Come Along, Boys, and Listen to My Tale

Vol. 48, No. 2 Published bimonthly by the Oklahoma Historical Society, serving since 1893 March/April 2017

“Come along, boys, and listen to my tale, and I’ll tell you of my troubles on the old Chisholm Trail” Celebrate the 150th anniversary Though it is located off the trail along US Highway 281 north of the Chisholm Trail with the OHS of Geary, you might want to stop by and visit Jesse Chisholm’s and its partners. Cattle drives along grave. The granite historical marker at the grave was showing the Chisholm Trail lasted only about signs of wear when Mark Fletcher contacted the OHS to request twenty years, but even before the permission to refurbish the marker. He learned the necessary last longhorns headed north, the skills from his father, Ray Fletcher, who set the original marker. Chisholm Trail already was becom- Ray Fletcher worked at Willis Granite Works from about 1959 ing legend. The cattle drive is credited to 1968 before leaving to run a gas station on Route 66. He with saving Texas from economic ruin returned to Willis Granite in the mid-1970s when he set the and infusing new opportunity and Chisholm marker. wealth into the entire country following the Civil War. During You cannot mention the Chisholm Trial without talking about the war, Texas ranches were unmanaged, leaving the southern Bob Klemme of Enid. It took seven years, but Klemme made prairies teeming with cattle. Too many cattle depressed pric- and placed a marker on every section line the Chisholm Trail es, while in the northeast markets were in great need of beef. crossed in Oklahoma—more than four hundred of them. He Cattle worth $3 per head in Texas would bring $40 to $60 in also placed one at the start of the trail in Kingston, Texas, Chicago and New York. The problem was that no railroads yet and one at the end in Abilene, Kansas. To find the locations, reached the Texas Plains. The solution was the great American Klemme studied the 1871 government survey map. Surveyors’ cattle trail. notes located the crossing of the trail at the section line. The Running from south Texas north to Abilene, Kansas, the concrete markers are seven feet high by six inches square and Chisholm Trail witnessed the movement of millions of longhorns weigh two hundred pounds. from 1867 to 1889, though the drives had diminished by 1881. The Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, along with Visit Enid, The four-month journey pushed cattle quickly from Texas into the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, and the OHS Indian Territory, where the pace was slowed to fatten the cattle worked as the trail bosses to round up this celebration. The before pushing on to Kansas railheads. OHS designed the celebration logo and, working through the Known by a variety of labels including the Kansas Cattle Chisholm Trail Heritage Center organizations and communities Trail, Abilene Cattle Trail, McCoy Trail, Black Beaver Trail, and along the trail, jointly printed and distributed promotional rack Chisholm’s Wagon Road, the Chisholm Trail took its name cards. The rack cards have been among the most requested from Cherokee trader Jesse Chisholm. Chisholm died in 1868 literature from www.travelok.com, and the Oklahoma Depart- without knowing of the great cattle trail that would come to ment of Tourism and Recreation distributed them overseas. We bear his name. want to make sure everyone knows about the Chisholm Trail’s Despite the name, in many ways the Chisholm Trail was birthday. Of course, this is not just an Oklahoma celebration. launched by Joseph McCoy. In 1867 he built stockyards on The trail started in Texas and ended in Kansas, and organiza- the Kansas-Pacific Railroad in Abilene, Kansas, and sent men tions in those states also are participating in the celebration. south to encourage the Texas cattlemen to bring their herds to So get out there on the trail in 2017 and earn your badge. Abilene and east to lure cattle buyers with the promise of large Seven institutions from Texas to Abilene, Kansas, are partici- herds. pating in a Chisholm Trail badge program. Each institution you Eventually, cultivated farmlands, fencing, and the extension visit will provide a patch. When you earn all seven patches you of the railroads sealed the fate of the Chisholm Trail, though it complete your seven-pointed star badge, and earn your 150th continues to live on in the many cowboy tales, songs, books, pin for the center of the star. There is a lot happening in 2017, and movies that have endured. but no celebration would be complete without a cattle drive. A This year marks the 150th anniversary of the trail, and com- drive will be starting in Pond Creek on Tuesday, September 12, munities along the route, which State Highway 81 roughly and ending on the south side of Wichita, Kansas, on Saturday, follows, are planning events, exhibits, and festivals to com- September 23. Learn more about this and other events at www. memorate the anniversary. The official celebration kick-off is chisholmtrail150.org. Let’s ride! Saturday, April 1, but the Chisholm Trail Museum in King- fisher got a jump on the activities and opened a new trail exhibit on February 11. On April 1 the City of Kingfisher will dedicate a map of the Chisholm Trail set in the sidewalk in front of the Jesse Chisholm sculpture on Main Street, and the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center in Enid is planning a Chisholm Trail Festival. The Chisholm Trail Heritage Center in Duncan is opening a new exhibit in June on the Technology of the West. While you are in Duncan, do not forget to check out the experiential theater at the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center for a one-of-a-kind trail experience. In addition, the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center is opening a new Chisholm Trail exhibit on May 5. To find out more about activities along the trail, please visit www.chisholmtrail150.org. (8685, Claude E. Hensley Collection, OHS) and organized more than one thousand New issues of Crossroads original negatives of Preston’s railroad photographs. available on the OHS Meanwhile, I had met Augustus website Veenendaal, a historian from the Neth- Director’s erlands who discovered a diary in The The OHS is pleased to continue offer- Hague that described Dutch investment ing its digital publication entitled Cross- column in Oklahoma railroads. Another new roads. Published on the first of every associate and friend was Kent Calder, month, each issue explores a new topic the director of the Texas State Historical in Oklahoma’s unique history. This inno- Commission. With the passage of time, vative educational tool is offered for free Guus wrote several best-selling books on online and remains continuously avail- railroad history and Kent joined OU Press able to audiences worldwide. The online as an acquisitions editor. By Dr. Bob L. Blackburn platform provides teachers an oppor- All of these dots of history came to- Executive Director tunity to share this publication in their gether two years ago to fulfill a promise classrooms. Crossroads also encourages I often talk about connecting the dots I made to Preston and Burnis to some- further learning by connecting users to of history, whether those dots span time day publish a book featuring his railroad more resources at the end of each issue. and topics or link people who make his- photograph collection. Experience this new kind of storytelling tory by working together for a common Guus agreed to write extended captions from the OHS by visiting www.okhistory. goal. for each photograph and an essay about org/crossroads. A new book just released by the Uni- the importance of railroads in Oklahoma. Issue number five of Crossroads, versity of Oklahoma (OU) Press is a good Burnis agreed to write a biographical “Uncover Your Roots,” was published on example of connecting the dots through piece on her father. Tim Zwink, former January 1, and explores the fascinat- people. OHS deputy director, offered to edit and ing, rewarding, though often challenging In graduate school in the 1970s, I rec- coordinate the project. endeavor of genealogy. Since 1893 the ognized the importance of transportation Kent Calder said he wanted to review OHS has been collecting and preserving and mobility in Oklahoma history. A lit- the manuscript. He read it, shared it with resources that can help piece together tle out-of-print booklet documenting the his colleagues, and OU Press agreed to your family tree. With free access to corporate history of every rail line in the design and print the book. I wrote the Ancestry.com, Fold3, Dawes Rolls, US state from 1871 to 1944 became a valu- foreword. Census records, newspapers, books and able point of reference. On April 10, 2017, we will celebrate the periodicals, photos, film and video collec- The coauthor was Preston George, an work of Preston George and the histori- tions, oral histories, and more, the OHS engineer who was already famous as cal importance of railroads with a spe- Research Center is happy to help as you a railroad photographer specializing in cial program at the History Center. Guus search for your ancestors. images of steam locomotives belching and Burnis will speak and we will open Issue number six of Crossroads, “The smoke over Oklahoma landscapes in the a photograph exhibit as a companion to Good Fight,” was published on February 1930s and 1940s. the book. 1, and tells the story of segregation and In the late 1970s I met Jim Argo, a Yes, I often talk about connecting the the Oklahoma City sit-in movement. It photographer and journalist who would dots of history. The book, Smoke Over features historic photos and videos, an become a friend, colleague, and coauthor Oklahoma: The Railroad Photographs account of the events by Clara Luper—in of several books. His father-in-law was of Preston George, is proof that people, her own words, and interviews with sit-in Preston George. working together, make history. participants Ayanna Najuma and Joyce Preston and his daughter, Burnis Jackson. Argo, would eventually donate his exten- Visit www.okhistory.org/crossroads each sive collection to the OHS. Jim scanned month for a new issue of Crossroads!

Oklahoma Historical Society Membership Office: Alma Moore Development News 405-522-5242 [email protected] By Larry O’Dell Mistletoe Leaves (USPS 018-315) is published bimonthly by the Okla- homa Historical Society, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK This April is not only when we have our Annual 73105-7917. Periodicals postage paid at Oklahoma City, OK (ISSN 1932- 0108) Conference, but it is also when the OHS swears in POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mistletoe Leaves, 800 Nazih its newly elected board members. The ballots are mailed to members the first of March and Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105-7917.

due by Friday, April 21, at noon. The OHS membership elects thirteen board members, By authorization of the Oklahoma Historical Society’s Board of Directors, 6,000 copies are prepared at a cost of $1,276.80 bimonthly. with the other twelve appointed by the governor, all for three-year terms. In this particular The publication is financed in part with federal funds from the National election, the membership will select one board member each to represent Districts Five Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies and Six, and three At-Large board members. Prospective board members are chosen by of the Oklahoma Historical Society or the United States Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names does not constitute endorsement or the Nominating Committee of the OHS Board of Directors. To run for a board position or to recommendation by either organization. Mistletoe Leaves is published for the members and friends of the be appointed the nominee must be an OHS member for two continuous years. This year’s Oklahoma Historical Society in partial fulfillment of the Society’s purpose to “preserve and perpetuate the history of Oklahoma and its nominees are all well qualified and capable. people, to stimulate popular interest in historical study and research, and to promote and disseminate historical knowledge.” The above OHS civics lesson conveys how important it is to vet and choose our board The public and OHS members are encouraged to submit heritage- members. The OHS Board of Directors oversees the direction that the organization takes related items for publication. Students and teachers are invited to share studies and programs and to duplicate contents as desired. Editors are in its mission to collect, preserve, and share Oklahoma’s history. With the membership welcome to reprint materials with credit. All Oklahoma Historical Society facilities are for the education electing a majority of the board, it is important to pay attention and support nominees that and enjoyment of all. State and federal regulations prohibit unlawful discrimination in state and federally assisted programs on the basis of reflect core values of the OHS. I encourage all members to read the biographies carefully race, color, national origin, and/or handicap. Anyone denied benefits should contact the grievance manager of and cast a vote. Also, come and enjoy the Annual History Conference on April 26, 27, and the Oklahoma Historical Society, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105-7917, telephone 405-522-5299, and/or the director, 28 in Tulsa, Catoosa, and Claremore. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to Office of Equal Opportunity, United States Department of the Interior, contact me at [email protected] or 405-522-6676. Washington, DC 20240.

2 man Prairie House is located at 814 West Events Meetings Oak Avenue in Duncan. For more information please call 580-251-0027. Head to Miami on Saturday, March 4, Join the Oklahoma Genealogical Society for the annual Peoria Stomp Dance. The (OGS) for its monthly meeting on Mon- The Love County Historical Society’s stomp dance will take place from 7 p.m. day, March 6, at the Oklahoma History 2017 calendars are available for sale to midnight. This cultural dance event of Center in Oklahoma City. Dr. Erin Tay- from its offices in Marietta. Featured in the Peoria tribe is an exciting display of lor will be the speaker and the presen- the calendars are historic photographs slow, stomping steps set to rhythm. The tation is entitled “Researching Ancestors from across Love County. The calendars traditional stomp dance ceremony con- Who Were Institutionalized Due to Illness cost $5 each and may be purchased by tains both religious and social meaning. or Disability.” The meeting and program visiting the Pioneer Museum in Marietta. Experience American Indian heritage in will take place from 6 to 7:45 p.m., and Several Love County businesses will sell a festival atmosphere complete with old- experienced researchers will be available the calendars, with a list available by fashioned cake walks and raffles. Visi- prior to the meeting at 5 p.m. to answer calling the Love County Historical Soci- tors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs research questions. OGS meetings are ety at 580-276-9020. Orders also may be and admission is free. The event will take free to attend and held the first Monday placed by mailing a check to the society place at the Ottawa-Peoria Cultural Cen- of each month at the Oklahoma History at PO Box 134, Marietta, OK 73448, or by ter, located at 114 South Eight Tribes Center, located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive calling Laquitta Ladner at 580-276-3477. Trail in Miami. Please call 918-540-2535 in the State Capitol Complex. Please call Please note that $1.75 postage and han- for more information. 405-637-1907 for more information. dling will be added to all orders that are mailed. Celebrate the birthday of Bob Wills at Join the Oklahoma Postal History Soci- Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa on Saturday, ety for its upcoming monthly meetings at Save the date for the 150th anniversary March 4. Bob Wills, known as “the King Saint Luke’s United Methodist Church in celebration of the historic Choate Cabin of Western Swing,” was born on March 6, Oklahoma City. Meetings begin at 7:30 in Indianola. The celebration will take 1905. By 1935 Wills and his band were p.m. and the general public is encour- place on Saturday, May 27, with more in- playing shows at Cain’s Ballroom, mak- aged to attend. On Tuesday, March 14, formation to come. The property can be ing it the perfect setting to honor this Joe Crosby will give a presentation on the visited by making an appointment. For legendary musician. Join the celebration post offices of Cleveland County. All mem- more information please call 773-844- and enjoy live music and dancing. Cain’s bers are encouraged to bring any Cleve- 1804. Ballroom is located at 423 North Main land County postal markings, especially Street in Tulsa. Please call 918-584-2306 before statehood. On Tuesday, April 11, for more information. the members will bring their Oklahoma auxiliary postal markings to begin the Exhibits Celebrate the Land Run of 1889 at the study of this broad subject, including for- fourteenth annual Choctaw Frontier Days warded, returned to sender, no such ad- Experience American Indian culture at (formerly known as the Land Run Festi- dress, lost in abandoned mail chute, and the Seminole Nation Museum in Wewoka val) on Thursday, April 20, and Friday, more. The Oklahoma Postal History Soci- with its newest exhibit, Return from Ex- April 21. This educational event will be ety holds regular meetings on the second ile: Contemporary Southeastern Indian held at Choctaw Creek Park in Choctaw. Tuesday of each month in Room 207 at Art. This national traveling exhibition of Bring the entire family to learn something Saint Luke’s United Methodist Church. American Indian art is on display now new and enjoy American Indian fancy It is located at Northwest Fifteenth Street through Saturday, April 29. Regular dancers, traditional cowboy camps, and and Harvey Avenue in Oklahoma City. hours are Monday through Saturday, gunfights. Choctaw Creek Park is located Visitors are always welcome. For more 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Seminole Nation at 2001 North Harper Street in Choctaw. information please contact Joe Crosby at Museum is located at 524 South Wewoka For more information please call 405- [email protected] or 405-990-2389. Avenue in Wewoka. For more information 390-8198. please call 405-257-5580 or visit www. seminolenationmuseum.org. Tulsa Foundation for Architecture (TFA) presents the “Architecture & Design Announcements Film Festival: Tulsa” at Circle Cinema Travel back in time with a visit to the on Thursday, April 20, through Sun- Do you want your organization’s meet- W. T. Foreman Prairie House in Duncan. day, April 23. This festival celebrates the ing, event, exhibit, or announcement Listed in the National Register of Historic creative spirit behind the world’s most included in the “Around Oklahoma” sec- Places, the home was built in 1918. It is remarkable architecture and design, and tion of Mistletoe Leaves? The “Around the former residence of W. T. Foreman, TFA is excited to bring it to Tulsa. Pan- Oklahoma” section features Oklahoma a banker and pharmacist who was one el discussions, Q&A, and social events history and heritage-related activities of Duncan’s earliest and most promi- with internationally-known guests are or programs sponsored by entities other nent citizens. The home is architectur- all part of this entertaining and informa- than the Oklahoma Historical Society. To ally significant as an early example of tive event. All are invited to enjoy four submit news items, please contact Evelyn the Prairie School architectural style. All days of film and conversation. Tickets Moxley, assistant editor, by email at are welcome for tours of the home with are available for purchase at www.circle [email protected] or by mail at 800 knowledgeable docents on Tuesdays and cinema.com. Circle Cinema is located Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m. The home is at 10 South Lewis Avenue in Tulsa. For 73105. If you wish a news item to appear also available for private events, so please more information please email outreach@ in the May/June 2017 issue, you must call for additional details. The W. T. Fore- tulsaarchitecture.org. submit it by Monday, April 3.

3 March events April events Pieces of a Collection quilt exhibit at Pioneer 1–25 Fifth annual Trappings of the Cherokee 1–30 Bridging the Chisholm Trail through Strip exhibit of fine Western art and Indian Territory exhibit, Chisholm Trail custom cowboy gear, Cherokee Strip Museum, Kingfisher Woman Museum Regional Heritage Center, Enid 1–2 Fur Trade Rendezvous, Fort Washita The Pioneer Woman 1–31 Did You See That? exhibit, Museum of Historic Site, Durant the Western Prairie, Altus Museum in Ponca City 1 Chisholm Trail 150 Festival, Cherokee is pleased to announce 1–31 Bridging the Chisholm Trail through Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid Indian Territory exhibit, Chisholm Trail the opening of a new Museum, Kingfisher 1 Family Day at the Ranch, Will Rogers exhibit entitled Pieces Birthplace Ranch, Oologah 2 Living History Education Day, Fort of a Collection: Selected Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson 1 “Pioneers in Oklahoma” First Saturday Quilts of the Pioneer Hands-On History program, Oklahoma 2–3 Bessie Coleman living history History Center, Oklahoma City Woman Museum. On performances, Oklahoma History Friday, April 21, from Center, Oklahoma City 4–15 Red Dirt Student Art Show exhibit, Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage 5 to 7 p.m. the Friends 4 T. B. Ferguson Home presents “History Center, Enid of Pioneer Woman Statue and Museum of Feed Sacks” lecture by Renee Trindle, will host a special opening event. To Watonga Public Library, Watonga 4, 11, Tracing Your Roots class, Rose State 18, 25 College, Midwest City make a reservation, please call 580-765- 4 “Women’s History Month” First 6108. Pieces of a Collection will highlight Saturday Hands-On History program, 6 “Myth and Reality of the Chisholm Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma Trail” presentation by Kathy Dickson, historically significant quilts and sewing City George M. Murrell Home, Park Hill implements from the museum’s perm- 8 Brown Bag Lunch and Learn program 8 Quilting workshop with Martha Ray, anent collection. The Pioneer Woman by Trappings artist Barbara Jacques, Sod House Museum, Aline Museum is located at 701 Monument Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Enid 8–9 Chisholm Trail field trip with Friends Road in Ponca City. of the Murrell Home, George M. Murrell 10 Preserving Your Family Heirlooms class, Home, Park Hill Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City 10 Smoke Over Oklahoma: The Railroad Photographs of Preston George exhibit 11 Draft Horse program, Fort Towson opening and program, Oklahoma SHPO to host workshops Historic Site, Fort Towson History Center, Oklahoma City 11 “Save Our Stuff: Silver and Glass” 10 Tom Mix Museum annual membership The State Historic Preservation Office lecture, Pawnee Bill Ranch, Pawnee meeting, Tom Mix Museum, Dewey (SHPO) will host four workshops at the 11 Quilting workshop with Martha Ray, 12 “Rowdy Town” Brown Bag Lunch Oklahoma History Center. Each work- Sod House Museum, Aline and Learn program by Karen Sturm, shop is devoted to one of the SHPO’s Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage 13–17 Spring Break activities, Will Rogers Center, Enid federal preservation programs and is Memorial Museum and Birthplace designed for preservation professionals, Ranch, Claremore and Oologah 14–15 Chuck Wagon Festival, Chisholm Trail Museum, Kingfisher government agency representatives, and 16 Mysteries of the Mansion tour, Henry concerned citizens. The sessions will be Overholser Mansion, Oklahoma City 15 Optimist Club Easter Egg Hunt, Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore held Wednesday, May 10, through Friday, 17 T. B. Ferguson Home’s annual May 12. All workshops are free and open Chicken Noodle Dinner, Blaine County 15 Annual Easter Egg Hunt—cosponsored Fairgrounds, Watonga by the Pawnee Lion’s Club and Pawnee to the public, but the SHPO requests that Chamber of Commerce, Pawnee Bill participants register by Wednesday, May 18 Thirtieth annual Family Kite Flite Day, Ranch, Pawnee Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center, 3, at 5 p.m. Space is limited for all ses- Spiro 15 Annual Easter Egg Hunt, T. B. sions and will be reserved on a first-come Ferguson Home, Watonga 18 “Native Plants and Pollinators of basis. Oklahoma” lecture, Pawnee Bill Ranch, 15 Third Saturday Living History program, • Wednesday, May 10, 10:30 a.m. to Pawnee George M. Murrell Home, Park Hill noon—Certified Local Governments Pro- 18 Seventh annual Cowboy Round-Up, 15 Tatting workshop, Chisholm Trail gram: The SHPO and Municipalities Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma Museum, Kingfisher Preserving Community Heritage City 16 Easter Sunrise Service and Friends • Wednesday, May 10, 1:30 to 4:30 18 “Making and Playing with Toys” Family of the Pawnee Bill Ranch Association p.m.—Introduction to Section 106 and Saturday program, Cherokee Strip Easter Breakfast Fundraiser, Pawnee Regional Heritage Center, Enid Bill Ranch, Pawnee Determination of Eligibility for the Na- tional Register 18 Third Saturday Living History program, 17 “The Oklahomans: The Story of George M. Murrell Home, Park Hill Oklahoma and Its People” lecture by • Thursday, May 11, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 John Dwyer, Will Rogers Memorial p.m.—Working with the National Register 18 Tatting workshop, Chisholm Trail Museum, Claremore Museum, Kingfisher of Historic Places 20 Historic Preservation Review Committee • Friday, May 12, 10:30 a.m. to noon— 20 Vernal Equinox Walks, Spiro Mounds meeting, Oklahoma History Center, Archaeological Center, Spiro Oklahoma City Tax Incentives for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings 21 Lunch and Learn DNA Kit Discovery: 20 Mysteries of the Mansion tour, Henry Session One, Rose State College, Overholser Mansion, Oklahoma City • Friday, May 12, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.— Midwest City The Secretary’s Standards and Guide- 21 Pieces of a Collection quilt exhibit 25 Spring Bake Day, Fort Gibson Historic opening reception, Pioneer Woman lines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings Site, Fort Gibson Museum, Ponca City All sessions will be held in the class- room at the Oklahoma History Center, 28 Tracing Your Roots class, Rose State 22–30 Pieces of a Collection quilt exhibit on College, Midwest City display through September 16, Pioneer located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Okla- Woman Museum, Ponca City homa City. For more information or to 29–31 Fur Trade Rendezvous, Fort Washita Historic Site, Durant 26–28 Oklahoma History Conference, Hard register, please contact Jesse Matthews Rock Hotel, Catoosa at [email protected] or 405-521- Please visit www.okhistory.org/calendar for a complete 29 Dutch Oven Cooking class, Oklahoma 6249. You also may register online at list of OHS events, programs, and exhibits. History Center, Oklahoma City www.okhistory.org/shpo/workshops.

4 New collection received at the History Center Bridging the Chisholm

The Oklahoma His- Trail through Indian tory Center museum Territory exhibit recently received a donation of twenty- The Chisholm Trail Museum in King- seven artifacts from fisher is proud to announce its newest the professional lives of Yvonne Chou- exhibit, Bridging the Chisholm Trail teau and Miguel Terekhov, founders of through Indian Territory—now on display! the School of Dance at the University of The more than 1,300-square-foot exhibit Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City Civic celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Ballet. The collection includes shoes from Chisholm Trail, showcases its history, both Chouteau and Terekhov, a leather and illustrates the impact of the Chisholm belt with “Miguel” tooled into it, and sev- Trail in Indian Territory and the area eral dance costumes worn by Chouteau that is now north-central Oklahoma. from childhood through adulthood, repre- Features of the exhibit include a mural senting significant roles from her career. of the Cimarron River, large maps of the The Oklahoma Historical Society would trail, a re-creation of the Red Fork Ranch, like to thank their daughters Christina Cheyenne and Arapaho artifacts, the T. Conway and Elizabeth A. Impallomeni stories of outlaws along the trail, and a who donated these invaluable items. collection of barbed wire. The Oklahoma History Center is located For more information please call 405- at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma 375-5176 or visit www.ctokmuseum.org. City. Regular hours are Monday through The Chisholm Trail Museum and A. J. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please call Seay Mansion are located at 605 Zellers 405-522-0765 for more information. Avenue in Kingfisher.

Oklahoma History Conference to be held in Catoosa Doris “Coke” Lane Meyer

You are cordially invited to make a • A plenary session featuring Nora 1919–2017 reservation to attend all or part of the Guthrie and Carolyn Wills, the daughters Doris “Coke” Lane OHS’s annual Oklahoma History Con- of Woody Guthrie and Bob Wills Meyer, the great-niece ference scheduled for Wednesday, April The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, and perhaps the last of 26, through Friday, April 28, at the Hard located at 777 West Cherokee Street in Will Rogers’s relatives Rock Hotel in Catoosa. The theme for this Catoosa, is the host hotel for this year’s who personally knew year will be “Tall Tales and Blue Whales: conference. To reserve a room, please call him, died on Sunday, The Cultural Influence of Northeastern 1-800-760-6700 or reserve online at www. January 29, 2017. Oklahoma.” HardRockCasinoTulsa.com. Click the She was ninety-seven. The 2017 conference will feature the “Start Your Reservation” button, then Born November 12, following activities: click “Group Code.” Our group code is 1919, in Chelsea, she • A Wednesday evening concert at the OKHISTORYAPRIL2017 and the rate for spent a great deal of historic Cain’s Ballroom featuring Okla- a standard room is the state rate of $91. her childhood in Chel- homa native Ernie Fields, who has put Be sure to call and make your reservation sea with her paternal bands together for The Voice, American by Wednesday, April 5, to get the special grandmother, Maud Ethel Rogers Lane, Idol, and a number of national awards rate. The special rates are good for the Will’s sister. Among her fondest memo- shows nights of April 26 and 27. ries of her great-uncle were the things he • Sixteen presentation sessions on a Registration forms and a detailed did to make his sister more comfortable wide range of topics pertaining to the schedule will be mailed to OHS members, when she was ill and before her death in theme and this information also can be found at 1925, when Coke was just six years old • The Annual Conference Luncheon www.okhistory.org/conference. We will and living with her grandparents. on Thursday with Cherokee Chief Bill hold your name tag, event admissions, She said when Will came to visit while John Baker, Chickasaw Governor Bill and other materials in a packet at our she lived in Bartlesville he “ate with us, Anoatubby, and Creek Chief James Floyd registration table. The deadline for regis- but stayed at Woolaroc in the main lodge invited to speak tration is Friday, April 21. [Will was a great friend of the Phillips • A choice of two bus tours, one to the If you have any questions about the family]. His room was on the mezzanine.” Port of Catoosa and the other tour includ- Oklahoma History Conference events, She shared her love and her stories of ing Route 66 stops at the Blue Whale, please contact Larry O’Dell at lodell@ her uncle with many, rarely missing any the Foyil Totem Pole Park, the Claremore okhistory.org or 405-522-6676 or Shelly activities at the Will Rogers Memorial Mu- Historical Society Museum, and the Will Crynes at [email protected] or 405- seum, even during the past year. She was Rogers Birthplace Ranch 522-0317. a member of the Museum Ropers docent • A dinner and program at the Will The OHS wishes to give a special thank program. Rogers Memorial on Thursday evening you to the Cherokee Nation as a confer- She was often the spokesperson for • The Annual Awards Luncheon on Fri- ence sponsor for the 2017 Oklahoma His- the family and was responsible, along day, including the induction of new mem- tory Conference. with former museum directors Joe and bers into the Oklahoma Historians Hall Michelle Carter, with putting together a of Fame and the presentation of other 125th anniversary celebration of Will’s awards November 4, 1879, birth in 2004.

5 Candidates for election Kite Flight Day and 2017 Statewide to the OHS Board of Vernal Equinox Walks at Preservation Conference

Directors announced Spiro Mounds Save the dates June 7–9, 2017, for Okla- homa’s Twenty-Ninth Annual Statewide Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center OHS members will receive election bal- Preservation Conference to be held in will celebrate the beginning of spring with lots, candidate biographies, and related Oklahoma City. The conference will fea- the thirtieth annual Family Kite Flite Day materials by mail. We hope that members ture plenary sessions, workshops, con- on Saturday, March 18, and a series of will take time to consider the candidates current tracks of sessions, SHPO’s an- guided Vernal Equinox Walks on Mon- and participate in the 2017 election. To nual awards banquet, and special events. day, March 20. facilitate that process, the candidate More information will will be published Family Kite Flite Day will be held from names are printed below. Members will in the May/June 2017 issue of Mistletoe 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 18. This will be asked to vote for one candidate from Leaves (vol. 48, no. 3). District Five, one candidate from District be a free admission day, although dona- Six, and three of the State At-Large can- tions are appreciated. It will be a great didates. Please return your ballots to the day for families and folks of all ages. Each address listed on the form by April 21. year since 1987, Spiro Mounds Archaeo- logical Center has hosted a day of spring Bessie Coleman to visit District Five fun and learning. Guests are welcome to the History Center Jack Baker, Oklahoma City bring lawn chairs, blankets, picnics, and R. Eugene Earsom, Oklahoma City kites to this free event. Kite flying dem- The Oklahoma History Center is proud Joyce Jackson, Oklahoma City onstrations, arts and crafts vendors, a to announce multiple performances by children’s area, bubble making, a sand- Dr. Daisy Century portraying Bessie District Six box where visitors can dig for treasures, Coleman, America’s first licensed Afri- Deena Fisher, Woodward and kite giveaways are just a few of the can American female pilot. Dr. Century’s Dallas Mayer, Hooker activities that will take place. Members of presentations will be Thursday, March 2, the Spiro Boy Scouts also will help people at 7 p.m. and Friday, March 3, at 10:30 State At-Large make their own free sled kite. The OHS, a.m. and 11:30 a.m. for school groups T. S. Akers, Oklahoma City Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center, and and 2 p.m. for the general public. Cost for Harold Aldridge, Tahlequah the Spiro Mounds Development Associa- tickets will be $5 for OHS members, $10 Teresa Black Bradway, Clayton tion sponsor this event. for the general public and no charge for Billie Fogarty, Oklahoma City On March 20 there will be three guid- school groups. A special price for family Leonard Logan, Vinita ed Vernal Equinox Walks at 11 a.m., 2 memberships of $25 will be offered at this Kenny Sivard, Idabel p.m., and 7 p.m., led by archaeologist performance to receive the discounted and manager Dennis Peterson. Each price for future living history programs. walk will take approximately two hours Tickets may be purchased at the History and require one mile of easy walking. At- Center or by calling 405-522-0765. Seat- Spring Bake Day at Fort tendees will learn about the importance ing is limited and on a first-come, first- of spring to American Indians. Peterson served basis. Gibson will tell about this unique, prehistoric Bessie grew up in a family of thirteen American Indian mound site, the types of children in Texas, leaving there for a Fort Gibson Historic Site and the mounds, why they were created, and why short time to complete one term at Okla- Friends of Fort Gibson will host Spring some of the mounds are lined up for the homa Colored Agricultural and Normal Bake Day on Saturday, March 25, sunsets of the solstices and equinoxes. University (now Langston University) in beginning at 10 a.m. Bake Day is a He will discuss the history of the exca- Langston, Oklahoma. Learn more about fundraiser and educational event that vations, American Indian ceremonies and the fascinating life of Bessie Coleman at depicts one aspect of army life during and stories, tales of the unusual happenings this living history performance by Dr. after the Civil War. The aroma of fresh associated with the mounds, and answer Daisy Century. baked bread will fill the air on Garrison your questions. Dr. Century of Philadelphia, Penn- Hill as Fort Gibson staff and volunteers There is a small fee for this series of sylvania, is well known as an educator, bring a bake house to life. This living tours of $5 for adults and $3 for children writer, and historical interpreter. Appear- history presentation details the bread in addition to the regular entrance fee ing previously at the History Center as making process, with Rory Montgomery of $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $4 Sojourner Truth—a former slave, preach- explaining how to bake bread in an for children. Payment may be made by er, and crusader for women’s rights—Dr. old wood-fired stone oven. Guests can cash or check, but credit cards are not Century provided guests with an im- enjoy bread baking demonstrations and accepted. Members of the OHS and the pressive and moving historical reenact- sample the finished product. Visitors also Spiro Mounds Development Association ment of Truth’s famous speech, “Ain’t I a may bring their own bread to bake in the pay no entrance fee. No reservations are Woman.” Among Dr. Century’s other in- oven at Fort Gibson, then spend the day required except for large groups. terpretations are Harriet Tubman, Phillis viewing a reconstruction of the early log Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center Wheatley, and Madam C. J. Walker. She fort as well as original buildings from the is the only prehistoric American Indian has taught in the Philadelphia School 1840s through 1870s. Exhibits detailing site open to the public in Oklahoma. It is System for twenty years and is an award- the history of the fort are located in the located three miles east of Spiro on High- winning science teacher. Commissary Visitor Center on Garrison way 9/271 and four miles north on Lock Funding for this program is provided in Hill. For more information please contact and Dam Road. For more information part by a grant from Oklahoma Humani- Omar Reed at 918-478-4088 or oreed@ please contact Director Dennis Peterson ties and the National Endowment for the okhistory.org. Fort Gibson is a National at 918-962-2062, [email protected], Humanities (NEH). The Oklahoma His- Historic Landmark and is located at 907 or visit www.facebook.com/SpiroMounds tory Center is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi North Garrison in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. ArchaeologicalCenter. Drive in Oklahoma City.

6 Call for nominations Fort Washita to host Friends of the Murrell for the twenty-fourth Fur Trade Rendezvous Home to celebrate

annual Oklahoma Higher Fort Washita in Durant will host a Fur Chisholm Trail 150th Trade Rendezvous from Wednesday, Education Hall of Fame The Friends of the Murrell Home will March 29, through Sunday, April 2. This host a presentation entitled “Myth and The Oklahoma Higher Education Heri- is a living history event reminiscent of a Reality of the Chisholm Trail” on Thurs- tage Society (OHEHS) is now accepting fur trade rendezvous that was the center day, April 6, and the fourteenth annual nominations for its twenty-fourth annual of commerce on the early western fron- Friends field trip along the old Chisholm Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame tier. Visitors can expect to see trappers Trail on Saturday and Sunday, April 8–9. induction. Nominations must be submit- representing the far northwest mountain Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the ted by Friday, March 17. A nomination areas to the desert southwest, as well as Chisholm Trail and learn something new form can be downloaded from the OHEHS traders with French and Spanish influ- during a presentation on April 6, at 6:30 website or requested by calling 405-522- ence. Visit Fort Washita and experience p.m. The Friends of the Murrell Home 0779. The OHEHS, established in 1991 the sights, sounds, and smells of history. Historic Site in Park Hill will host Kathy as a nonprofit to support awareness of Due to the recent transfer of ownership Dickson, OHS director of museums and higher education’s vital role in Oklaho- and new partnership with the Chickasaw historic sites, as she discusses the “Myth ma history, has inducted more than two Nation, this Fur Trade Rendezvous will and Reality of the Chisholm Trail” that hundred individuals into the Oklahoma be free to attend. was named for Cherokee trader Jesse Higher Education Hall of Fame since its The rendezvous will include instruc- Chisholm. A question and answer ses- establishment in 1994. tive programs in customs, survival sion will follow. The presentation is free The Oklahoma Higher Education Hall skills, and lifestyles of the period. Edu- and open to the public. From 1867 to of Fame was established to recognize and cation programs for school children 1885, millions of Texas longhorns made honor individuals, living and deceased, will be held on Thursday, March 30, their way from Texas to Kansas along for outstanding, meritorious service to and Friday, March 31. Students will the Chisholm Trail. The cattle trail and higher education in Oklahoma. This year, travel through the camps where re- its cowboys were already becoming leg- 2017, represents the twenty-fourth year enactors will explain life on the frontier in end as the spectacle of the Chisholm Trail that OHEHS will honor higher education the early nineteenth century. There also was still unfolding. For the past three educators and administrators, as well as will be short educational programs for years, Dickson has been working with a those who support higher education with the public on Saturday, April 1. self-organized group called the Chisholm distinguished contributions. Please call 580-924-6502 for more in- Trail 150th Coalition. She will provide To be eligible for induction, an formation. Fort Washita was established details of 150th celebration events and individual must have been employed in 1842 in Indian Territory as the south- the Chisholm Trail badge program, which by one or more institutions of public or western-most military post of the United encourages travel up and down the trail. private higher education in Oklahoma States. A National Historic Landmark, The coalition created the badge program, on a full-time basis for a minimum of Fort Washita is located at 3348 State the www.chisholmtrail150.org website, ten years. Individuals not so employed, Road 199 in Durant. and has printed rack cards that have but who have performed outstanding been widely distributed. service to higher education in the state, Continue the journey and join the or organizations or institutions that have Friends of the Murrell Home on a two- performed such service, also are eligible day field trip along the old Chisholm for consideration, such service to be above NRHP Nomination Grant Trail—from the Red River to the Chero- and beyond financial contributions. Indi- applications available kee Strip. The bus will depart from the viduals employed by an institution of Murrell Home on April 8 at 7:30 a.m. and higher education in Oklahoma in an area The State Historic Preservation Office will return on April 9 at 7:30 p.m. This of infrastructure and support services (SHPO) announces its annual matching field trip is open to OHS members, and on a full-time basis for a minimum of grants to state, local, and tribal govern- will focus on Cherokees who went west ten years also may be considered for ments and nonprofit organizations for after the Civil War to seek their fortunes induction. the preparation of National Register of outside the Cherokee Nation. Travelers The twenty-fourth annual formal induc- Historic Places (NRHP) nominations. The will experience the trail through ghost tion ceremony and banquet will be held SHPO has reserved $10,000 of its FY towns, trading posts, watering holes, trail on October 17, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. at the 2017 Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) ruts, cow camps, Tom Latimer, Jesse Ch- National Cowboy and Western Heritage allocation from the US Department of the isholm and Pat Hennessey gravesites, Museum in Oklahoma City. Interior for the program. The funds will Chisholm Trail museums in Enid and Biographical sketches and photos of be equally divided in two grant rounds Duncan, scrumptious food, presenta- past hall of fame inductees are available with any funds remaining from round tions, storytellers, story sharing, music, on the Oklahoma Higher Education Heri- one carried over for round two. movies, and more. tage Society website, www.ohehs.org, as Applications and detailed instructions The cost for the trip varies based on well as the Higher Education kiosk in the are available from the SHPO. The dead- your lodging choice and double occupan- Education exhibit at the Oklahoma His- line for round one applications is 5 p.m. cy. Option A is $159, Option B is $179, tory Center. For more information about on April 3, and the deadline for round and Option C is $219. For more informa- the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of two applications is 5 p.m. on June 5. tion or to reserve your seat, please con- Fame or the Oklahoma Higher Education To obtain or submit a NRHP Nomina- tact the Murrell Home at 918-456-2751 Heritage Society, visit www.ohehs.org or tion Grant application form, please visit or [email protected]. The Mur- call 405-522-0779. www.okhistory.org/shpo/nrgrant.htm. rell Home, a National Historic Landmark, You also may contact the SHPO at 405- is located three miles south of Tahlequah 521-6249. Information about the SHPO at 19479 East Murrell Home Road in and its programs, including the NRHP, is Park Hill. available at www.okhistory.org/shpo.

7 Oklahoma Historical Society 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive Oklahoma City, OK 73105-7917 PERIODICALS

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Vol. 48, No. 2 March/April 2017 Fort Towson to host Living History Education Day

Fort Towson Historic Site will host Living History Education Day on Thursday, March 2, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Educational stations will include reenactors portraying time periods from the fort’s beginning through the 1860s. Participants can expect to see soldiers in full gear and civilians who dealt with the soldiers at the fort. The reenactors will tell students about the uniforms, weapons, and lifestyles of soldiers, trappers, storekeepers, and other people around the region who were connected to the fort. Visitors will move from station to station to see demonstrations about military life. There is no charge for this opportunity to learn about our state’s history, but reservations are required for Living History Education Day. To schedule a school field trip, please make reservations by contacting John Davis at jdavis@okhistory.org or 580-873-2634. Teachers must accompany each group, and a ratio Spring Break activities at Will Rogers of one adult for every eight students is recommended. Individuals who make a Memorial Museum and Birthplace Ranch reservation will be met upon their arrival and instructed to proceed to the many educational stations. Parents, give your children the opportunity to ex- The fort was established in 1824 as Cantonment Towson, named for War of perience childhood as Will Rogers would have on his 1812 hero General Nathan Towson. It was located on the boundary with Mexico Indian Territory Ranch this March! Spring Break (present-day Texas) and served as a buffer area between the Choctaws and west- activities will be held Monday, March 13, through ern Plains tribes. After the signing of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the Friday, March 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Will Rogers renamed Fort Towson was expanded to include several buildings and was an end Memorial Museum and the Will Rogers Birthplace point for Choctaw removal. It was a staging area during the Mexican War, but Ranch. There will be new activities each day focusing was then largely abandoned until the Civil War. on different aspects of Will’s life, including sports, In the 1820s Josiah Doak established a trading post nearby that would become horses and riding, aviation, writing, and entertain- the town of Doaksville. As roads were created to bring supplies to Fort Towson ment. The programs will take place at the museum from places like Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Fort Jessup, Louisiana, commerce on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and at the flourished in Doaksville. Steamboats carried goods to and from the town.The ranch on Tuesday and Thursday. This year’s Spring Break activities will be free prosperous town was the capital of the Choctaw Nation for a brief period in the for ages seventeen and under thanks to a generous education sponsorship from mid-1800s before the tribe moved the capital farther west in Indian Territory. Win and Kay Ingersoll of Ingersoll Ranch. After Fort Towson was abandoned, the town declined until it was bypassed by A few of the activities that will take place throughout the week include creat- the railroad in 1870. Doaksville is now an interpreted archaeological site with a ing movie posters, newspaper writing with a writer from the Claremore Progress, walking trail that passes the remains of town structures. behind-the-scenes tours for parents, a paper airplane flying contest, cattle brand Fort Towson Historic Site is located one mile east of the town of Fort Towson making, horseshoes, roping, and the Mid-Afternoon Frolic Talent Show on Fri- and three-quarters of a mile north on Highway 70E. day. More information and entry forms for the talent show can be found at www. willrogers.com/spring-break. The Will Rogers Memorial Museum is located at 1720 West Will Rogers Boulevard in Claremore. The Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch is located at 9501 East 380 Road in Oologah. Please email [email protected] or call 800-324-9455 for more information.