Home |  Publications|  Encyclopedia |  Twin Territories: The Indian Magazine

The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

TWIN TERRITORIES: THE INDIAN MAGAZINE.

An illustrated monthly, Twin Territories: The Indian Magazine was first published in December 1898 by the Sams Publishing Company, Muskogee, Indian Territory (I.T.). In 1900 the owner, Walter Sams, hired his sister-in-law, Ora Eddleman Reed, to work as the editor and feature writer. The magazine offered its national readership a broad range of features, including literary pieces and current issues regarding Oklahoma and Indian territories. It promoted the literary works of Creek poet Alexander Posey, Cherokee Joshua Ross, and Creek Chief Pleasant Porter. Local club and school news, in addition to a children's page and farmers' interest column, kept citizens abreast of current events. Articles featured American Indian history, culture, and folklore and included biographical sketches of prominent Indian leaders. Essays and photographs of territorial schools, homes, and towns helped dispel the myth of an uncivilized territory.

Several financial setbacks caused changes in the magazine's ownership. In 1900 Lura A. Rowland bought a half interest in the paper and moved it to Fort Gibson, I.T. Within two years the magazine again had financial difficulties. Ora Eddleman Reed moved it back to Muskogee in April 1902 and later sold the publication to E. C. Dighton. The final issue appeared in May 1904.

Linda D. Wilson

Learn More

Carolyn Thomas Foreman, Oklahoma Imprints, 1835–1907: A History of Printing in Oklahoma Before Statehood (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1936).

Daryl Morrison, "Twin Territories: The Indian Magazine and Its Editor, Ora Eddleman Reed," The Chronicles of Oklahoma 60 (Summer 1982).

Esther Witcher, "Territorial Magazines," The Chronicles of Oklahoma 29 (Winter 1951–52).

Citation

The following (as per The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition) is the preferred citation for articles:
Linda D. Wilson, “Twin Territories: The Indian Magazine,” The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=TW002.

Published January 15, 2010

© Oklahoma Historical Society

Copyright and Terms of Use

No part of this site may be construed as in the public domain.

Copyright to all articles and other content in the online and print versions of The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History is held by the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS). This includes individual articles (copyright to OHS by author assignment) and corporately (as a complete body of work), including web design, graphics, searching functions, and listing/browsing methods. Copyright to all of these materials is protected under United States and International law.

Users agree not to download, copy, modify, sell, lease, rent, reprint, or otherwise distribute these materials, or to link to these materials on another web site, without authorization of the Oklahoma Historical Society. Individual users must determine if their use of the Materials falls under United States copyright law's "Fair Use" guidelines and does not infringe on the proprietary rights of the Oklahoma Historical Society as the legal copyright holder of The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and part or in whole.