Visit the Sod House Museum on Saturday, June 19, at 10 a.m., for the program "Resilience and Transformation: Germans from Russia in Northwestern Oklahoma (1889-1940)" presented by guest speaker Professor Eric Schmaltz of Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NWOSU). Professor Schmaltz will provide information on the general migrations and settlements of ethnic Germans from the Russian Empire in the western parts of Oklahoma at the turn of the last century. He will explore the factors that led this group to settle…

Start your summer with a trip to Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center for a special guided tour on the summer solstice, Sunday, June 20. There will be three walks led by archaeologist Dennis Peterson, who has served as archaeologist and site manager at Spiro Mounds for 35 years, will lead guided tours starting at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. Each walk will include one mile of easy walking and last about two hours. Using his expertise and references to…

Will Rogers Memorial Museum is launching a return of the Thursday Night Lecture Series! Lectures are scheduled for May 20, June 17, July 15, and September 16 in the museum theater. Programs will begin at 7 p.m. and will include time for questions and answers with speakers. The program on July 15 will take a look at the man who returned Will Rogers to Broadway. Our speaker will be Tom Lindley, author and former newsman, who published To the Max:…

Honey Springs Battlefield will host a special presentation about the contributions of the First Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. The program will be held at the Honey Springs Battlefield Visitor Center on Friday, July 23, at 7 p.m. Retired professor and award-winning author Art T. Burton will speak about the soldiers of the First Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment who fought bravely at the Battle of Honey Springs on July 17, 1863. The First Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment…

Will Rogers Memorial Museum is launching a return of the Thursday Night Lecture Series! Lectures are scheduled for May 20, June 17, July 15, and September 16 in the museum theater. Programs will begin at 7 p.m. and will include time for questions and answers with speakers. Jim Bridenstine, whose career in politics paved the way for an appointment as NASA director, will speak on September 16. Bridenstine was a navy aviator and private pilot, and one-time executive director of…

Join the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) and Oklahoma Humanities (OH) on Wednesday, September 22, at 6 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center for a live podcast crossover event. OHS Executive Director Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn of the OHS’s A Very OK Podcast and Dr. Sunu Kodumthara of OH’s BrainBox will lead a conversation about growing up in Oklahoma from multiple cultural perspectives, featuring guests Kelli Brooke Haney and Javier Hernandez. This crossover episode will be recorded in front of a live audience.

Prior to the program, DJ Tangerine will perform and a bar will be available with complimentary beer and wine, sponsored by Coop Ale Works. Registration is $10 for OHS members and $15 for nonmembers. A charcuterie box can be purchased for an additional $7. The panelists will be available before the recording, as will related OHS resources. Registration is required, and attendees must be 21 years old or older. Please visit www.okhistory.org/crossover to register.

On Thursday, January 13, from 1 to 3 p.m., the John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick Research Center at the Oklahoma History Center will host a special program presented by Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Director Trait Thompson. Before becoming executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, Thompson was the project manager of the Oklahoma Capitol Restoration Project. He will discuss the history of the Oklahoma State Capitol and how this monumental restoration project was achieved. OHS librarians and archivists will also offer…

On Saturday, January 29, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., author and historian Jonita Mullins will present an author’s review of her book The Jefferson Highway in Oklahoma: The Historic Osage Trace (American Heritage, 2016) at the Honey Springs Battlefield Visitor Center. In her book, Mullins recalls some of Oklahoma’s most important history, celebrates some of its most fascinating characters, and presents the story of the old road that was the location of the Battle of Honey Springs near Checotah. She will…

Will Rogers Memorial Museum will have a Thursday Night Lecture Series in the museum theater on Thursday, February 17. The program will begin at 7 p.m. Architect Ted Reeds will give a presentation on the development and design of Art Deco architecture in the city of Tulsa and John Duncan Forsyth (1887–1963) who was the architect of the Will Rogers Memorial Museum. Forsyth was a Scottish-American architect who came to prominence working in the Tulsa area. For more information, please…

Honey Springs Battlefield’s special presentation, “The First Indian Home Guard,” which was originally scheduled to take place at the battlefield’s Visitor Center on Saturday, February 26, at 1 p.m. has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 12, at 1 p.m. to take place at the same location. Dr. Jane Johansson, professor in the Department of History and Political Science at Rogers State University and editor of the book Albert C. Ellithorpe, the First Indian Home Guards, and the Civil War on the Trans-Mississippi Frontier, will speak about the regiment’s unique history in relation to the Civil War in Indian Territory and the Battle of Honey Springs.

“Recruited in Kansas refugee camps in the spring of 1862, the First Indian Home Guard was a unique Civil War regiment,” said Johansson. “Comprised of whites, refugee Muscogee Creeks and Seminoles, and African Creeks, the regiment served in a variety of military operations from 1862–1865. Notable actions that the unit engaged in included Locust Grove, Fort Wayne, Cane Hill, Prairie Grove, Honey Springs, and many smaller encounters. This presentation will explore the regiment’s background, its composition, notable personalities, military actions, relations with the federal government, and the postwar era,” Johansson continued.

On Thursday, March 24, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum will have a special panel of guests who were the planners of the Will Rogers Day Parade of 1979. That year, on November 4th, Claremore celebrated the 100th birthday of Will Rogers with a more than 2-hour parade. Guests Dave Burrows, Jerry Webster, Bill Crutcher, who were young Claremore businessmen in the seventies will talk about the 12-month process of planning the parade, which was one of the largest gatherings in…

On Friday, March 25, from 6 to 8 p.m., Preservation Oklahoma will hold a History and Hops event. For this special evening event, June Lester Chubbuck will be making a presentation about the historic Edwards Store and the Butterfield Overland Trail in southeast Oklahoma. The presentation will take place in the Carriage House of the Henry and Anna Overholser Mansion, located at 405 NW 15th St., Oklahoma City. The History and Hops series is a fun way to learn about…

Honey Springs Visitor Center will host Ms. Debra Goodrich on Thursday, April 7, at 7 p.m. for a special presentation about life and career of former Union Army Officer of the Second Indian Home Guard, who fought at the Battle of Honey Springs, John Ritchie. Ms. Debra Goodrich will detail Ritchie’s history beginning with his involvement as an abolitionist in Kansas during the Bleeding Kansas years leading to the Civil War, his involvement as a delegate in two Kansas Constitutional…

The Oklahoma Historical Society will present “Perspectives in History,” the 2022 Oklahoma History Symposium, on Saturday, April 9, at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. This one-day symposium offers scholars, historians, authors, and museum professionals a forum to share their work with history enthusiasts through presentations centered on topics in Oklahoma’s history. Three professional development sessions also will be offered for museum professionals, volunteers, and students. The symposium will feature a book signing and keynote speech by Connie Cronley,…

On Thursday, April 21, Matthew Kerns, author of Texas Jack: America’s First Cowboy (2021), will make a presentation at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum about Texas Jack, one of the first well-known cowboys in America.

On Saturday, July 2, at 10 a.m., the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will hold a special dedication ceremony on the front lawn of the site to return one of the cannons used in the original Pawnee Bill Wild West Shows to the home of the former Wild West Show entertainer. After more than 70 years in Oklahoma City, the cannon will be unveiled on the front lawn at the historic site in Pawnee. Opening remarks will be delivered by…

On Saturday, July 16, from 1 to 3 p.m., the Oklahoma History Center will have a presentation about Oklahoma's native and heritage plants for guests aged 12 and up. After learning about Oklahoma’s native and heritage plants, participants will enjoy a tour of the beautiful flora of the OHC’s Red River Journey. This program is free with paid admission to the OHC. It will take place in the Musser Learning Lab, located on the first floor inside the Research Center,…

On Thursday, July 21, 2022, Anna Davis, the historical interpreter at Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will be our guest to make a presentation about Gordon William Lillie and May Manning Lillie, the founders of the Pawnee Bill Ranch. Anna Davis has been the historical interpreter at the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum for 16 years. She holds a bachelor's degree in history from Oklahoma State University and a master's degree from the University of Oklahoma. She specializes in genealogy…

On Saturday, July 30, at 10 a.m., and again at 1 p.m., the Fort Gibson Historic Site will host a living history program titled “Frontier Service in the 19th Century. Learn more about the service of soldiers on the remote frontier of the Indian Territory in the days before the Civil War. Larry Toll will present a program at 10 a.m., and at 1 p.m. about the men who served in the Army at Fort Gibson in the period of…

On Thursday, August 18, the Henry and Anna Overholser Mansion will host a special program called “The Shoe Strides Forward: How Raising Hemlines Created the Shoes We Love Today” presented by Heather Franks. She is the organizer and curator of the current fashion exhibit at the Overholser Mansion, Early Influencers: How Anna Overholser & Henry Ione Overholser Perry Set the Style for Oklahoma City Women, 1903–1929. Guests will learn all about the history of shoes from the 1920s to the…

On Thursday, August 18, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Director Trait Thompson will give a presentation about the Oklahoma Capitol Restoration Project. Before becoming executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, Thompson was the project manager of the Oklahoma Capitol Restoration Project. He will discuss the history of the Oklahoma State Capitol and how this monumental restoration project was achieved. A question and answer session will take place after the lecture. For more information, please call…

On Friday, August 26, from 6 to 8 p.m., Preservation Oklahoma will continue its History and Hops series with a presentation on Mid-Century Modern architecture with Lynda Ozan. This event will take place in the Carriage House of the Henry and Anna Overholser Mansion, located at 405 NW 15th Street in Oklahoma City. Lynda Ozan is the deputy State Historic Preservation officer. She will present Oklahoma's rich and dynamic collection of Mid-Century Modern architecture and why it is so prevalent…

On Friday, September 9, and Saturday, September 10, Fort Gibson Historic Site will host a living history program based on the history of musket firearms and musket demonstrations. This program will run from 10 a.m. to noon and again from 1 to 3 p.m. Muskets were an important tool for soldiers and civilians in the region. The staff at Fort Gibson will detail the variety and use of muskets during the period during which Fort Gibson was active. The program…

Will Rogers Memorial Museum will have a Thursday Night Lecture Series in the museum theater on Thursday, September 15. The program will begin at 7 p.m. Architect Ted Reeds will give a presentation on the development and design of Art Deco architecture in the city of Tulsa and John Duncan Forsyth (1887–1963) who was the architect of the Will Rogers Memorial Museum. Forsyth was a Scottish-American architect who came to prominence working in the Tulsa area. For more information, please…