Oklahoma in Context
The Oklahoma History Symposium

This program is funded in part by Oklahoma Humanities (OH) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily represent those of OH or NEH.

Break

“Raising Washington: Preserving the Legacy of African American History in Stillwater”
Laura Arata, associate professor of history, Oklahoma State University (OSU); Karen Washington, Booker T. Washington School alumnae; Norman McNickle, city manager (retired), City of Stillwater; Michelle Charles, communications specialist, City of Stillwater; Jamie Schussler, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, OSU; Sarah Ra, assistant professor of architecture, OSU; and James Beckstrom, owner, Beckstrom Group
(Chesapeake Event Center)

This discussion session includes team members who have worked together to save the historic Booker T. Washington School in Stillwater. The school building was recently returned to city ownership after being abandoned for more than two decades and enduring years of persistent flooding. The all-volunteer efforts to save the historic structure have engaged a broad spectrum of community support, from Oklahoma State University faculty and City of Stillwater employees to Washington School alums and concerned residents.

Washington School is the only standing example of an All-Black segregated school in Payne County.

“A Story on Two Wheels: Bikers in Ledger Art on the Borderlands of Experience”
James Gregory Bland, PhD candidate, University of Oklahoma (OU)
(Musser Learning Lab)

This session will explore the use of motorcycles, bikers, and biker art in the modern generation of ledger art. James Bland asserts that since the 1970s, Native culture and biker culture have shared experiences and symbols that result in a common language. This is especially pertinent to Oklahoma, as the Southern Plains was the birthplace of many ledger artists.

Bland contends that the art around motorcycles and bikers was inspired by the shared challenges endured by Plains motorists of all ethnicities, resulting in a syncretic biker iconography unique to the Anglo-Native Great Plains.

Break

“‘The Magnificent Citizenship’: Politics, Gender, and Race in Early Oklahoma”
Hope Cunningham, MA student; Christine Carlson, PhD student; and Thayme Watson, PhD candidate; all of OU; with moderator Sarah Eppler Janda, professor, Cameron University
(Chesapeake Event Center)

This session examines politics, gender, race, and the contested nature of citizenship in Oklahoma as it transitioned from territory to state. Christine Carlson’s project asks how maternalism, alliances with conservative groups, and racial questions drove and stymied the Oklahoma women’s suffrage movement from 1895 to 1907. Thayme Watson’s piece on the Oklahoma Statehood Convention examines how delegates tied notions of gender and race to citizenship and who would be an “Oklahoman.” Hope Cunningham analyzes the relationships between masculinity, patriotism, and vigilantism in the statewide response to the 1917 Green Corn Rebellion. This illuminates the unique political atmosphere during World War I, and how Oklahomans viewed the proper expression of manhood.

Break for sessions in the Chesapeake Event Center

“150th Anniversary of the ‘Sand Hill Fight’ on the Cheyenne and Arapaho Reservation”
Dee Cordry, author
(Musser Learning Lab)

One hundred and fifty years ago, a significant event occurred at the end of the 1874 Red River War. On April 6, 1875, US army soldiers used deadly force against Cheyenne men, women, and children during the traumatic “Sand Hill Fight” near Darlington, Indian Territory. Following the event, deadly force was again used against the Cheyenne in the Sappa Creek Battle in Kansas.

The “Sand Hill Fight” represented a unique confluence of Plains Indian combatants, non-combatants, US reservation officials, white survivors of Native captivity, and US soldiers. This presentation is a critical examination of two conflicting accounts of this forgotten historic event.

Break for sessions in the Musser Learning Lab

“OSU’s Response to 9/11—A Reflection Through Oral History, University Newspapers, and the Institutional Change”
Sarah Griswold, assistant professor of history; Jin Kim, assistant professor, Religious Studies Program, Department of Philosophy; Corinne Schwarz, assistant professor of Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies Program, Department of Sociology; Daniel Sexton, research assistant; and Alora Thompson, research assistant, all of OSU
(Chesapeake Event Center)

The events of 9/11 had far-reaching impacts on campuses across the US, including Oklahoma State University (OSU). At OSU, the aftermath spurred debates on religious freedom, terrorism, and national security, igniting reflective discussions and, in some cases, reactionary sentiments. Our panel explores OSU’s response by drawing on interdisciplinary theories, archived newspapers, and oral histories, aiming to provide insight into how students, faculty, and the university administration navigated the complex period after 9/11.

This panel’s goal is to use the past to understand the present, and to build a historical record of OSU’s response and illuminate patterns of institutional response, activism, and resilience here in Oklahoma.

“The Reconstruction Era National Historic Network and How it Connects to the History of Oklahoma”
Chandra Powell, park ranger, Reconstruction Era National Historic Network
(Musser Learning Lab)

The Reconstruction era (1861–1900) was the period in which the US grappled with the question of how to extend the promise of life, liberty, and the equal protection of law to millions of newly freed African Americans. Reconstruction was a process that took place in communities throughout the nation where people struggled earnestly—if not always successfully—to build a nation of free and equal citizens.

The Reconstruction Era National Historic Network was established in 2019 to help visitors nationwide connect with the stories of Reconstruction. This session will connect Reconstruction to Oklahoma and share about the network.

Break

“Making It Home: An Overview of Oklahoma Native American Baseball Players in Major League Baseball”
Thomas Kahle, PhD student, University of Oklahoma (OU); Todd Fuller, curator, Western History Collections, OU Libraries; and Rob Daughtery (Cherokee Nation citizen), retired director of community and cultural outreach, Cherokee Nation
(Chesapeake Event Center)

From 1999 to 2024, the Baseball Almanac website has compiled a list of Native Americans who played in the Major Leagues. The list appears comprehensive, identifying 54 players who played professional ball from 1897 to 2020. However, close examination reveals the list is flawed.

This presentation recounts the work of our speakers to rectify these mistakes. Fuller, Kahle, and Daugherty have expunged the list of errors while identifying previously unrecognized Native players, paying particular attention to the stories and accomplishments of ball players from Oklahoma. From the World Series heroics of Allie Reynolds (Muscogee) to the lesser-known baserunning feats of Paddy Mayes (Muscogee), Oklahoma Native baseball players have been a part of every era of the Great American Indian Pastime. Their achievements shed light on a side of American sports history that has yet to receive the attention it deserves.

“Bringing Bath Ave Back: Virtual Reality Modeling for Lost Historic Spaces”
Judie Mathews, special collections librarian, Metropolitan Library System; and Bobby Reed, Computer Science faculty, Oklahoma City University, and developer/owner of Drone's Eye View
(Musser Learning Lab)

In 2021, librarians Judie Matthews and Bobby Reed began to develop a first-of-its-kind virtual reality model of 700 N. Bath Avenue, an Oklahoma City block lost to Urban Renewal. Using hundreds of primary sources, the team created a lifelike and enveloping version of an area of town that hadn’t existed for 40 years. Using maps, photos, newspaper reports and advertisements, and oral histories, Matthews and Reed have created a new tool for educators and historians: virtual reality models that can place a student in the middle of history. This session will showcase the VR model, both with headsets and on a shared screen, and walk attendees through the steps to create the model, the hurdles in production, potential next steps, and future endeavors.