Oklahoma History Center Audio Tour

The Golden Driller statue you see here is a scale model of the original located on the grounds of Tulsa’s Expo Square. The Golden Driller has the distinction of being Oklahoma’s official state monument. The first version of the sculpture was created for display during the 1953 International Petroleum Exposition. It is made of concrete, contains 2.5 miles of rods and mesh, and can withstand 200-mile-per-hour winds. The image of this iconic monument has been reproduced in many creative ways including on the Jim Beam bottle, special lapel pin, and mouse pad you see on exhibit.

A fitting symbol for the city once dubbed “The Oil Capital of the World,” the Golden Driller has had several varying forms since its debut in 1953. The original statue stood with one arm up holding the thumb and index finger together. In 1959 the statue was more detailed: this time the driller was climbing an oil derrick and waving. Though this was the version that was eventually donated to the City of Tulsa, the Golden Driller required another makeover to be able to withstand Oklahoma’s elements for the long term. The next version was designed by a Greek immigrant artist, who had previously worked on the original figure. His design was unveiled in 1966. However, the statue as we know it today was not finalized until 1979 when the Golden Driller was refurbished.

Before the Civil Rights Movement, signage was used across the United States to divide public and private spaces into separate and unequal zones. This, most famously associated with the Jim Crow South era, was a tactic used to re-enforce unequal status. The signage specified “Whites Only” or “Colored,” which are the terms used at the time. Signs existed not only in locations such as lunch counters and public bathrooms, but were so pervasive across American society that there were separate vending machine slots and even pet cemeteries. African Americans were also not the only minority community that was targeted by restrictive signs. Other ethnic and racial groups including members of Jewish, Asian, and Latinx communities faced similar barriers in certain parts of the United States. Some scholars have noted that even after the Civil Rights Movement, some areas would use black and white paint to differentiate between doors instead of using overt signs similar to the one on display here. This allowed businesses and communities to continue to resist integration.

The surgeon’s kit seen here belonged to a Choctaw doctor serving in the Confederate Army at Boggy Depot, Choctaw Nation. He used these same instruments for the remainder of his professional career as a doctor in Indian Territory.

While some Union Army surgeons carried army-issued surgical kits, most volunteer doctors brought their own sets to the battlefield. One way to tell how old the medical tools are and when they might have been issued is to look at the handles. Crosshatch or crisscross pattern indicates age because in the mid-19th century, increased knowledge of sterilization led to the belief that smooth handles for surgical tools were healthier. Throughout the war, both Union and Confederate doctors formed army medical societies to discuss techniques and evaluate proper procedures. For the most part, when performing amputations, surgeons tried to use anesthesia such as ether (which was developed in the 1840s) when it was available. Even when unconscious, patients still had to be held down during battlefield amputations because they believed that there was still a possibility that the patient’s body might become agitated and move during the operation.

This uniform belonged to a woman serving in the WAVES as a storekeeper first class. The WAVES, or Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service was a division of the US Navy in which female sailors were integrated into the main force. WAVES served stateside and in Hawaii during World War II.

Sailors with a storekeeper rating are responsible for purchasing, shipping, receiving and issuing tools and gear, and managing any items procured through the US Navy supply system. It is one of the oldest ratings in the US Navy.

President Roosevelt signed the WAVES program into law on July 30, 1942. Mildred McAfee was sworn in as a lieutenant commander and was the first female commissioned officer of the US Navy. The program was a huge success; by the fall of 1942 the US Navy had produced 10,000 women for active service. The WAVES unit remained in service until 1972.

In 1932 Oklahoma pilots Thomas C. Allen and J. Herman Banning became the first African Americans to complete a transcontinental flight. They flew from Los Angeles to New York in an Alexander Eaglerock biplane in 18 days. They referred to themselves as the “Flying Hobos” because they raised financial backing as they flew across the country. Allen wore this helmet and pair of goggles during that flight.

The Heroine sank on the Red River near Fort Towson, Oklahoma, in 1837 and is the oldest steamboat excavated and studied in detail by archaeologists. It predates the earliest detailed drawings of any western river steamboat. Built in 1832, the 160-ton Heroine measured more than 136 feet in length and more than 20 feet in width. It changed our understanding of steamboat travel, engineering, and daily life aboard a western river steamboat.

Almond shells, corn cobs, and peach pits were among the few food items found on the Heroine and provide evidence of what crew and passengers may have been eating. Pork flesh and bones are known to have been a part of the cargo because a fully intact barrel of salted pork was uncovered. Records indicate that there were 240 barrels of pork, 220 barrels of white beans, 500 barrels of flour, 3,500 pounds of soap, 1,600 pounds of candles, and 80 bushels of salt on board when Heroine departed.

Artifacts are clues, and some of the items that you see here—discovered during the excavation of the Heroine—have given historians new insight into daily life on an 1830s steamboat. Among the personal artifacts found were a complete boot, three shoes, and a sole. Notice the two shoes that were altered to create a form of slipper.

Discovered in 1999, this has been an extensive, ongoing project and discovery partnership between the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University.

The term “riding shotgun” started showing up in the early 20th century and has its roots in stagecoach trips across the early American West. The person riding next to the driver of a stagecoach loaded with valuable cargo carried a shotgun as protection. The passenger was originally referred to as a shotgun messenger. As it is used today, it just means riding in the front seat with the driver.