Oklahoma Books

For this book, published in 1970, Robert Carriker began researching in the 1960s a vast number (he was surprised by the amount) of records housed in the National Archives regarding Fort Supply, located just east of the panhandle of Oklahoma on the North Canadian River. The records indicated to Carriker how important a post the old fort was in the history of the West and encouraged him to write this account.

Fort Supply, established in 1868, played basically three essential roles in its 25-year history: during its first ten years (1868-78) its troops helped protect the Cheyennes and Arapahoes from other Indian tribes (mainly the raiding Kiowas) as well as from the exploitations of whites, especially the whiskey traders from Kansas who used the supply roads to ply their illegal trade in the nearby Indian villages; during the next dozen years when its troops helped protect the cattle business along quickly developing cattle trails (the Chisholm Trail to the east and the Dodge City Road to the west, to name just two); and after 1890, by serving as headquarters for the opening of the Cherokee Outlet to homesteaders.

Carriker is an excellent writer (his biography of Father De Smet, pioneer Jesuit missionary to the northwest Indians, is also superb), and he tells the story of Fort Supply with verve and in detail. The fort officially closed in 1895, though 13 years later the Western State Hospital took up residence there, where it remained into the late 1980s. Fortunately, when the hospital closed the state of Oklahoma took over the site and turned it into a park. Old Fort Supply should thus avoid the usual fate of abandoned historical places: deterioration followed by oblivion. Anyone interested in forts of the old West or in the history of the Plains will find this book useful and entertaining.

Elmer Thomas (1876-1965) represented the people of Oklahoma as a state legislator, a member of the U. S. House of Representatives and four terms as U. S. senator. This is his own account of service to Oklahoma and the nation through depression and war. It was written shortly after he left office in 1951 but was never published.
It chronicles his long career and offers a wealth of information on people and events that helped shape the development of the state and the course of American history.
Thomas became one of Oklahoma's first state senators in 1907 and was involved with financing the construction of public works.
Commenting on the efforts to build the capitol in Oklahoma City, he wrote: "While Oklahoma City had promised free office rent, a free site for the capitol, and $1 million with which to construct the building, we could not locate any person who seemed anxious to make good such promises."
As a member of the U. S. Congress, he made it his business to understand the Federal Reserve System and as the farm crisis of the 1920s worsened during the Great Depression, he consistently argued for inflating the currency to stimulate the economy--a struggle that became central to his career that he eventually won.
Thomas's panoramic look at the issues of his time include a behind-the-scenes view of the Nürnberg War Crimes Trial and also tells how he helped push funding for the atomic bomb project through Congress without disclosing its true nature.
This is the story of an Oklahoma public servant who dedicated his career to improving the lot of rural residents, Native Americans and working people. It is a significant story of the early years of Oklahoma statehood and fits well with the celebration of Oklahoma's Centennial.

Just after the seasons that made up the winning streak, I was a student recruiter for the Athletic Dept/ Football team. It is a great book that reflects the thrilling games that made it possible to set a record that may never be broken...

Schofield was a professional soldier who served in the Seminole Indian Wars, The US Mexican War, The Civil War and led the army in the postwar years. It is a fun read, not only does Schofield tell a wonderful story he is not shy about criticizing his fellow officers especially the great generals of the Civil War. Unfortunately, the book was written before 1898 so it does not discuss his role in the Spanish American War. It is a must read for any student of the Civil War but the novice will enjoy it also.

The best, and one of the few treatments of Quarter Horse dams. A must have.

This by far is the best work written on the Pizarro Family as a whole. I am glad to see more information written on Gonzalo, Hernando, and Juan Pizarro. Before this book was written most people did not fully understand who Francisco and his brothers were basically about. This book perfectly illustrates who they were and the situations surrounding their fate.

McNally brings together a wide and seemingly disparate array of issues regarding political events in the US and ties the threads together to help to make sense of such events. I felt the book could have benefited from a more thorough introduction in order to place the events of Chappaquiddick to other well known tragedies such as the Oklahoma City bombing up to 911, but the amount of information revealed and the rigorous presentation of data and the logic of the writer make up for any lack of style. These are important issues that most Americans have not considered in detail, not only in each case in themselves, but also the relationship of one terrorist incident to the next. Without positing a grand conspiracy, McNally presents voluminous evidence that our government is largely run, or at least influenced, by shadowy forces, and that by analyzing the details of events such as Chappaquidick and 911, we can better understand the circumstances and direction of our country.

What an interesting life, from hardscrabble boyhood to Hollywood to the Royal Ascot. Alton Tabor, a former actor who did TV commercials for major corporations, has written a memoir that's good model for others to follow. Even those with seemingly ordinary lives would do well to write their own. They provide a great legacy for friends, relatives and family genealogists.

With an oral history, much can be lost in the telling. This story was done in the most enduring and detailed way, by committing words to paper. Tabor tells his story well. His life includes being raised by a single mother during the Depression, serving in the Navy during World War Two and Korea, trying to make it as an actor, and eventually becoming involved in the world of horse racing. His story, interspersed with family triumphs and tragedies, is dedicated to his exceptional mother, Emily Rebecca Tabor.

It's a good read.

The definitve work in the area of Fund Raising

With two volumes and over twelve hundred pages of reading material covering three plus centuries, this is a definitive study into the world fur trade.
While not exactly tales of high adventure, Phillips' approach to the fur trade is largely from the economic and socio-political thought.

We read of the innumerable European explorers and trappers who opened the North American continent, the different countries, nationalities, treaties, founding of the United States, cut-throat competition for furs between nations, establishment of colonies, relationships with Native Americans, who provided who with guns, whiskey and goods to the underlying theme of supply and demand in the world fur market.

Although an exhausting read and possibly used more so as reference material, it nevertheless is an intellectual and educational history of the importance the fur trade was in global events.