Kalph hlarsh, and Michael Wallis home of Garth's par- Tourism and Recreation Directors ents was lined with cars James C. Thomas, Acting Escrufn'p Dimor with out-of-state li- David Davies. Depufy L)innor cense plates. "They Torn Creider, Purks Kristina S. hlarek, Phrmir,~ut~dDaat/opme~~f call our house 'the Kathleen Marks, lion*e/u?~dToutism Graceland of Yukon' Mike hloccia, Admiuisfrafie~eSenirts now," says his mother, Tom Rich, Resot-ts Berl Schwarrz. Okluhonm jronu~f Colleen Brooks. Garthmania was in Tourism and Recreation Commission Jacme Weber9.rYukon heauh sho~has a Garth Brooks' -.~al/era: 1,t. Gov. Jack hlildren, Chninntm full swing. it's >/so where the star's moiher ,ko//een, /ef has her hair dolrp. Sweet Pea Ahernathy I t did n 't go u n no- Mrs. LVeber, right, 1s the mother of Garth's road tnanap: J. Patrick Bark ticed here at Oklahoma C. Coleman Davis Linda A. Epperlcy 7bdajr. Normally stories for our Janu- are just the latest in our long line of Charles S. Givens ary issue are signed, sealed, and deliv- country blue bloods. Country crooner hen^ A. hleyer, 111 ered by October 1. But like other Patti Page ofClaremore was so famous Ray H. Quackenbush hlichael D. 'I'ipps Oklahomans, we'd all been glued to in her day that when a car accident left our television sets October 2 when Ed Sullivan out of commission for five OkWoma Today (ISSN 0030-1892) is published bi- Garth Brooks xratched his head with Sundays, the Oklahoma native was one monthly in January. March, May, July. September and November by the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Dc- that big CMA award and made the best of the stars asked to host "The Ed partmcnt, 401 Will Rogers Bldg.. P.O. Box 53384. Okla- "George" joke any of us had heard in a Sullivan Show." As for Maud native homa City, OK 73152. (405) 521-2496 or (800) 652-6552. Subscription prices: 813.50lyr. in U.S.: $I8.50/yr. foreign. long time. 'l'he next morning we had no Wanda Jackson, Rhino Records has U.S. copyright8 1992 by Oklahoma Today magazine. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is sooner arrived at the office and filled compiled her greatest hits in the al- prohibited. The magazine is not responsiblefor unsolicited our coffee cups than opinions on the bum, "Best of Rockin' in the Country." material for editorial consideration, Prinadat Pa"" WINP"".i"g, Tub. show began to fly. 'The bottom line: it In the end, maybe that's what im- wouldn't be right to start 1992 without pressed us the most-how deep coun- tipping our hat to the impact try music's roots are set in Oklahoma -*ap-Q?MW & EL=^ Oklahoma's country stars had had on soil. Hollywood has a map to the homes Second-clazs postage paid at Oklahoma (:it!. Oh; and Nashville in 1991. of its movie stars, on page twenty-two additional entn r~ffices.I'ostmaster: Scnd addresrchangc, Garth Brooks made music history you'll find one to the hometowns of our ro O//ubonm 7bdq(:iruolation. P.O. Box li3.384. Oklahnnva City. Oh; 73152. when "Ropin' the Wind" hit number country music legends. Happy trails. one on the pop charts last August, but -Jeanne M. Devlin - Oklahoma TODAY .. - . -. - p,?&:y "3 ? 1 2 i ' 1 S ', . .z i American history began when Christo- pher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic I Ocean. Or so generations of history students have been taught. Alvin M. Josephy wants to change that with America in 1492, published as the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage is celebrated. In Josephy's book, Columbus never even puts in an appearance. Josephy asked fourteen scholars (including Oklahoma-born author N. I Scott Momaday) to write articles describ- ing life as it might have been for the Bl~~cAerboo& from Osage County, where cowboys wear their boots tucked inside tireirjcanns. estimated 75 million Indians who lived in I the Western Hemis~herein 1492. So thoroughly has the Indian point of view been kept out of popular history, the COWBOY VOGUE I book "mag read like a history of another planet," says Josephy, who is currently Tom Mix had a pair, and so did John Fairfax, the boot company still makes chairman of the board of the National Wayne. Reba McEntire has ordered two boots the way Blucher did: by hand, Museum of the pairs-eelskin with tan tops and four rows fitting the leather around a pair of k American of colored stitching-from Blucher Boot wooden lasts made to the precise B u Indian at the Company in Osage County. dimensions of a customer's foot. If a n Smithsonian Inlaid boots, intricately hand-cut and customer can't make it into the boot # Institution and colorful as tropical birds, have long been shop, he can take his own measurements a former editor in at home on the range and on the feet of and mail in a tracing of his feet. chief of Hollywood cowboys and cowgirls. The cost of a pair of basic boots with Amm'can Lately, though, they've gone main- some fancy stitching but no inlays is $450. Hm'tage stream, turning up in advertisements in But ordering a pair of the boots is like Maguzine. glossy magazines and inspiring a fashion buying a car, Marcella says. "They get to February 28, column in GQ. looking, and pretty soon they decide they EditorAlvin JOSppBY Josephy will The interest of New York fashion want an exotic leather or inlays." A boot sd balancehistory. speak at the editors doesn't much impress Marcella that combines burgundy ostrich skin and annual Okla- Mays, who with her husband, Paul Mays, gray calfskin, embellished with four rows homa Lecture bought the Fairfax boot company in 1989.