Customer Reviews (3)

To the Victor . . .
This "cafeteria Catholic" reviewer was born in ChicagoLand during the reign of Mayor Richard Daley I (American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley - His Battle for Chicago and the Nation), and graduated public High School in Wisconsin, in 1972, having never heard of Shakespeare, or Hamlet, knowing how to milk the cows of America's Dairyland, but never having heard mention of Joseph McCarthy, former US Senator from WISCONSIN and those in his wake (No Sense of Decency: The Army-McCarthy Hearings: A Demagogue Falls and Television Takes Charge of American Politics.)I proceeded onward to a Lutheran College in Northfield The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, Minnesota, where they made us eat this Gawd-Awful lye-soaked fish and never spoke of the James Gang, but raged on and on about the evils of the Vatican, and the Glory of Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in mandatory twice weekly religion classes. They taught me about that Shakespeare guy and his man Hamlet.
I spent a lot of time out in Wounded Knee, and one day turned South back on I-35 and wound up in Oklahoma.
I throw in all that personal geographical history because it illustrates Professor Joyce's (and, in a countrywide view, Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present (P.S.)) point that "History" is often fabricated, or at least selectively reported, by the prevailing "Power Structure." (Read Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto (Civilization of the American Indian)).
At the University of Oklahoma, I was dutifully instructed on how to contain, and eventually stop, a cattle stampede.I was *not* taught about Angie Debo's watershed book on the travesties against the survivors of the Trail of Tears And Still the Waters Run nor the fact that the Founding FATHERS at OU refused to allow her to teach there.
But they must be getting better - or at least getting a sense of humour. In his intro, Joyce writes "... in that inevitable takingof sides which comes from selection and emphasisin Oklahoma history, I prefer to tell the story of Oklahoma's pre- (and history)from the point of view of... the Run of `89 [for you non-Okies, this is when Oklahoma and Indian Territories were "opened up" to land-grabbing non-Indians, despite the fact that the grass was still growing and the Rivers still Flowing, and therefore the previously promised perpetual treaties had not expired.The "Boomers" were the "law-abiding" land thieves who waited for the "official" Boom of the start gun, the "Sooners" snuck in- well - sooner!] as seen by the Indians already here, ... the University of Oklahoma's much vaunted football success as seen by the bright students who feel compelled to leave the state for high-quality education and jobs, or as seen by the athlete who never gets a degree; and so on ..."
Boy Howdy! This book was published in 1994 by THE University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OKlahoma, the institution former University President George Lynn Cross urged to become "a university our football team can be proud of."

One more thing about the introduction: Joyce asks "Couldn't our view of Oklahoma history use a little reshuffling of heros and villians?Why, for example, isn't Woody Guthrie in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame?"
What?This reviewer was flabbergasted. So, while singing "This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land" to myself (and hoping that I wouldn't have to rouse all the folk on son Arlo's infamous Group W bench into action,) I did some updated internet research and am pleased to announce that Woody was rightfully but belatedly inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. In 2006.(Angie Debo got in in 1950.)
This book should be required reading in all Oklahoma curricula.And every state should have one like it. Bravo, Professor Joyce! (See also Alternative Oklahoma: Contrarian Views of the Sooner State.) The footnotes are great, except that it required massive use of my Amazon Prime membership and the construction of yet another "Some Assembly Required" bookcase."The Southern Influence of Oklahoma" article validated every inchoate concept I had about the Sooner State - my internal guide has always been any state wherein the predominance of the populace drawls and avails itself of some form of "you all" as the Second Person Plural is "Southern," linguisticly, socially, and politicly - despite Frederick Jackson Turner and Okie protestations that they are a "mid-western" state just because they have an Oklahoma City suburb named Midwest City!And the article on the integration/lunch counter sit-ins is important for younger generations to understand.It's the Santayana thing: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
/TundraVision, back in Minnesota's Land of Sky Blue Waters

Informative essays about the "flip-side" history of Oklahoma
As the reviewer below was, I too was a student in Dr. Joyce's Oklahoma History class and this book was a required text for the course.After reading the essays of the book which deal with a more radical history of Oklahoma that is definitely not as well known in this state such as the Abortion Rights Movement, Gay Rights, the stealing of land from the Native Americans by White Men during the land rush of the 1880's-1890's, etc,.

Dr Joyce has brought together some very eye opening essays from various writers who have either first hand experience or from those who are subject matter experts.

This is the type of book that should be required reading to all high school students in Oklahoma.Yes, the book is definitely controversial and would upset those with conservative, "right-wing" viewpoints, however with that said, it describes events in the state's history that everyone should be concerned about.

I admire Dr. Joyce and the conviction that made him write this book, and I highly recommended it to all who want to know a viewpoint of Oklahoma, its people and history that is generally not well known.

Good Collection of Essays on Oklahoma
This was a supplemental text to a section of Oklahoma history (not the one taught by Dr. Joyce though) I took last semester at college. The essays cover a wide variety of topics and are very thought provoking. One essay in particular debates the value of "celebrating" the Land Run of 1889. When I was in second grade, my elementary school commemorated the Land Run by holding a mock run and we were made to believe it was a fun, adventurous event. Now that I'm older and have learned more about the Run, I have great uncertainties about whether such a celebration should take place.

Goble's "Southern Influence on Oklahoma" was also intriguing. Political scientists and historians aren't sure how to classify Oklahoma because this state is a combination of Midwestern, Western and Southern. In his essay, Goble lists the many political and religious elements from the South that have shaped Oklahoma over the years. All things considered, this would be a great buy for anyone interested in Oklahoma history. ... Read more

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This revised and updated edition of Mr. Koplowitz's book, like the 1990 original, lists public records through 1920 for the county offices of assessor, board of county commissioners, county clerk, court clerk, election board, sheriff, superintendent of sc ... Read more

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The Forth Worth Record started as a morning paper in 1903 in Fort Worth, Texas. The paper reported news from across Texas, Indian Territory, Oklahoma Territory, the nation, and the world. It provided coverage of the Russo-Japanese war, the presidential el ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Treasure Trove
This collated and edited collection focusing on Oklahoma is part of the much larger (massive) collection of works produced by the WPA (Works Project Administration) which was part of Roosevelt's Federal Writers Project. Spanning the country to interview ex-enslaved African Americans before that entire generation died, the combined volumes speak volumes about the horrid conditions--provided by first-hand, eye-witnesses. This current volume focuses, as the title notes, on one such state--Oklahoma. For the complete works, the Library of Congress online is the best source.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction , Spiritual Friends, and Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction.

Rich history of slavery practices of Five Civilized Tribes
From 19337-39 the Works Project Administration, through the Oklahoma Federal Writers Project, interviewed former slaves living in Oklahoma. For various reasons the slave narratives were never published and languished in boxes in Oklahoma and Washington, DC.
In 1990 they came to the attention of the editors of this volume annd after extensive work were published in 1996. The book contains some one hundred thirty narratives and is a rich history of not only Oklahoma but other southern states as well as the slavery practices of the Five Civilized Tribes.
It is an indispensable resource for historians as well as readers interested in slavery, Oklahoma's Five Tribes, African Americans, and the history of race relations in Oklahoma and the Southwest. Detailed editorial notes and a superb index are included. ... Read more

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1890 Cherokee Nation Census – Barbara Benge. This bookis a transcription of the 1890 Cherokee Nation Census in the sameformat used by the Federal 1890 census. This census will help tobridge the gap between the 1880 Cherokee Nation census and the Dawesroll done in 1902. Districts covered: Canadian, Cooweescoowee,Delaware, Flint, Goingsnake, Illinois, Saline, Sequoyah, Tahlequah,and Orphans. The transcription of this census is divided into twovolumes and includes names, race, age, marital status and sex, withadditional remarks by the original census takers. 2002, 2 vols., 863pp., 8.5x11, index, paper. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Sadly disappointed.
Had I been able to actually see the book I wouldn't have purchased it. I would liked to have seen a sample of what the 1890 census sheet actually looked like to relate to the info obtained.I would also liked to have seen a map referring to where the areas were located then compared to now. I feel the book is incomplete.

A good resource, with certain reservations
It doesn't take long for novice genealogists to discover the absence of the 1890 U.S. census, destroyed in a fire in the 1920s, but there's a geographical exception of which only those doing Oklahoma research are generally aware -- Indian Territory, in what is now eastern Oklahoma. The territory was divided into ten districts and the methods followed in the enumeration were the same as for the census at large, with 105 columns in six schedules. This transcription appears to include only the first two schedules: Native Cherokees, Shawnees, and Delawares, and adopted whites; and orphans under the age of sixteen. Information transcribed includes only page and line number, name, race, sex, age, marital status, occupation, and remarks (and there seem to be many more remarks by census-takers than one would expect in a state enumeration). Since Native American documentary resources are so slim, the researcher will want to pursue the more specialized schedules. It should be noted that most of the names as recorded don't sound "Indian." Edward Goodman is listed as a "Native Cherokee," and so is George Wilkerson, though you will also find listings for Sa-gi-ya Bearpaw and Seali Going Snake. As with any census, spelling of surnames varies considerably and Benge has made an effort to consolidate variant spellings in the index (though the researcher, of course, should not assume that two similar names actually are cognates). Happily, data is not alphabetized but is presented in the original recorded order. While I cannot judge the accuracy of Benge's transcription, I saw very few blanks or question marks, which may be either an indication of skilled reading or of exceptionally clear penmanship. While this is a very useful resource for the genealogist who has just uncovered Native American ancestry, I wish the compiler had included a much lengthier introduction and perhaps a few maps of the districts. ... Read more

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From Table of Contents - Before the Run; After the Run; Cities, Towns and Communities; Businesses, Organizations and Clubs; Schools of Noble County; Churches; Military; Families; Corrections for Volume I.

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A pictorial history of the early days in LeFlore County, Oklahoma. ... Read more

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The Historical Oklahoma Book Collection is a collection of 27 volumes relating to the history of Oklahoma and its people primarily in the 18th and 19th centuries. Several of the volumes have great period illustrations and portraits of relevant historical figures.Here are the computer requirements to run and operate this CD. You must have a PC running Windows or a Macintosh running OS X or higher software and a web browser. All the manuals in this disk are in DJVU format. This format allows you to page through the manuals, enlarge pages for better viewing and print the individual pages or entire manual as well as many other things. The viewer is very intuitive to use and has a full help system to answer any questions you may have about its more advanced features. The viewer is included on the CD. ... Read more

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This series linking the Drennen Roll and the Guion Miller Applications is a MUST for anyone researching Cherokee ancestry. Article 9 of the Treaty of August 8, 1846, between the United States government and the Cherokee Nation called for "a fair and just ... Read more