Perspectives in History Oklahoma History Conference presented by the Oklahoma Historical Society April 22–23, 2021 | Virtual 1 ABOUT THE CONFERENCE Thank you for joining the OHS for “Perspectives in CONTENTS History,” the 2021 Oklahoma History Conference. This year’s lineup includes 11 live sessions, 2 programs, and Live Sessions and Programs at a Glance 3 11 on-demand sessions. The entire conference will be On-Demand Sessions at a Glance 4 online. We are proud to welcome celebrated poet, au- Session Descriptions (Live) 5 thor, musician, and current US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, who will present the keynote address on Thursday. Session Descriptions (On-Demand) 8 Tribute to Steve Ripley 12 “Perspectives in History” The 2021 theme is “Perspectives in History.” This theme Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame was designed to encourage presentations sharing the Induction and Award Ceremony 12 stories of underrepresented groups, lesser-known topics, and new points of view. Professional Development This year we have expanded conference offerings to include professional development. These presentations will be of particular interest to museum and archive pro- fessionals, historical and genealogical societies, students, and educators. Look for this symbol indicating pro- fessional development sessions. How to Attend All conference sessions and activities are online this year. Visit www.okhistory.org/conference to participate in the virtual conference. You can join the live sessions at their scheduled time by clicking the link next to the session name. Live sessions will include an opportunity for the online audience to submit questions via the chat function. The on- demand sessions will be available during the entire conference, beginning at 8 a.m. on Thursday, so that you can enjoy these presentations at your convenience. Exhibitor & Sponsor Hall Look for the Exhibitor & Sponsor Hall link to find out more about our supporters, exhibitors, and resources. Programs The conference will include a musical tribute to the late Steve Ripley by the Red Dirt Rangers and the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony. These programs will be available at a scheduled time as a YouTube Premiere. Look for more information on page 12. 1 THANK YOU The Oklahoma Historical Society would like to Exhibitor & Sponsor Hall express our gratitude to our supporters. During the virtual conference, be sure to visit the Exhibitor & Sponsor Hall. This webpage will feature our Thanks to the generosity of numerous individuals supporters and exhibitors, OHS programs, publications, and organizations, we are able to make this year’s and more. Look for the Exhibitor & Sponsor Hall link, conference available free of charge. and take a moment to learn about our supporters and explore our resources. This program is sponsored in part by Oklahoma The keynote presentation is supported in part by the Humanities (OH) and the National Endowment for the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions, the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for or recommendations expressed in this program do not the Arts. necessarily represent those of OH or NEH. 2 LIVE SESSIONS AND PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE Live sessions will be available at a specific time, and the virtual audience will have the opportunity to ask the speaker questions after the presentation. Look for this symbol indicating professional development sessions. The tribute to Steve Ripley and Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony are prerecorded programs, which will be available to watch at the time listed. All sessions and programs are listed in central time. Thursday, April 22 9:30–9:40 a.m. Welcome, Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) Executive Director Trait Thompson 10–10:50 a.m. “Endurance Strategies: Indigenous People in Central Oklahoma During the ‘Orgy of Exploitation,’” John Truden, history doctoral graduate student, University of Oklahoma 11–11:50 a.m. “The Tulsa Council of Defense v. Andrew J. Smitherman,” Randy Hopkins, attorney (retired) 12–12:50 p.m. Keynote Speaker Joy Harjo Poet, author, and musician Joy Harjo is the US Poet Laureate. A Muscogee (Creek) citizen, she is the first Native American to hold the title and the second person to serve three terms. 1–1:50 p.m. “Project VOICE: Visions of Inclusion, Culture, and Empathy,” Savanna Payne and Jamie Hinds Blank, English language learner instructional facilitators, Oklahoma City Public Schools 2–2:50 p.m. “Good, Better, and Best Practices for Collections Care,” OHS staff Jeff Briley, deputy director the Oklahoma History Center; Mallory Covington, CA, archival collections manager; Jennifer Holt, curator at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum; and Karen Whitecotton, director of collections for OKPOP 3–3:50 p.m. “Developing a Strategic Plan for Your Historical Organization,” Kathy Dickson, director of Museums and Historic Sites Division, OHS 7 p.m. Red Dirt Rangers Musical Tribute to Steve Ripley Friday, April 23 9–9:50 a.m. “The Misremembered ‘Uncle’ Wallace and ‘Aunt’ Minerva: Establishing Father-Daughter Kinship,” Shelby Ward, attorney and genealogist 10–10:50 a.m. “Historical Considerations in the Creek Nation Reservation Cases,” Susan Work, attorney and author 11–11:50 a.m. “The Ghosts of Creek County: Revisiting Oil and Indigenous Sovereignty,” Russell Cobb, author and associate professor, University of Alberta 12–12:50 p.m. “A Conversation with Hannibal B. Johnson: The Tulsa Race Massacre and Greenwood Rising,” Hannibal B. Johnson, esquire, is the chair of the Education Committee for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission and local curator of Greenwood Rising. 1 p.m. Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony 3 ON-DEMAND SESSIONS AT A GLANCE On-demand sessions will be available online beginning at 8 a.m. on Thursday, April 22. Conference attendees can watch these sessions at their convenience. Videos will be available throughout the entire conference. Look for this symbol indicating professional development sessions. “Acquisitions as Activism: Preserving and Celebrating Creative and Cultural Legacies Through Collection Development,” Todd Fuller, curator, Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma “A Disgraceful Blot: Oklahoma Territory and the Victorian Divorce Crisis,” Jennifer Lynch, instructor, University of Central Oklahoma “Finding Isaac Rogers,” Nicka Sewell-Smith, genealogist “Fluid Resistance: A Queer Analysis of Art and Politics in Oklahoma,” B Hinesley and Arlowe Matthews, public history graduate students; Macy Jennings and Jacie Earwood, art history graduate students; and moderator Dr. Laura Arata, assistant professor, history department; all of Oklahoma State University “The Legend of Cora Youngblood: Oklahoma’s Forgotten Prodigy,” James P. Gregory Jr., doctoral graduate student, University of Oklahoma “A Mexican Oklahoman History,” Jorge Luis Chavez, public history graduate student, Oklahoma State University, and assistant curator of education, Oklahoma History Center, OHS “Telling the Stories of Creek Allottees of Tvlse,” The Lucinda Hickory Research Institute “Uncovering Oral History Perspectives in Oklahoma,” Karen Neurohr, professor, Oklahoma Oral History Research Program, Oklahoma State University; and Mallory Covington, CA, archival collections manager, OHS “Washita Love Child: The Life and Times of Jesse Ed Davis,” Douglas K. Miller, author and assistant professor, history department, Oklahoma State University “William Faulkner Was Right: Why How We Talk About History Matters,” Dr. Amber J. Godwin, assistant clinical professor, Sam Houston State University “Women of Washita,” Kate Roesch, education ranger, Washita Battlefield National Historic Site 4 SESSION DESCRIPTIONS Thursday, April 22 This presentation will review events reported in “Let Us 9:30–9:40 a.m. Have Democracy,” including underappreciated instanc- Welcome, Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) es of interracial cooperation and respect for the rule of Executive Director Trait Thompson law. The session will also explore the historiography and failure of Oklahoma historians to preserve the ex- tensive documentation of the State Council of Defense, Thursday, 10–10:50 a.m. and conclude with the confrontation between the Tulsa “Endurance Strategies: Indigenous People in Central Council and the newsman. Oklahoma During the ‘Orgy of Exploitation,’” John Truden Randy Hopkins is a retired trial lawyer residing in Port- In 1940, Angie Debo wrote about the “orgy of exploita- land, Oregon. Born and raised in Oklahoma, he is a tion,” a period between 1898 and 1934 in which corrupt graduate of Oklahoma State University and the Univer- politicians and lawyers descended on and dismembered sity of Texas School of Law. His article “Birthday of the the territories of the Five Tribes. This session will examine Klan: The Tulsa Outrage of 1917,” was published in The the strategies of Indigenous people during this period. Chronicles of Oklahoma. Topics include Sauk trader Moses Keokuk, who battled the Lincoln County treasurer’s office in territorial court; Citizen Pottawatomi urban planner Catherine Burnett, who used her husband’s capital and her allotment to con- struct a successful trading center that did not fall un- der territorial jurisdiction; Chickasaw businessman E. B. Johnson’s use of a grafting firm to help him swindle Na- tive people in eastern Oklahoma; and Absentee Shawnee Chief Big Jim’s decision to move his people to a remote area in hopes of being left