Tulsa History

Russell Cobb

Aug 94 min read

Episode 3: Take Me Back To Coweta Town

Atkins belonged to Coweta Town, an ancient tribal town that was relocated to Indian Territory when he was a young child.

Ep. 2: The Heiress & Her Mythical Oil Fortune

Russell Cobb

Jul 194 min read

TULSA HISTORY

Ep. 2: The Heiress & Her Mythical Oil Fortune

In January 1881, a new student named Minnie Atkins arrived at Pennsylvania's Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

Ep. 1: Stumbling Upon A Forgotten Crime in the Oil Capital of the World

Russell Cobb

Jul 26 min read

TULSA HISTORY

Ep. 1: Stumbling Upon A Forgotten Crime in the Oil Capital of the World

I was not expecting to find lost treasure as I shifted through a pile of paperwork. But there was one thing that caught my eye: a series of

High School Football 1921: Return of the Hornets

Randy Hopkins

Feb 28 min read

GREENWOOD HISTORY

High School Football 1921: Return of the Hornets

By Randy Hopkins Courtesy of Tulsa Booker T. Washington High School. In the fall of 1921, students began returning to Tulsa, Oklahoma's...

"All Crooks at Tulsa" The Myth of Tommy Atkins & The Enduring Legacy Of An Oil Capital Fraud

Russell Cobb

Sep 1, 202317 min read

TULSA HISTORY

"All Crooks at Tulsa" The Myth of Tommy Atkins & The Enduring Legacy Of An Oil Capital Fraud

Rated 5 out of 5 stars.(1)

Tommy was a Muscogee boy whose land was worth many millions of dollars in 1914. The only problem was that he may have never existed.

The Strange Love of Dr. Billy James Hargis

Lee Roy Chapman

Aug 23, 202322 min read

TULSA HISTORY

The Strange Love of Dr. Billy James Hargis

The FBI had cause to be concerned. Hargis’ tirades mirrored those from any number of early 20th century Ku Klux Klan pamphlets.

The Nightmare of Dreamland: Tate Brady and The Tulsa Outrage

Lee Roy Chapman

Aug 23, 202319 min read

TULSA HISTORY

The Nightmare of Dreamland: Tate Brady and The Tulsa Outrage

The seventeen men were terrified, and with good reason. They stood shivering in the November midnight air...

Fraser Kastner

Aug 23, 202318 min read

TULSA HISTORY

Monumental Malice

In September of 1921, a group of influential Tulsans formed the Tulsa Association of Pioneers to commemorate the founders of their city.

An Open Letter to the Tulsa City Council

Randy Hopkins

Aug 23, 202315 min read

TULSA HISTORY

An Open Letter to the Tulsa City Council

Once the Centennial was over and a single body with bullet holes was discovered in Oaklawn in late June 2021, things changed.

Racing to the Precipice: Tulsa's Last Lynching

Randy Hopkins

Aug 23, 202355 min read

TULSA HISTORY

Racing to the Precipice: Tulsa's Last Lynching

Pandemonium was loosed when the body finally dropped. The guards relaxed their grip and a mad dash ensued.

Birthday of the Klan: The Tulsa Outrage of 1917

Randy Hopkins

Aug 22, 202366 min read

TULSA HISTORY

Birthday of the Klan: The Tulsa Outrage of 1917

On November 10, 1917, a birth announcement for the “Modern Ku Klux Klan” appeared in a front-page headline of the Tulsa Daily World.

The Plot to Kill "Diamond Dick Rowland" and the Tulsa Race Massacre - Part Three

Randy Hopkins

Aug 22, 202323 min read

TULSA HISTORY

The Plot to Kill "Diamond Dick Rowland" and the Tulsa Race Massacre - Part Three

May 31, 1921 Tulsa police officials “feared the explosive combination of forces” resulting from the news of Diamond Dick Rowland’s arrest.

The Plot to Kill "Diamond Dick Rowland" and the Tulsa Race Massacre - Part Two

Randy Hopkins

Aug 22, 202328 min read

TULSA HISTORY

The Plot to Kill "Diamond Dick Rowland" and the Tulsa Race Massacre - Part Two

Claiming them to be dens of iniquity, the police had long cast a suspicious eye on negro rooming houses. The Rowland family ran a large one.

The Plot to Kill "Diamond Dick Rowland" & The Tulsa Race Massacre - Part One

Randy Hopkins

Aug 22, 202334 min read

GREENWOOD HISTORY

The Plot to Kill "Diamond Dick Rowland" & The Tulsa Race Massacre - Part One

On Tuesday afternoon, May 31, 1921, a newspaper article titled “Nab Negro for Attacking Girl In an Elevator” hit the streets of downtown Tu

Echo of History: The City of Tulsa’s Mass Graves Debacle

Randy Hopkins

Aug 22, 202329 min read

TULSA HISTORY

Echo of History: The City of Tulsa’s Mass Graves Debacle

On the morning of July 30, 2021, an iron fence and locked gates divided two groups of Tulsans at the City-owned Oaklawn Cemetery.

Mask of Atonement: The Plan to Rebuild the Homes of Greenwood

Randy Hopkins

Aug 22, 20239 min read

TULSA HISTORY

Mask of Atonement: The Plan to Rebuild the Homes of Greenwood

The Greenwood rebuilding “plan” was a major feature of the second full day of national news coverage of the then-called Tulsa Race Riot.

Recovering History: The Freeing of Dick Roland

Randy Hopkins

Aug 22, 202315 min read

TULSA HISTORY

Recovering History: The Freeing of Dick Roland

There's no listing for this prisoner during June or July. This supports claims that Roland was removed from the jail soon after his arrival.

"Move The Negroes Out" The Destruction of the Historically Black Neighborhood in Sand Springs, OK

John Neal

Aug 22, 202318 min read

OKLAHOMA HISTORY

"Move The Negroes Out" The Destruction of the Historically Black Neighborhood in Sand Springs, OK

This Area A, the Southside Addition, was created as a segregated place of residency by the town founder in 1911.

Alias: James Jones and "Diamond Dick" Rowland

Randy Hopkins

Aug 21, 202310 min read

TULSA HISTORY

Alias: James Jones and "Diamond Dick" Rowland

Learn about James Jones, better known as "Diamond Dick" Rowland, the teenager at the center of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Steve Gerkin

Aug 21, 202314 min read

TULSA HISTORY

J.B. Stradford: Carnage Without Death

by Steve Gerkin J.B. Stradford We will never understand. How could we allow the racial brutality of slavery, the lynching of Blacks as...