Magazine of the Oklahoma Heritage Association

A P R I L 2 0 0 9

Nature’s Architect: The Talents of Haven Mankin

Oklahoma’s First Transcontinental Airport: The Lindbergh Line

Hall of Fame Spolight: Remembering Paul Harvey

The Lure of Fur

Memories of Tulsa’s Will Rogers High School

OHA’s Story Through Its People

MAGAZINE SPONSORSLou & Ray Ackerman Oklahoma CityCalvin & Linda Anthony StillwaterMr. & Mrs. W. S. Atherton TulsaKeith Bailey* TulsaBank of Oklahoma* TulsaBob Barry NormanDr. & Mrs. William L. Beasley Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Clayton I. Bennett Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Theo “Doc” Benson Midwest CityBarbara Berry SapulpaMr. & Mrs. G. T. Blankenship* Oklahoma CityGary & Lovilla Bowser WoodwardSharlene S. Branham* Oklahoma CityJohn & Donnie Brock TulsaRanell & Steve Brown Oklahoma CityBob & Chimene Burke* Oklahoma CityNevyle & Carol Cable OkmulgeePatty & Joe Cappy TulsaTom J. Carson* StilwellChoctaw Nation of Oklahoma DurantMr. & Mrs. Richard H. Clements Oklahoma CityBryan Close TulsaMr. & Mrs. J. William Conger Oklahoma CityKaye & Edward H. Cook Oklahoma CityJackie R. Cooper Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Glenn A. Cox BartlesvilleDoug & Peggy Cummings Oklahoma CityBetsy Amis Daugherty* Nichols HillsGary Derrick Oklahoma CityGerald Dixon* GuymonFord & Vanessa Drummond BartlesvilleFrederick Drummond* Pawhuska

*DENOTES CHARTER SPONSORS

Mr. & Mrs. Paul W. Dudman Oklahoma CityLuther T. “Tom” Dulaney, Jr. Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Arthur V. Eckroat JonesMr. & Mrs. John B. Elder Oklahoma CityPat Evans Ponca CityKen & Mary Ann Fergeson* AltusJoseph & Martha Ferretti EdmondFirst National Bank of Oklahoma Oklahoma CityDale & Betty Folks EdmondSen. Charles Ford TulsaMrs. Henry Freede Oklahoma CityVaughndean Dobbs Fuller & Dr. A. Munson Fuller TulsaJohn & Linda Gibbs HoldenvilleDr. & Mrs. Gilbert C. Gibson LawtonJoan Gilmore & Al McLaughlin Oklahoma CityIke & Mary Beth Glass NewkirkSr. M. Therese Gottschalk TulsaC. Hubert Gragg* NewcastleDavid L. Greene BartlesvilleMartha Griffin* MuskogeeJim & Julie Grissom* EdmondDr. Don Halverstadt EdmondBob & Jean Harbison LawtonFred & Kellie Harlan* OkmulgeeCharles W. Harrison, Jr. NormanGeorge & Barbara Henderson NormanMr. & Mrs. James L. Henry Oklahoma CityPat & T. J. Henry* LawtonMr. & Mrs. James M. Hewgley, Jr. TulsaMary Sue Hill Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Dan Hogan Oklahoma City

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Polly & Larry Nichols Oklahoma CityJulie & John Nickel TulsaC. D. Northcutt* Ponca CityOklahoma City Community Col-lege Foundation Oklahoma CityOklahoma State University StillwaterDeane H. Oven TulsaRichard M. Parker Oklahoma CityRobert L. Parker, Sr. TulsaKent & Mary Patton Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Wilbur P. Patton Oklahoma CityHomer & Ramona Paul EdmondBill & Barbara Paul Oklahoma CityThe Ponca City News/Ponca City Publishing Company, Inc.* Ponca CityDr. & Mrs. Richard W. Poole* Oklahoma CityPresbyterian Health Foundation Oklahoma CityNorris & Betty Price Oklahoma CityThe Puterbaugh Foundation McAlesterBill Ramsey BixbyWilliam J. Rea, Jr. & Nancy Holloway Rea TulsaDonovan Reichenberger AlvaMarjorie Roberson Ponca CityFrank C. & Ludmila Robson ClaremoreMeg & Chris Salyer Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. C. J. Silas* BartlesvilleAnn Gordon Singer Oklahoma CityGeorge A. & Rita E. Singer TulsaHerb & Gerree Smith Oklahoma CityMr. & Mrs. Vernon L. Smith NormanMr. & Mrs. John F. Snodgrass ArdmoreClyde W. Spence Enid

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List represents donors as of April 10, 2009.

Magazine of the Oklahoma Heritage Association

APRIL 2009

VOLUME 14 • NUMBER 1

Magazine of the Oklahoma Heritage Association

M E

M B

E R

S H

I P

S

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For additional information contact the Oklahoma Heritage Association

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PRESIDENT Shannon L. Nance

DIRECTOR, PUBLICATIONS AND EDUCATION

Gini Moore Campbell

CHAIRMAN, PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

Bob Burke

DESIGN Kris Vculek

KV GRAPHIC DESIGN • WAUKOMIS, OK

LIBRARy DISTRIBUTION MADE POSSIBLE

THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF MAGAZINE SPONSORS STATEWIDE.

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2 From the Chairman Tom J. McDaniel

2 From the President Shannon L. Nance

3 Nature’s Architect: The Talents of Haven Mankin Gini Moore Campbell

7 Oklahoma’s First Transcontinental Airport: The Lindbergh Line Sandie Olson

21 Hall of Fame Spotlight: Remembering Paul Harvey Millie Craddick

23 The Lure of Fur Bob Burke

CORPORATE MISSION PARTNERSAmerican Fidelity Foundation

ConocoPhillipsDELL

Heritage Trust

31 Memories of Tulsa’s Will Rogers High School Steve Wright

38 OHA’s Story Through Its People

40 Book Review

The Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum has been named Oklahoma City’s

BEST PICK FOR TEENS in the Nickelodeon Parents’ Pick for Teen Awards.

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FROM THE CHAIRMAN...

BOA

RD

OF

DIR

ECTO

RS

FROM THE PRESIDENT...

2

CHAIRMAN

Tom J. McDaniel Oklahoma City

CHAIRMAN ELECT

Calvin Anthony Stillwater

CHAIRMAN EMERITUS

Glen D. Johnson Oklahoma City

PRESIDENT

Shannon L. Nance Oklahoma City

VICE CHAIRMEN

Bill Anoatubby Ada

Ken Fergeson Altus

Ike Glass Newkirk

Dan Gilliam Bartlesville

Fred Harlan Okmulgee

David Kyle Tulsa

Meg Salyer Oklahoma City

Steve Taylor McAlester

AT LARGE ExECUTIVE CoMMITTEE MEMBERS

Clayton I. Bennett Oklahoma City

Bond Payne Oklahoma City

Polly Nichols Oklahoma City

CoRPoRATE SECRETARY

Jean Harbison Lawton

TREASURER

Nevyle Cable Okmulgee

DIRECToRS

Keith Bailey Tulsa

Barbara Braught Duncan

Bill Burgess Lawton

Joe Cappy Tulsa

Michael A. Cawley Ardmore

Stan Clark Stillwater

Andy Coats Oklahoma City

Roger Collins Tulsa

Ford Drummond Bartlesville

Patti Evans Ponca City

Christy Everest Oklahoma City

John Feaver Chickasha

Vaughndean Fuller Tulsa

Jane Jayroe Gamble Oklahoma City

Gilbert “Gib” Gibson Lawton

Dan Gilliam Bartlesville

C. Hubert Gragg Newcastle

Jim Halsey Tulsa

V. Burns Hargis Stillwater

Robert E. Hayes, Jr. Oklahoma City

George Henderson Norman

Pat Henry Lawton

Ernest L. Holloway Langston

Larry Lee Tulsa

Duke R. Ligon Oklahoma City

Dave Lopez Oklahoma City

Roxanna Lorton Tulsa

John Massey Durant

J.W. McLean Dallas, Texas

Melvin Moran Seminole

C.D. Northcutt Ponca City

Suzanne O’Brien Tulsa

Deane H. oven Tulsa

Gregory E. Pyle Durant

David Rainbolt Oklahoma City

Carl Renfro Ponca City

William F. Shdeed Oklahoma City

Tiffany Sewell-Howard Perry

Sharon Shoulders Henryetta

Lee Allan Smith Oklahoma City

Stan Stamper Hugo

Mark A. Stansberry Edmond

G. Lee Stidham Checotah

Chuck Thompson Norman

Steve Turnbo Tulsa

Ty Tyler Oklahoma City

J. Blake Wade Oklahoma City

Hardy Watkins Oklahoma City

At the oklahoma Heritage Asso-ciation’s Annual Membership Meet-ing and Awards Luncheon on March 31 my term began as chairman of this outstanding organization. As a longtime supporter, director, and member of the oklahoma Hall of Fame, this is an opportunity to serve, which I am honored to under-take. Current economic situations make this an important chapter in the organization’s history and will require a commitment from all of us to meet the challenges ahead. For more than 80 years the Association has been dedicated to preserving and promoting Oklahoma’s unique history through its people and, in 2007, our out-reach expanded with the opening of the Gaylord-Pickens Museum. This one-of-a-kind facility has allowed the expansion of programming and a heightened sense of awareness of the work of the Association.

Now more than ever we need your support. From sponsoring a scholarship or gallery exhibit to volunteering with school tours or events at the Museum, there are many ways to become an active member of the As-sociation. Later this month a membership event will held in Stillwater to support our 2009 goal of increasing the number of household members by 25%. Please consider promoting or hosting a membership event in your area of the state. For information, please contact the Association’s offices. All of us look forward to working with you on behalf of the oklahoma Heritage Associa-tion and are honored to count you among our membership.

Tom J. McDaniel, Chairman

It is hard to believe that we are preparing to celebrate our second anni-versary of the opening of the Gaylord-Pickens oklahoma Heritage Museum. It seems like only yesterday the halls were filled with the sounds of saws, drills, and hammers. Today, it is rare to find a day without a school bus in the parking lot and the echo of young voices. Students from every corner of the state have experienced Oklahoma’s unique and most-treasured gifts—our people. Mark your calendars and plan to join us on May 9 to celebrate our anniversary with FREE admission from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. our Teen Board hosted its annual fund raiser, a Battle of the Bands, on March 28 at the Museum and during the Association’s Annual Membership Meet-ing & Awards Luncheon we honored outstanding educators, organizations, and individuals doing their part in preserving our state and local history. Earlier this month students competed in the okla-

homa Heritage Scholarship Competition for more than $400,000 in scholarships at 16 test sites statewide. Visitors from across the nation have visited the Doel Reed: Master of Aquatint exhibit in the Tulsa World Gallery of the Museum. The exhibit will run through June. During the month of June we will of-fer our third session of summer camp for ages 5 to 15 and will, for the first time, host an oklahoma Hall of Fame Reunion for members of the Hall of Fame. It is because of your support that we are able to continually enhance existing program-ming while creating new and exciting activities to fulfill our mission—telling Oklahoma’s story through its people. Visit our website, www.oklahomaher-itage.com, for information on benefits available to you as a member and all the activities and programs of the Asso-ciation. Thank you for your continued dedication to the oklahoma Heritage Association.

Shannon L. Nance, President

BY GINI MOORE CAMPBELL

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Edmond’s Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is home to Haven Mankin’s largest commissioned piece. At 17’ high and 9’ wide, the Trinity cross is constructed of an inner steel tubing, Ash wood, covered in Rosewood, and aluminum.

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In addition to enhancing our structural landscape, Mankin is a craftsman of exotic hardwoods. Using the colors, grains, and tex-tures of the various woods, he creates one-of-a-kind crosses, lamps, and furniture. His pieces can be found in both private and public collections. Stain is not a tool used in Mankin’s work, he believes in letting the wood speak for itself, only polishing and waxing to enhance its appearance. Mankin’s largest commissioned cross is 17 feet high and 9 feet wide. Its inner-welded steel tube core is sheathed in Ash Wood and covered with Rosewood. It includes three 32” diameter intersecting Trinity Rings and a cross within a cross made of golden aluminum. At a weight of 550 pounds, the cross hangs approximately 10’ above the Chancel in The Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Edmond.

The talents of Haven Mankin incorporate the richness and uniqueness of natural resources. His one-of-kind creations are held in public and private collections.

Custom-curved cabinets by Mankin form an island with accent lighting in the top edge and the base. The float-ing ceiling, which also serves as an exhaust hood, was designed to match the shape and flow of the island. With Red Oak doors, the island included both concave and convex doors to create its unique shape.

In creating one-of-a-kind furniture, Mankin uses a variety

of materials. The Bird’s Eye Maple console with White Oak edges

and Cardinal Wood inlay accents hides the electronics behind

teal-painted doors. Speakers sit behind removable grilles made of Holly. The wood is presented in its

natural state.

B orn in Rochester, Minnesota, Haven

Mankin graduated from Oklahoma

City’s Harding High School before

earning his Bachelor of Environmen-

tal Design, Bachelor of Architecture,

and Master of Architecture degrees

from the University of Oklahoma. A

licensed architect in Oklahoma and

Arizona and certified with the National

Council of Architectural Registration

Boards, Mankin currently is an associ-

ate and project manager for Oklahoma

City’s Glover Smith Bode, Inc. GSB, Inc.

is an architectural and planning firm

specializing in hospitality, entertain-

ment, and residential architecture.

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Mankin also creates unique indoor and outdoor custom lighting and is an author of Christian books. His Harris Light, made of hand-wrought steel vines, leaves, and roses, is roughly 5 feet square in size and incorporates six down lights into the design. He used ten different paint colors to achieve a vintage look of the steel. Incorporating nature’s raw beauty into his designs, he chose a Live Oak Tree as his inspiration for the piece. He co-authored In Shape for Learning, an interdisciplinary curriculum enhance-ment project for Oklahoma schools with the support of the Central Oklahoma Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and has authored a number of titles through his publishing company, Muskrat Books.

An architect for more than 35 years, Mankin has served as president of the Central Oklahoma Chapter of the Ameri-can Institute of Architects and chairman of the Public Education/Continuing Edu-cation Committee of the Central Okla-homa Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He has lent his talents to Oklahoma City’s elementary and second-ary educational system and Heritage Hall’s Strategic Planning Committee. A resident of Oklahoma City, Mankin married his high school sweetheart, Can-dy Clark, and is the father of daughters Tracy Wendling and Holly Thompson. He enjoys spending weekends on his Harley exploring the back roads of Oklahoma and gaining inspiration from its hidden treasures.

The Harris Light hangs in an arbor of old-school heavy timber construction using wood pegs and nestled into an existing Live Oak tree. The structure forms an outdoor dining room which is illuminated by the six down lights of the hand-wrought steel vines, leaves, and roses that make up the Harris Light.

Mankin created the 24” Ethiopian Cross from Cardinal Wood, Maple, Wenge Wood, and White

Oak, all in their natural colors.

Finished with bees wax to preserve and finish the natural colors of the wood, the unique Cedar Chest is made of Poplar, Red Oak, Purple-heart, and Macasser Ebony.

The Sisters of Charity Cross was difficult to construct because Macasser Ebony wood cannot be found with the grain running at a 45-degree angle as the architects specified. To achieve the desired look, Mankin laminated carefully selected nar-row boards together to form wide planks and then cut out the wood cross pieces at a 45-degree angle. The interior cross is a stainless steel bar. The piece hangs in a Meditation Room of a Kansas hospital.

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ABOVE: The 8’ tall cross created by Mankin for the Zion United Church of Christ in St. Louis, Missouri, is made of Purpleheart with Red Oak accents. The cross is hung 3” from the wall to allow for low voltage backlighting.

Mankin creates unique one-of-a-kind table and mantle clocks made

of multiple exotic hardwoods and finished in bees wax.

Created for a Catholic Church in Florida, the cross is designed to

hang on the wall in a matching wall cradle. This allows the cross

to be removed and carried in a procession or be placed on an

exotic custom-made folding easel. Finished on both sides, it is made of Waterfall Bubinga, Cardinal Wood,

Ebony, Red Oak, and Walnut. As part of the overall cross design, there are no exposed fasteners

other than an occasional wood peg.

Mankin used 56 coats of clear and metallic paint, fading from wild cherry to wild plum, and gold metal-flake to accent the tank of a motorcycle and its fenders.

ABOVE: Mankin has created more than 100 crosses from 18” to 30” tall for display in private homes. The difference in color is the result of many different types of wood and materials.

LEFT: Mankin calls his candle support “a play-ful mixture of Purpleheart, Wenge Wood, Red Oak, and Yellow Wood hardwoods.”

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The TAT. hangar, measuring 202’x140’, was the third-largest hangar in America when it was built at the Waynoka airport in 1929. Ford tri-motors would taxi to the covered walkway shown on the lower left for passenger boarding and deboarding.

hen transcontinental airline travel came to oklahoma in 1929, it was the beginning of a sixteen-month-long parade of history-making events and ap-pearances by the luminaries of the worlds of aviation, govern-ment, and entertainment. The parade began in New York City in the fall of 1928. It made a stop in Waynoka, oklahoma, on its way from coast to coast.

BY SANDIE oLSoN

W

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Charles A. Lindbergh, the world’s most famous flyer, was only 26 when he attended a meeting at the Engineers Club to hear a presentation by Col. Paul Henderson, vice-chairman of National Air Transport. Chester W. Cuthell, a prominent attorney, and financier Clement Melville Keys, chairman of NAT, were there as well. Henderson had drawn a crude map of the United States with a few dots crossing the continent from east to west. The dots represented cities on a transcontinental route that would take passengers from coast to coast in two days, flying in daylight hours and riding trains through the night. The trip from the east would begin with a night ride on the Pennsylvania Railroad from New York to Columbus, Ohio. Passengers would fly to Dodge City

with stops at Indianapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Wichita. From Dodge City, an overnight train would bring them to Las Vegas, New Mexico by morning. The last leg of the trip would be by air with stops at Albuquerque, New Mexico, and two in Arizona, Winslow and Kingman, before reaching Los Angeles. The final stretch by air would end in San Francisco. When the meeting ended, all were in agreement that it could be done. The com-pany was incorporated as Transcontinental Air Transport. Lindbergh, who held records flying solo and nonstop across the Atlantic in May, 1927, had been invited to the meeting for his technical expertise. He was intrigued by Henderson’s plan, but had no intention of tying himself to a single corporation.

TAT built a ticket office near the Harvey House for a comfortable place for passengers to wait for the night train to Clovis, which departed at 11:00 p.m.

He agreed to be hired as chairman of the technical committee. His salary would be $10,000 annually with a gift of 25,000 shares of stock. All technical or opera-tional decisions had to be approved by his committee. And the company could use his name. It quickly became known as the Lindbergh Line. After making survey flights across the route, Col. Lindbergh changed the final stop of the first day of flying, removing Dodge City and inserting Waynoka, oklahoma, with the overnight train ride ending at Clovis, New Mexico. It was a sad surprise to Dodge City, “ like a bolt from a cloudless day,” but a gracious letter from Dodge City was published in the Woods County Enter-prise, Waynoka’s newspaper, congratulating the town on being the chosen one. Appar-ently the rail connection at Waynoka was more flexible than at Dodge. Lindbergh had noted that there were no airports on the proposed route ready to handle the transport service. Ultimately the decision was made that TAT would build the airport facilities west of Wichita, while the cities on the line east of Wichita would pro-vide the airports. Passenger stations would be of Southwest architecture and design.

Waynoka Receives the Good News But first, the airports had to be built. Roscoe and Roland Kelsey were teenagers living on the family farm in the Rose Valley community about four miles northeast of Waynoka when they saw a small airplane land in the alfalfa field across the road. While they watched, the tall, slender pilot climbed out of the cockpit. Years later, the Kelsey brothers smiled as they recalled that day. They observed, “We knew him instantly. Everyone knew him.” It was Charles Lindbergh, the most recognizable figure in America and possibly the world. He was looking for a site on which to build

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a new transcontinental airport. Helen McCabe, a cousin of the Kel-seys, was a young girl when a few business-men from Waynoka came to see her father and her uncle, Gaylord Francis and John E. Kelsey, about buying their quarter-section farms. The deal was made, and included a clause allowing the family to move their house to property across the road. They did not know that the move would give them a front-row seat to witness the making of aviation history. The new TAT property was one mile long, east and west, and one-half mile wide. The Santa Fe Railroad crossed the southeast corner of the land near the Eagle Station. Initial plans called for a train station to be built at the airport, and Eagle was renamed “Airport”. on February 19, 1929, the Woods County Enterprise front page headline an-nounced, “Waynoka Is Western Termini of Eastern Division of First Transcontinental Air Line”. Lindbergh was expected to arrive on a Sunday to inspect the local airport. The Chamber of Commerce extended an invita-tion for dinner, although they doubted that he could spend the time with them while on his inspection tour. The Enterprise proclaimed that with east and west bound traffic, all roads will be leading into Waynoka, “and this city will soon hold a conspicuous place on the big air map.” Passengers will be coming by train, auto or other means to enter the big lanes of the Transcontinental Air Transport. The “conspicuous place” was not yet evident when The Daily Oklahoman indicated in a sub-heading on March 3 that passengers were scouring the maps to find Waynoka. Indeed with its population of 1,800, it was the smallest city on the line. “our city is looking up and our citizens realizing we have a bright future ahead of us,” the Enterprise opined.

Waynoka had recently installed lights around the square, the Santa Fe Railroad had spent more than one-half-million dol-lars on improvements at this division point, a sand and gravel company would be built near Waynoka and the Cimarron River, a gas line was being built from Kansas gas fields, and the installation of gas for home and commercial purposes would soon fol-low. The drilling of several oil wells in the area created considerable interest. Add to that the most important and exciting an-nouncement that a transcontinental airport would be built by the Lindbergh Line, and Waynoka was indeed set for a bright future. By March 1, H.S. Long, TAT represen-tative from Los Angeles, and J.S. Christian of E.W. Sproul Construction Company of Chicago were busy at the site with survey-ors, getting the half-section of land ready for runways and buildings, which included a 202’x140’ hangar. Investment by the company would be more than $100,000. The first TAT plane to land at the airport was a big Stearman, carrying Major L.D. Munger and John A. Herlihy, landing on a Wednesday morning. The men spent two hours before leaving for Albuquerque. Breaking Ground The crowd at the ground-breaking, fly-in and barbeque, hosted by the local Chamber of Commerce at noon on Monday, March 5, was conservatively estimated to be 3,500-4,000 people, considerably more than the 1,500 expected. Bad weather prevented all but two of the expected nine planes from coming. An army plane, a Douglas, Model o.H., with a Liberty motor, arrived from Post Field, Fort Sill, carrying Major Brereton, commander in charge of aeronautics at Post Field, accompanied by Lt. Causland. The big plane made several circles, then gracefully landed. The second plane, an American Eagle of Curtis ox5 model, arrived soon after, landing without

delay. Its occupants were Harold Kindred and Smith M. Brown of Enid. Kindred was the director of a flying school in Enid, and Smith Brown, a former Waynoka boy, was a student of the school. A large platform had been erected beside a temporary frame building used by directors and workmen on the grounds, and was used for the program, which was opened by an orchestra, followed by the singing of “America.” Master of ceremonies o.L. Bane introduced D.P. McNally, cham-ber president, who welcomed the visitors and the locating of the TAT Airport in “our city”. Mel Eaton and his corps of assistants served the barbequed beef which had been roasting for nearly half a day. After lunch, o.L. Bane, emcee and secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, surrounded by representatives of the three major companies interested in the airport and construction, pilots, and other officers of the Chamber, turned the first soil for the erection of the foundation of the hangar. A representative of Paramount News Reel of New York filmed the ground-breaking, which was to be shown all over the country in 20,000 theaters to multitudes of show go-ers who just now were especially interested in transcontinental flying. The next meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was, conservatively speaking, enthusiastic. Word had spread that Col. Charles A. Lindbergh would be at the Waynoka airport on a Saturday in early March. However, seeing the large crowd that had gathered to greet him, he changed his course and head-ed south to spend some time with his fiancé, Anne Morrow, whom he had not seen since their engagement was announced. Anne, who was the daughter of the United States Ambassador to Mexico, Dwight Morrow, was pleasantly surprised to read in the Sunday newspaper that Charles

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was at Eagle Pass. By evening, he had ar-rived in Cuernavaca, a Mexican town where the Ambassador had a weekend house. During his stay of at least a week in Mexico, Charles and Anne borrowed a plane for a picnic. Taking off after the pic-nic, Charles realized that the plane had lost a wheel, and it was rolling on the ground beside the plane. one of the several things would complicate their landing was the ex-tra fuel they were carrying. They flew around for several hours, and by the time they were preparing to land, Charles had given pillows to Anne to cushion the possible roll-over, and had instructed her to open the windows in case they had to crawl out. A casual group of curious onlook-ers were waiting for them at the airport, and suddenly realizing that the wheel was missing, they began running, shouting, and signaling to them not to land. They landed, and the plane did roll. Anne described it in a letter to her sister, writing, “It wasn’t so terrible, like finding yourself down at the bottom of a ski jump, not having jumped.”

Fred Harvey built America’s first chain restaurants along the Santa Fe Railroad, beginning in 1876. The

Harvey House at Waynoka, shown, was built in 1910, and played a key role in the TAT line with all coast-to-

coast passengers eating breakfast, if eastbound, or dinner, if westbound, at this fine restaurant.

one wonders if Charles might have had a flashback to the curious admirers who had been waiting for him at the Waynoka TAT Airport. Charles and Anne were wed on May 27, 1929, at Englewood, New Jersey. Ford Tri-Motor: Waynoka’s Introduction to the Big Airplane Jack Kelsey, younger brother of Roland and Roscoe, remembers that he was about four years old when his father, J.B. Kelsey, was approached by TAT men, ask-ing if he could clear a place in his pasture for landing a big tri-motor to provide the local people an opportunity to ride in the airplane. There was a good crowd that day, with many taking advantage of going up for a ride. Mr. Kelsey was given several free tickets, and used one of them to take Jack with him. Jack remembers very well sitting on his father’s lap for his first airplane ride. Helen Francis McCabe was a little girl when she rode to Wichita and back with her mother. She remembers standing in her

chair, pointing to a sign in the front of the plane, and saying to her mother, “T-o-I-L-E-T. Mother, what does that spell?” Her mother was thoroughly embarrassed.

Construction Progresses: The Hangar By March 22, the heavy steel wasgoing up on the 202’ x 140’ airport hangar, the third largest hangar in America. only Chicago and Los Angeles could boast of larger ones. The structure was built for per-manency of brick, steel, and glass. Instal-lation had begun on the telegraph line for a printer-telegraph system for sending and receiving weather conditions along the line. The Wichita Eagle took note of Waynoka’s good fortune in an article titled “Former Capital of Cow Country To Be An Aviation Center.” Dateline: Waynoka, okla.. “once the cow capital of Southern Woods county, this town is now preparing to take its place among the aviation centers of the nation. ...work was underway in exactly one week

Painting of the TAT logo on the hangar is nearing completion in this photograph. The big glass-and-steel doors can be opened the full width of the building.

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from the time T.A.T. officials picked the site and announced Waynoka as the point of transfer... “Naturally the town is excited about it. As one man puts it, Waynoka is to have a part in a great project, a project nation wide in scope, and backed by such interests as the Pennsylvania and Santa Fe railroads, Henry Ford and the Harvey system. “ ‘The nice thing about it all,’ says o.L. Bane, local banker and secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, ‘this honor came to us because Waynoka was the logical place for the terminal. We were not asked to donate a dime or make any concessions. To be sure, we are asked to see to it that an all-weather road is built from the new airport to the Santa Fe station, a distance of about three miles. But that is a small job, in my opinion.’ “However, there are those in this section of the state who do not agree with Waynoka’s claim to being the natural loca-tion for the terminal. There’s the hustling city of Alva, the county seat, just 25 miles northeast of Waynoka. The Alva Chamber of Commerce can give you a dozen reasons why that town should have been chosen instead of Waynoka, and they are good rea-sons, too. About 40 miles to the southwest is Woodward, whose citizens are equally certain that the airport should have been located there. “There are those in Woodward who believe that town lost out with the Santa Fe some years ago when the railroad company was forced to open certain streets and alleys. “As a matter of fact, however, the whole of Northwestern oklahoma is tickled to death over the matter. And if there be those who would have preferred the honor for their home town, it is but proof of the enterprising spirit of a people who are building a great empire from what was virgin prairie just a few decades ago. “John A. Hirlihy of the engineering

department of the Santa Fe is the man who came to Waynoka to pick the actual site for the airport. Mr. Hirlihy stopped first at Alva, and looked over that town’s claims for consideration. It is said that one Alva booster told Hirlihy that Waynoka was just a wide place in the road; that Alva was the real metropolis of Woods County. “‘They still open gates to get into that town,’ the booster informed Hirlihy.” “But Waynoka had long been a divi-sion point on the Santa Fe line, and because of the facilities to be found at a division point it was but natural that the airline terminal was added. “once in Waynoka, Hirlihy was not long in picking a site for the airport. He gave orders to purchase a half-section of land near the railway right-of-way, and located a trifle more than three miles north of town. “ Now this land belonged to two young farmers who had recently come to Woods county. Neither was anxious to sell. But, when it was pointed out to John Gaylord Francis, one of the farmers, that the need for an airport was vital, he agreed to accept

$9,000 for his quarter section. John E. Kelsey, the other owner, held out for more money, and received $12,000. Whereupon, the original transaction with Francis was changed and his price boosted to $10,000. “ ...All of this is expected to be completed by June 1, when the plane-train service will be inaugurated. ” Waynoka, with some neighborly as-sistance, was doing its part for the airport, which was the upgrading of the country road between the airport and Waynoka. The Eagle township board had already had the mile-long road along the south side of the landing field graded and graveled, and County Commissioner D.P. McNally was having the road graveled between the south-west corner of the airport and Waynoka, and had the hill at the Charles McDaniel farm cut down, lessening the danger where two cars had recently collided. Thomas Hunter of Chicago, the official representative of E.W. Sproul Construction Company arrived to assist and advise H.S. Christian, superintendent of the construc-tion work at the airport.

The day of the Dedication of the TAT Airport, seventeen senior citizens took advantage of the offer of free airplane rides to everyone 65 years or older. The photograph above was shown in the Oklahoma Times, along with the story. The aggregate age of the six shown with the pilot was 443 years: A.A. Chritten, 71, Waynoka; ‘Aunt Puss’ Taul, 84, a Waynoka pioneer; Jay Sears, 68, Alva; Mrs. C. Howard, 75, Alva; Mrs. Elizabeth Miller, 67, Hutchinson, Kansas; and Thomas J. Fleming, 78, owner of the Dew Drop Inn in Waynoka. According to the report, Aunt Puss was stone deaf, but during the ride, she laughed and clapped her hands, and declared, “I never thought the likes of this would come to me!”

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The Hangar: Third Largest in America By March 22, the heavy steel was going up on the 202’ x 140’ airport hangar. The structure was built for permanency of brick, steel, and glass. The telegraph line was being installed for a printer-telegraph system for sending and receiving weather conditions along the line. Forty railcar loads of the best quality of materials were used in the construction of the hangar. J.B. Kelsey, whose farm was nearby, supplied 7,000 or 8,000 yards of gravel and sand for the construction of the hangar.

The West Roofing Company of Okla-homa City placed a special built-up roofing of two layers of felt with sixty pounds of asphalt to the square foot over the heavy timbers. It carried a ten-year guarantee. The two big steel doors, placed by Truss-Con Steel Door Company of Chicago at each end of the hangar, work on ball bearing wheels running on a track. They may be opened the full width by sliding on rails which were placed around the inside of the hangar. Three other buildings were completed at the field: a 22’x18’ transformer house, a 32’ x18’ garage, and a pump house, all of brick and reinforced concrete.

Runways: A Carload of Asphalt Each Day The laying of the three runways, each 150 feet wide, began in April: one 2,640 feet running north and south, another one 1,200 feet running east and west, and a third one 2,000 feet running northeast and southwest. The installing of the runways required a railcar load of asphalt each day for a total of 80,000 to 90,000 gallons. The New Mexico Construction Com-pany laid the runways, and had placed a large machine for digging and loading the sand at J.B. Kelsey’s sand pit. Bermuda grass was planted on the

John Larsen, left, visits the site of the TAT Airport near Waynoka with Chet Olson, owner of the property, his good friend Clarence Page of the Oklahoma Air and Space Museum, and Sandie Olson, Waynoka Historical Society.

landing field, and would “later be a scene of green covering all except the runways…”, according to the Enterprise.

Radios: Only Airline with Plane-to-Ground Communication Radio man John Larsen had arrived from omaha in the early stages of planning the TAT Airport at Waynoka. Property had been purchased a mile south of the airport from John Seaman for the radio station and weather bureau, assuring that it would be free from obstructions or interference from the airport or planes. A force of telephone and telegraph ex-

perts installed the instruments for sending and receiving messages between Waynoka and the planes in the air on the TAT line, and between Waynoka and the rest of the world. The Waynoka station was to be a terminal through which messages sent from New York and other eastern points to Cali-fornia, or vice versa, would be transmitted. The teletype was an electrically controlled typewriter, on which the sender would type the message, and the receiving typewriter recorded the message, similar to stock mar-ket ticker tape machines. Southwestern Bell would maintain the service locally. A break in the teletype service would necessitate using the radio telegraph. Western Union installed a teletype and line for use between the landing field and Waynoka. The radio and teletype would be used in dispatching planes, sending reports, and making reservations. Direction-find-ing equipment would allow pilots to be informed of their exact position when weather prevented flying by landmarks. other commercial, military, or private planes flying the transcontinental route could use the TAT radio facilities. In emer-gencies, passengers could make contact with someone on the ground in a distant city.

The Weather Bureau: Half the Size of the Entire US Weather Bureau In May, Clayton F. VanThullenar, a meteorologist from Washington, D.C., ar-rived in Waynoka, his permanent location on the TAT line. Since March, he had been instructing weather observers between Columbus and Waynoka, and soon he was placing weather-recording instruments and training the operators in Clinton and Guthrie, and the Kansas towns of Moline, Florence, St. John, Englewood, and Attica. TAT would have ten complete weather stations, all equipped with meteorology

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equipment to monitor wind direction and velocity, hydrographs for measuring humid-ity, mercurial barometers to display current barometric pressure, barographs which recorded changes in barometric pressure, and thermographs for determining the exact temperature. The bureaus were housed a half mile or more from the airports in two-bedroom frame buildings with twin 128-foot steel trans-mitting and receiving towers nearby. They were linked by AT&T to telegraph service. Eighty-two additional weather-report-ing stations reported to the ten bureaus. It was all a part of Col. Lindbergh’s recog-nition of the significance of the relation-ship between safe flying and knowing the weather conditions along the route. The success of an airline could rest on its knowledge of the weather ahead. Weatherman Van Thullenar met and married a Waynoka Harvey Girl, Miss Iva J. Baxter, from Clarkesville, Arkansas. The wedding was at noon on Sunday, March 2, 1930 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. A.I. Williams, who served as attendants with a few friends present. Williams was secretary to H.S. Long at the Airport. Radioman John Larsen and C.T. VanThullenar became life-long friends, and later worked together for TWA in Kansas City.

A big “Waynoka Airport” sign, 40’x20’, was erected at the airport, facing the train tracks. Also shown are the planes, hangar, runways, and aerocar.

Airport Lighting: Most Brilliant in the United States Eyewitnesses would later report that they could read a newspaper with the bright lights of the airport about a mile away. The Woods County Enterprise declared that it would be the most brilliantly-illuminated landing field in the country when ready for operation, with a mammoth flood light east of the hangar, a big beacon light at the top of the steel tower, red lights every 200 feet around the entire field, and a red light shin-ing from every hazard such as telephone polls, windmills, and other obstacles, and when all are turned on at night, the field would be as light as day. A flood light building was being erected on the east end of the field, accord-ing to the Enterprise, from which would shine a B.B.T. Sperry fully automatic high intensity arc flood light which would throw a soft bright light covering more than three-quarters of a mile square, allowing pilots to see all parts of the field. A beacon light of two kilowatts per hour would revolve twelve times per minute, and the flash of it could be seen for 75 miles. Two large signs on the hangar roof would be electrically lighted, and the inte-rior of the hangar would be lighted by flood lights.

All the lights would be controlled from a master switch panel inside the hangar, and the entire landing field could be turned into day within 15 seconds.

In Case of Emergency: Lights and Landing Fields from Waynoka to Clovis H.S. Long announced that a “Model Airway for US,” the most up-to-date in the world, was planned by the TAT to be built between Waynoka and Clovis, according to the Alva Review-Courier. Electric beacons would be installed every 15 miles along the route with acetylene gas flasher beacons at three mile intervals. Each beacon must be absolutely clear, and none could be more than 500 feet off an absolutely straight line between Waynoka and Clovis. To achieve this, some of the beacons in Long’s division, extend-ing 60 miles west of Waynoka, had to be packed into place by mules. over his entire division, none were more than 100’ off the straight line. Emergency landing fields would be built every four miles along the way. The lighted airway was an experiment, an object lesson for the entire aviation world. The big electric beacons would be visible to airmen for 75 miles on a clear night from 1500’. The flashers would be visible for 15 miles. A pilot could fly at night from Waynoka to Clovis holding his ship in a straight line over the beacons, thus eliminating all turns, according to the Courier. The Ford Tri-Motored Airplanes Col. Lindbergh was very cautious in selecting the planes for the new company. Ultimately he chose the all-metal Ford tri-motors. Safety was all-important to Lindbergh, and a plane with more than one engine was a must. The “Tin Goose”, as it was popularly

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known, could fly with two engines, and even make it to a nearby landing field with only one. The Ford tri-motors had a wing span of 77 feet, 10 inches, and carried three 410-horsepower Pratt-Whitney Wasp mo-tors, said to be the most dependable made.

The Aerocar The Transcontinental Air Transport’s Aerocar was the forerunner of modern air-port courtesy cars. At Waynoka, the Aerocar would be used to transport TAT passengers between the airport and the Harvey House at Waynoka Station. They were specially designed two-wheel trailers towed by an automobile. The comfortable interior was upholstered in leather.

A Ticket Office in Waynoka A TAT brick veneer passenger station was hastily built near the Harvey House in Waynoka to provide a comfortable setting where passengers could relax after dinner before the passenger train, the Missionary, departed for Clovis at 11:00 p.m. The 58’ x 26’ station required a crew working from 7:00 a.m. until midnight with the help of electric lights for night work to complete the building on time. It was nicely furnished with a fireplace, a Motorola re-cord player and radio, and wicker tables and chairs.

The Harvey House Passengers arriving from the east would be driven in the Aerocar to the Harvey House, next to the Santa Fe Depot, at Waynoka for dinner before boarding the overnight train to Clovis. Those arriving by train from Clovis would be served breakfast at the Harvey House. The Waynoka Harvey House was built in 1910, and was unique in oklahoma in that it was a stand-alone structure and not inside the passenger station. Fred Harvey had eating houses and lunchrooms all along

In 1929, when John Larsen was 23, he became the radio operator at the Way-

noka TAT Airport. He supervised the installation of the most up-to-date equipment in

the industry. When service began, he worked closely with the meteorologist, alerting

incoming pilots of local landing conditions, and receiving weather information for

the departing planes. He married Rose Grant, a Waynoka girl.

Before World War II, John Larsen was TWA’s Chief Radioman in San Francis-

co. During World War II, the airlines loaned personnel to the war effort. In late 1942,

planes and crew were utilized day and night, ferrying personnel and supplies across

the South Atlantic preparing for the Allied North African invasion. John Larsen was

navigator for a crew that flew 550 hours and made 36 ocean crossings in three and

one-half months.

Early in 1965, two TWA pilots, Captains Fred Austin and Harrison Finch,

proposed a flight that would be the first to fly around the world pole to pole, the last

great aviation “first.” The feat had never been attempted because of the distance

planes could fly, and the danger or imposibility of landing and refueling on the snow

and ice at the poles. By 1965, aeronautical technology had advanced to make the

flight seem “no risk”. The longest leg of the flight was 7,413 miles from Honolulu to

London over the North Pole.

John Larsen accepted the challenge as Chief Navigator for the record-breaking

flight. Lowell Thomas, Jr., a reporter on the flight, described Larsen as “one of the

most highly experienced navigators in the world”. The plane, the Polecat, was a new

and larger version of the Boeing 707, and was leased from the Flying Tigers Line. It

had a cruising speed of 600 miles per hour, and a range of about 8,000 miles. It had a

wing span of 146 feet, and was half as long as a football field. The cockpit had places

for the pilot, co-pilot, navigator, and flight engineer. Extra fuel capacity brought the

capacity to 27,908 gallons. The plane had space for equipment for scientific experi-

ments, broadcasting, other functions, and the 40 people on board.

When the flight returned to Burbank, Larsen placed a call to his 92-year-old

mother in omaha, but learned that she had passed away three hours earlier. He

departed for omaha, missing the reception for the crew hosted by Lowell Thomas at

the Explorers’ Club in New York.

When John Larsen retired from TWA, he was 6th in seniority with the company.

After retirement from TWA, Larsen worked for Motorola in oklahoma City, repair-

ing radios, still qualified under his original license issued in 1927. He died at the age

of 90 in 1996.

John G. Larsen, the son of John and Rose, retired in 2005 after 25 years with

the Federal Aeronautics Administration as Manager of Management Systems Divi-

sion in Atlanta.

John Larsen, Radio Operator • 1906-1996

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the Santa Fe line every 200 miles. Some were resorts, such as the El Tovar at the Grand Canyon. They all shared the Harvey requirement for serving fine food attractive-ly in a pleasant atmosphere for travelers. It was a perfect choice for the air-and-rail pas-sengers arriving and departing at Waynoka.

First Aerial Mapping: Rand McNally By April 9, 1929, Col. William o. Tuftis, Washington manager for Rand McNally and Company, had became the first person to fly round-trip with a regularly established transport company over a recog-nized airway. This was believed to be the first time that an airplane had been used for aerial mapping of a transcontinental airway. The resulting map would show details of the trip with pictures of landmarks, and the map would be presented to each passenger on the TAT airline.

Officers Named Most of the executive, operating, and traffic personnel had been named by May 24. of special interest was the appointment of Paul Collins as general superintendent. Collins was a World War flier, air mail pilot, and a graduate of the barnstorming days of aviation. John Collings, formerly chief pilot of TAT, was named as Paul Collins’ assis-tant for the eastern division from Columbus to Waynoka. The same announcement men-tioned that an alternate night flying route from Columbus to the west coast would be offered later. About the same time, the Santa Fe Railroad was advertising “Back East Excur-sions” priced from $80.31 to $86.82. E.R. Hall was the Agent at Waynoka. Waynoka was served by four passenger trains daily. TAT erected a large 40’ by 20’ colorful electric sign facing the Santa Fe tracks on the east side of the airport property, extol-

Charles Lindbergh, third from left, made many inspection trips over the TAT line. On one of his stops in Waynoka, a pilot, the office personnel and mechanics paused for a photograph.

ling the TAT, Pennsylvania Railroad, and the Santa Fe Railroad coast-to-coast service. Meanwhile, on the west coast, the directors of Maddux Air Line Company ap-proved plans to merge with Transcontinental Air Transport. According to The Oklahoman, Maddux stockholders would vote in a spe-cial meeting on the proposed merger, which would bring into being one of the largest transport systems in the country. Thirty-Four Pilots Train in St. Louis The TAT pilots, averaging 3,000 hours of flying time, met in St. Louis in early June for refresher courses and training in instrument flying. Paul Collins directed the training. Each pilot was required, using instru-ments, to fly a course about ten miles long and return to the starting point with his vis-ibility blocked by curtains on the windows. A second pilot rode in the open part of the cockpit. The instruments used were an earth inductor compass, a magnetic compass, a turn and bank indicator, air speed indicator, climb indicator, and an altimeter. The airport assignments were an-nounced. Assigned to Waynoka were Earl

W. Fleet, Carl W. Rach, Fred G. Richard-son, and Howard E. Hall. Each pilot will fly half of his division, with crews changing at St. Louis, Waynoka, and Winslow, Arizona. The passenger agent assigned to Way-noka, W. H. Hottel, arrived from Washing-ton, D.C. and expected to be joined by his family soon. The Woods County Enterprise reported that one of the pre-inaugural TAT flights carried a number of prominent business-men from St. Louis and the east. Several newspaper reporters were on the plane. one of them was Ernie Pyle of the Washington News. Pyle was America’s first aviation col-umnist, and became famous in World War II for his reporting from the front lines where he lost his life before the war ended. Amelia Earhart once said of Pyle, “Not to know Ernie Pyle is to admit that you yourself are unknown in aviation.”

Construction Company Presents Black Gavels The TAT men and representatives of the E.W. Sproul Construction Company were entertained at a dinner given by the Chamber of Commerce. President D.P. Mc-Nally presided, with about 60 in attendance.

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Hugh S. Christian, a “hale fellow well met”, who had been in Waynoka the past three months with Sproul, presented a black ebony gavel to the Chamber. He would leave for Chicago in a few days.

Official Airport Dedication: June 22, 1929 The first of the Ford tri-motors was scheduled to arrive at the Waynoka Airport from Detroit on May 15, and would be placed in storage until the operation began. After at least two postponements, the airport was ready to welcome visitors. The TAT officials and committees from the Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis joined forces to make it “a big day and a rousing opening” of the first field completed on the TAT line, the Enterprise reported. Invitations had been dropped from the air in the center of a number of towns in Northwest oklahoma, advertising the dedication of the airport. Thousands came, and were impressed by the hangar and other facilities. Oklahoma’s Attorney General Edwin Dabney gave the main address of the day. He was followed by W.B. Estes, secretary of the State Chamber of Commerce, Walter Beach of Wichita, president of Travel Air Co., and others. Following the addresses, it was an-nounced that the visiting planes would give

free rides to those 65 and older. Seventeen accepted the offer. Several were later pic-tured in The Daily Oklahoman. The Herb Cook orchestra of Shawnee provided music for the afternoon program and for the evening dance in the hangar. The orchestra was on the mezzanine. The dance ended at midnight. The mayors of the airport cities were offered complimentary rides. Mayor and Mrs. Russell Floyd enjoyed their trip to St. Louis where they attended the wedding of a relative. The TAT Passenger Station and Ticket Office south of the Harvey House was dedicated on a Saturday evening in July by the TAT men and their ladies. Dinner was served at the station, followed by a dance. The music was provided by a radio, which has since been donated to the Waynoka Air Rail Museum, and is displayed along with the wicker furniture that was original to the TAT passenger station.

Big “WAYNOKA” Sign Placed on Ice Plant Roof The U.S. Airway Department re-quested that the name of the city be placed prominently on a roof in the town of Way-noka. The Chamber of Commerce gladly complied, installing ten-foot letters painted yellow on top of the Railways Ice Company. Two large arrows were added: one

pointing north, and another pointing to the TAT landing field. “WAYNOKA” could easily be seen from airplanes flying over the town.

Col. Lindbergh Gives the Go-Ahead Col. Charles Lindbergh wrote a letter to C.M. Keys, president of Transcontinental Air Transport, outlining all the work that had been done and the safety measures en-acted on the coast-to-coast route, conclud-ing that service could be inaugurated on July 8. on July 1, it was announced that Ame-lia Earhart had been appointed assistant to the general traffic manager of TAT. Miss Earhart, 30, was in 1923 the first woman to receive a license from the National Aero-nautic Association. Page one of the July 5th edition of the Woods County Enterprise carried two unthinkable headlines: “Col. Lindbergh and Bride Visit Waynoka” and “Amelia Earhart in Waynoka July 8th”. It must have seemed like a giant cre-scendo, with so many big announcements and events already fulfilled for Waynokans, and now the Lindberghs having been in their midst, and Amelia Earhart coming soon. Charles and Anne Lindbergh arrived on Tuesday evening in their Curtis Falcon. The townsfolk heard the plane approaching, and saw it circling overhead, and, sensing that it truly was the famous flyer, sprang into action. The Enterprise reported that “automobiles in all parts of the city were hurriedly cranked for a fast run to the air-port to welcome the distinguished visitors.” They were brought to the Harvey House for dinner and an overnight stay. They had stayed at the Meuhleback Hotel in Kansas City the previous night, and they were on their way to Los Angeles where Charles would push a button to signal the train at

Lindbergh chose the all-metal Ford tri-motor, sometimes called the “Tin Goose”, over all the other airplanes available, deeming it to be the safest for passenger ships.

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Pennsylvania Station in New York City to start on its journey to Columbus, ohio. The following day, he would pilot the first TAT Ford tri-motor from Los Angeles to Winslow. Before departing on Wednesday eve-ning, Col. and Mrs. Lindbergh entertained the men of the TAT at an 8 o’clock dinner at the Harvey House. Joyce Milton, a Lindbergh biographer, wrote that Mrs. Lindbergh found Waynoka to be as exotic as any Mayan ruin. Anne herself would write in a letter to her sister, after arriving in Clovis on the 4th of July, “I have been resting here after a night’s trip from Waynoka, oklahoma. There are bugles outside – 4th of July ones, perhaps – and I lie with my eyes closed and think of the still plains and the church dome at Quernevaca. Do you remember the lovely time we had there together once, in our togetherness and the peace of the place? Not that Clovis bears any resemblance. A small Western town, flat and dry. “But Waynoka! I have never been in a place like it. It is smaller than this – has four or five streets and a hotel [one of the TAT men described it as ‘the kind you see in an old Western movie’] painted white with a large sign, ‘Baths’, over the front door. One big room downstairs for meeting, eating, registering, buying and smoking cigars, spitting, and talking. At least I presume all this – I only looked at it through the open door. We got a room at the Harvey House connected to the station and slept well in spite of two or three trains going under our window. The Santa Fe Railroad goes by there and stops. A small country crowd tumbles out to the restaurant and gets a ter-ribly good meal. ‘It all felt very, very Western: the quiet, the lack of pressure or touch with progress (not that Western towns aren’t progressive, but a small, distant country town isn’t). TAT has built a magnificent field and hangar with

attractive offices, the equipment being the most modern, efficient, progressive, down to the last detail. All the town came out to see the dedication. Some townsman said there hadn’t been such a crowd since the dedication of the pavement!” She mentions later that she and Charles had a long walk there in the dark. Anne describes the flight in the Ford tri-motor from Los Angeles to Winslow from the plane’s roominess to the amenities offered to the passengers. She also describes the radio operator on board, “who looks as though he were playing a kazoo; he has a round metal box fastened to his mouth and he is talking into it.” The services and advice of Amelia Ear-hart, assistant to the general traffic manager, were especially sought in the company’s efforts to attract women to flying, and to as-sure them of its safety. She was the aviation editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine. Amelia was on the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Airway Limited when it departed Penn Station while a band played “Califor-nia, Here I Come!” on the evening of July 8. The train took the passengers overnight to Columbus, ohio, where they boarded the waiting TAT tri-motors, the City of Colum-bus and the City of Wichita, for the day’s flight to Waynoka. The Waynoka chapter of PEo, a women’s organization, sent a telegram to Miss Earhart as she was in flight on her trip to Waynoka, inviting her to dinner. She

replied by telegram that she and her friend Mrs. Putnam would be glad to join them. Mrs. Putnam was Dorothy Binney Put-nam, heir to the Crayola fortune, and wife of George Palmer Putnam, the publisher. Amelia had chosen Dorothy to be the first woman to make the round trip to California and back on the TAT. Dorothy was the more out-going of the two, and she was often mistaken for Amelia. Dorothy’s account of the flight to Waynoka from Wichita reads, “Lunch in air – delicious, too, but weather very bumpy. Showers, sun, rain, lightning all day. But lovely effects. Read Little Caesar, dozed, and looked.” A crowd awaited them at the Waynoka Airport. A welcoming ceremony included the presenting of a large bouquet of flowers to Miss Earhart by Marilyn McDaniel, a student at Waynoka High School. Marilyn’s younger brother, Dennis, about four years old, remembers it well. Amelia Earhart gave the bouquet to Dennis, along with a big hug. It sparked a love of flying for Dennis. He continues to be an active pilot in the San Francisco Bay area, having served twice as president of the Bay Area Pilots Associa-tion, and flies his private plane to Oklahoma once or twice a year to visit his hometown. Dorothy reported that she ate with Amelia and the Waynoka Mayor’s wife, Mrs. Floyd, at the Harvey House, and had a terrible meal. The ladies had hoped for some time with Amelia, but she retired to

Good friends Charles Lindbergh and Will Rogers shared a love of flying.

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the waiting Pullman after dinner, tired from the day’s flight from Columbus. She assured them that if possible she would return for a visit with the group. Dorothy described the flight from Clovis in her diary. “Superb grandeur. Nothing like it before to thrill and excite and enchant me. 10 hours of sheer beauty… Lunch served in sky. Everyone thrilled and tremendous crowd at arrival Los Angeles, photos, etc.” The return flight on the City of San Francisco was not without incident. “It’s very inspiring and something never to be forgotten. Within the hour we’ve had a ter-rifying thrill. our radio burned out, and the fire, smoke and smell at 10,000 ft. altitude, over mountains and canyons, gave one to think!” She continued, “Lunch, afternoon tea, read Willa Cather, and soon it is sunset a great rimrock mesa, purple against burnt orange sky. It is so utterly beautiful it sad-dens me. At Clovis I went to my compart-ment and hated the desert moon!” The morning of July 14, from Way-noka, Dorothy writes that the train was late, as it is four times out of six. She’s eager to be on the plane again. “It is so much more beautiful, no heat, no dust.” Flying lower than the previous day, she sees farms, cattle grazing, and ranches. She is at home on July 15, eight days later, with four of the days spent in Los Angeles. She compares it to the five-night trips to her home in Oregon from 1912-1916. Amelia did not forget her promise to

the Waynoka women. She returned in her Lockheed Vega at least twice, spending the night at the Harvey House each time. on one occasion, she again dined with the PEo ladies, and attended their meeting at the country home of Mrs. Elmer Bixler. Gladys Bixler Thompson was a high school girl who was invited to serve refreshments at the meeting. She remembered it very well later, saying that Amelia sat on the floor with her legs crossed in a rather boyish way. Herb Fahey, top test pilot for Lock-heed, and his wife, Clare, also a pilot, came through Waynoka with Amelia in February, 1930. Probably as an officer with Transcontinental Air Transport, Amelia was provided sleeping quarters in the Harvey House, which was not a hotel but had rooms for their employees, the Harvey Girls. The Faheys stayed across the street at the Dew Drop Inn, whose ads stated that they had the best beds in the country, and hot and cold water in each room. Flying was not kind to the trio. The Faheys died in separate plane crashes within a year, and Miss Earhart and her airplane vanished over the Pacific ocean in 1937. The parade of notable passengers was continuous. William McAdoo, former Secretary of the Treasury under Woodrow Wilson, and Democratic candidate for Presi-dent five years prior, arrived from the east on a Sunday evening, and after dining and spending five hours in Waynoka, boarded the Santa Fe. The Enterprise reported the phe-nomena rather philosophically: “With the coming of the T.A.T. into our community many nationally known men and women are arriving in our midst, the large part of whom had never before visited the city of Waynoka, the western air terminal of the eastern division of the Transcontinental Air Transport, Inc., and the home of the peerless sand dunes which radiate their beauty over a broad expanse, reflecting their glory to the

blue dome of heaven, as one writer has said, and where live the finest people in the world – or to be conservative, at least a portion of them, all of whom appreciate the coming of our big landing field which brings among us, if for but a short while, the men and women who have made for themselves a name well known to almost every child of a great nation.” The city editor of the Hollywood News arrived in Waynoka by plane from the east as a guest of TAT. He called at the Enter-prise, and reported his trip by plane was the sensation of his life. In February, 1930, Mr. Allester Mc-Donald, son of the British Prime Minister, arrived by train from Clovis, and continued on his TAT east-bound flight to Columbus. From Hollywood came sensation-of-the-day John Gilbert and his wife, as well as Lionel Barrymore, Greta Garbo, Wallace Berry, Lon Chaney, and others.

Christening of the City of Waynoka It was customary to name the “ships” after the cities where TAT airports were located. Early on, Hollywood’s Mary Pick-ford had christened the City of Los Angeles, and Amelia Earhart had done the honors in New York, christening the Ford tri-motor on display at Union Station the City of New York. on Sunday, April 13, 1930, it was a day of celebration when Miss Ruth Goo-dale, a student at Waynoka High School, climbed a company ladder and broke a bot-tle of ginger ale across the nose of the Ford tri-motor airplane which was waiting in the TAT hangar. In the years of prohibition, gin-ger ale replaced the traditional champagne. Music was provided by the Waynoka High School Band. Twenty minute airplane rides were offered to the public. Roland and Roscoe Kelsey told of visiting with Will Rogers at the airport.

Wedding bells rang for TAT radioman John Larsen and Rose Grant, a local Waynoka girl.

19

They were allowed to see inside his private plane, which was set up as an office. Roland inquired about his pay for writing a daily column. “A dollar a word” was the answer, and from that day, Roland counted the words to know how much Rogers was paid. While Will waited for the train in the eve-ning, he entertained the group of Waynoka boys who had gathered at the station. Will’s column of October 25, 1930, carried a “Waynoka, okla.,” dateline, and read, “What does the sensational collapse of Wall Street mean? Nothing. Why, if the cows of this country failed to come up and get milked one night, it would be more of a panic than if Morgan and Lamont had never held a meeting. Why, an old sow and a litter of pigs make more people a living than all the steel and General Motors stock combined. Why, the whole 120,000,000 of us are more dependent on the cackling of a hen than if the stock exchange was turned into a night club. And all New Yorkers call them rubes.” A similar sentiment was expressed in a Missouri editorial in which the writer urged that the building of airports and golf courses was eliminating farms at a time when we needed more dairies and milk cows. Charles and Anne Lindberg were not publicity seekers. The opposite was true. They valued their privacy. Charles publicly commended Waynoka for giving them their privacy. The big-city newsmen, however, had a different slant on Waynoka’s seeming ignorance of perhaps the most famous cou-ple in America. A Scripps-McRay reporter opined that Waynoka was probably the only town in the country who did not know who they were. Earl Passwaters, a cook at the Way-noka Harvey House, reported that the couple would often enter the Harvey House through the kitchen, avoiding the inevitable admirers. on at least one occasion, the entire formal dining room was closed to

all but Charles and Anne, giving them the privacy they requested. Transcontinental Air Transport made a thirty-minute movie to advertise the “Coast to Coast in 48 Hours” service. As the Ford tri-motor is shown entering the air space over eastern oklahoma, the plane tips to the left and the scene below comes into view. The narrator says, “And now we see what oklahoma farmers plant for farm relief – oil derricks!” The film shows the happy pas-sengers transferring from the airplane to the waiting aerocar, and riding to the Harvey House in Waynoka where they are served dinner before boarding the Pullman.

Tragedy Strikes: The City of San Francisco Is Lost on September 3, 1929, less than two months after the auspicious beginning of the coast-to-coast line, word came that the

City of San Francisco had not arrived in Los Angeles. It had last been seen eighty miles west of Albuquerque, flying its nor-mal course over the town of Grants, New Mexico. By dawn the next day, it became obvi-ous that something serious had happened. A massive search was conducted by more than 100 planes and hundreds of ground search-ers over 50,000 square miles of the rugged wilderness of Arizona and New Mexico. TAT offered a $5,000 reward, to which another $5,000 was added by the family of courier, 22-year old Maynard Canfield, who had been previously stationed at Waynoka. The plane was finally spotted on Mount Taylor, one of New Mexico’s highest mountains. All aboard had perished. Ridership plummeted to two or three passengers daily. The City of San Francisco had safely flown more than 255,000 miles, which did not count for much to potential riders. Fares were drastically cut. The company flew its own people on the line in a show of confidence, and to make it appear that business was still substantial. Taking no chances, TAT canceled many flights when the weather was questionable. The joke of the line said that TAT stood for “Take a train”. Not until early in 1930 did the TAT begin to recover. The company added the showing of movies in the air between Columbus and Waynoka. Flying at 5,000 feet, a party of Universal Picture Company executives, TAT officials, and newspapermen sat comfort-ably in their chairs and watched a newsreel of events from the past 48 hours across the country. General Electric, at the request of

Less than 24 hours after dining with the PEO ladies at the Harvey House in Waynoka, Amelia Earhart and Dorothy Binney Putnam arrive in Los Angeles.

20

Universal Pictures, designed a small bat-tery-operated 500-watt bulb more powerful than any available at the time. In-flight movies were to be included as a regular attraction after the successful test which began at Waynoka. The February 14 Enterprise reported that TAT would begin running two planes each way daily again. Profitability, however, was elusive. In its first eighteen months of operation, the company had lost $2.7 million. The air and rail service was not working. The 48-hour schedule was not a big improvement over train travel. The February merger with Maddux Air added fifteen tri-motors, and a leg from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The passenger-carrying business was moving in the direction of all-air travel. Herbert Hoover’s Postmaster General, Walter Folger Brown, had as part of his job description to encourage commercial avia-tion. Brown, a brilliant Harvard-educated lawyer, began to learn about aviation, and concluded that it would never be profitable without the added financial assistance of carrying the mail. Competition was strong for the mail contracts, but TAT-Maddux was a successful bidder in September, 1930.

Waynoka saw it as an asset to the airline’s local operation. The same Enterprise that carried the news of the mail contract reprinted a story written by the editor of the St. Louis Times, Dale S. Rienault. He wrote, “To those who remember Waynoka and other Western oklahoma towns of several years ago it will be a distinct regret to find that the old cow towns have about passed out. Today Waynoka is as modern and bustling a little city as you would find anywhere. Only an occasional cowboy in high heel boots brings back the old days when the West was young and just a little bad. “There was not even a ‘Yipee!’ at the rousing reception given the air caravan by the Waynka Chamber of Commerce last night, which to some will be hailed as a sad commentary on the changing spirit of the West, but apparently the West believes it has grown up and the picturesque romanc-ing must fade out of the picture.” A week later, TAT-Maddux was deny-ing the report in newspapers around the country that Waynoka would be abandoned as a stopping place for TAT-Maddux. The company now included Western Air Express. Chamber of Commerce President

o.L. Bane wired J.L. Maddux, president of TAT-Maddux, Inc., in New York, asking for clarification of the story. Maddux re-sponded saying that they had no intention of discontinuing its use, though changes would be made. on october 17, when Waynokans opened the Enterprise, they were greeted with a headline reading, “T.A.T.-Maddux Line Moves from Waynoka”. The new route would include Tulsa, oklahoma City, and Amarillo. The last plane to leave Way-noka on a regularly scheduled route was the City of New York, which had brought passengers from Wichita to Waynoka the previous evening, but left with none the next morning. John Larsen remained as radio opera-tor, sending weather reports to the pilots. Larsen was eventually transferred, but the US Weather Bureau continued to operate the weather station until 1939. Soon after the closing of the airport, Airport Station along the Santa Fe Railroad tracks was renamed “Eagle”. The airport continued to be used as an emergency landing field, and as a practice field for pilots from Vance Air Force Base in Enid. The hangar was sold to Little Rock, Arkansas, and was dismantled and transported to the airport there, and is still very much in use today by Central Flying Service. TAT evolved into Transworld Air Lines. In 1945, the half-section of land on which the airport stood was sold by TWA to brothers Miles and Harrison olson, with each buying one quarter section. The property, still referred to as “the airport” continues to be owned by descendents of Miles and Harrison. The big concrete apron where the hangar stood is used for machinery and hay storage. The two remaining buildings, the garage and transformer building, are vacant and silent reminders of a glorious past.

Young Helen Francis with her mother, Clara Francis, a neighbor, Alice Chestnut, her grand-parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Francis, and another neighbor, Will Lee, all enjoyed the dedication of the new TAT Airport in their neighborhood.

21

From a young age, Harvey was intrigued by radio and would spend

hours listening to a homemade cigar-box crystal set. He began his radio

career at KVOO-AM 1170 Radio while still in high school at the urging of

his English teacher. He earned $20 per month playing the guitar, mak-

ing announcements, reading commercials, and, in the news

anchor’s absence, reporting the news. He went on to become

one of the most recognized voices in radio history.

Harvey did not have the stereotypical childhood of the 1920s. Born

September 4, 1918 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Paul Harvey Aurandt shortened

his name to Paul Harvey in 1944 after taking a radio job in Chicago. His

father, Harry Harrison Aurandt, a police officer, was killed when he was

only three years old. To provide for Harvey and his sister Frances, his

mother, Anna Dagmar Christensen Aurandt, took in boarders.

Following graduation from high school, Harvey continued his work

at KVOO Radio in Tulsa while taking English and speech classes at the

University of Tulsa. Remaining in the broadcasting field, he went on to

become station manager at KFBI Radio in Salina, Kansas, a newscaster

at KOMA Radio in Oklahoma City, and as news and special events

director at KXOX Radio in St. Louis, Missouri. While program director at

WKZO Radio in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he served as the Office of War

Information’s news director for Michigan and Indiana.

Harvey served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War

II. Following a medical discharge, he joined WENR-AM Radio in Chi-

cago’s Merchandise Mart and his broadcasts quickly earned top ratings.

He befriended the owner, Joseph P. Kennedy, who just happened to be

the father of Joe, Jr., John F., Robert F., and Teddy Kennedy. The elder

Kennedy was instrumental in Harvey earning a spot on ABC Radio. In

1951 the first “Paul Harvey News and Comment” was broadcast nationally

on ABC Radio. In 2000, Harvey signed a $100,000,000 ten-year contract

with ABC and in 2002 he celebrated 50 years with the company.

During his first year at ABC, Harvey was arrested for breaking and

entering into the Argonne National Laboratory west of Chicago. He

declared it was investigative journalism, proving that security was lax at

the nuclear facility during the Cold War. Harvey said, “No indictment was

filed, but Harry Truman had me picking barbed wire out of my britches for

about a decade.”

By MILLIE CRADDICK

Paul Harvey

“I believe in my God.

I believe in my county.”

I believe in myself.”

–Paul Harvey

22

“Paul Harvey News and Comment”

and “The Rest of the Story,” aired for the

first time in 1976, was heard on more

than 1,500 stations worldwide with more

than 24,000,000 weekly listeners. At

the height of his career, his syndicated

column was carried by more than 300

newspapers.

Harvey was honored by the Dis-

abled American Veterans, the Veterans

of Foreign Wars, the American Legion,

and the Freedom Foundation. He was

inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of

Fame in 1955, named Commentator of

the year by Radio/TV Daily, and was

inducted to the National Association of

Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He was

named Salesman of the year, Person

of the year, Radio’s Commentator

of the year, American of the year,

Radio’s Man of the year, and Fa-

ther of the year. In 2005 President

George W. Bush presented him with

the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

He was the recipient of nine honorary

degrees, an author, and aviator.

As an author, Harvey’s published

works include Autumn of Liberty,

Remember These Things, you Said

It, Paul Harvey, and Our Lives, Our

Fortunes, Our Sacred Honor. His

albums include his call to action by

fellow Americans in “The Uncom-

mon Man” and the expression of

his personal philosophy in “Testing

Time.” He popularized, and even

invented, words such as “Reaganom-

ics,” “snoopervision,” “skyjacker,” and

“guesstimate.”

A licensed pilot, Harvey also added a

helicopter rating to his aviation licenses. He

became active in the Experimental Aircraft

Association and made possible an audio-

video center at the Association’s headquar-

ters.

Harvey married Lynne Cooper and to-

gether they had one child, Paul Harvey, Jr.

Known as “Angel,” Lynne Cooper Harvey

served as Paul Harvey’s executive produc-

er. Together they worked on a news strip

that became the top-rated news in the Chi-

cago area and the most sponsored co-op

on the network. The Harveys were married

for almost 68 years before Angel’s death in

2008. Nearly one year later Harvey passed

away with family by his side at his home in

Phoenix, Arizona.

“I won’t retire until I find some-

thing that’s more fun to do.”

–Paul Harvey

LEFT: Paul Harvey speaks at the Experimental Aircraft

Association (EAA) AirVenture Museum. Harvey had

been a member of EAA since 1973 and made possible

the Paul Harvey Audio-Visual Center at the EAA

headquarters in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Paul Harvey Aurandt changed his name to Paul

Harvey after accepting a position in Chicago,

Illinois.

Paul and Angel Harvey

worked side by side in the

broadcast industry, he with

his syndicated programs

and she with programs

featuring women’s news,

fashions, and community

forums.

RIGHT: In 1988, Paul and

Lynne Harvey celebrated

the renaming of a one-block

stretch in Chicago “Paul

Harvey Drive” in honor of the

famed broadcaster.

“…and now you know the rest of the story.” —Paul Harvey

By BoB Burke

23

oklahoma may not have been explored by

europeans until the 1800s had it not been for

bountiful wildlife, especially fur-bearing animals.

The lure of fur brought explorers at least a

century before the removal of Native Ameri-

cans from the southeastern united States

brought attention to the future state.

TheeconomicpotentialofOklahomafirst

was recognized by France. What drew France

to oklahoma was not gold, but the possibility

of reaping one of the state’s natural resources,

its wildlife population.

The life of an early fur trader was often dangerous, and always lonely. Sometimes traders went for weeks without seeing another human. Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

E: In 2000, Paul Harvey signed a ten-year, $100 million

contract with ABC.

24

Since the dawn of civilization, the skins

of fur-bearing animals have been a source

of clothing for humans, especially in colder

climates. For the wealthy citizens of europe,

furs were worn to “dress up” for formal social

occasions.

The exploration of North America and

the history of fur trading are simultaneous

historical events. Fur trading began only a few

years after Columbus came to the New World

in 1492. During the 1500s, europeans explored

the east coast of North America and traded

with natives they met. They exchanged beads,

knives, and hatchets for fur and meat. Beaver

robes were known as “castor gras” in French

and “coat beaver” in english. Indian trappers

brought furs from the interior of the conti-

nent to the St. Lawrence river and traded for

manufactured goods from europe including

blankets, cloth, guns, and iron tools.

early maps of present oklahoma show

that the French were familiar with settlements

of the Wichitas. The Spanish explorer, Corona-

do, had reached their villages on the Arkansas

river in the vicinity of modern Lyons, kansas,

in 1541, but there is no record of any euro-

pean contact thereafter for nearly a century.

Frenchmen from the Great Lakes region, once

they had acquired the horse for transportation,

began venturing farther from their homes and

saw Wichita villages as potential trading posts.

Maps printed in 1673 show Painiassa

villages scattered along the Arkansas river in

present oklahoma and northern kansas. The

French often referred to the Wichitas as Panis,

with a qualifying adjective. The French had

encountered the Pawnee Indians farther to

the north and thought the Wichitas resembled

them.

It was not until the seventeenth century

that the French began to develop fur trading

onanysignificantscaleintotheinteriorof

Colonel A.P. Chouteau was the most influential of the early

traders in oklahoma. Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

This map of the Three Forks Area was drawn as part of the Indian-Pioneer project of the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression. In was in this area that the first permanent trading posts were established. Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

25

North America. From Montreal, the leading city of

New France, fur trading became lucrative for men

called coureur des bois, French for “runner of the

woods,” who engaged in the fur trade without per-

mission from the French government. Competition

wasfierceasthecoureur des bois risked their lives to

journey through hostile Indian Territory to the area

around the Great Lakes to trade clothing, muskets,

and copper pots for beaver pelts.

French traders penetrated the valleys of the

tributaries of the Mississippi well before 1700. How-

ever, because most of the Frenchmen were illiterate,

they made no permanent record of their travels.

In 1695, Spanish authorities received word from

Native Americans in the Arkansas river Valley that

Frenchmen were approaching the southern Great

Plains. Pierre LeMoyne, Sieur d’Iberville, who laid the

French claim to Louisiana, led an expedition up the

red river in 1700. It is not known if he made it as far

as the southeast corner of present oklahoma, but

he certainly came close. His reports to the govern-

ment in Paris increased curiosity about the American

wilderness.

In the early 1700s, France was suffering eco-

nomically. The Bourbon rulers hoped that fur trade in

French Louisiana might spur a new level of trade that

would make the French economy healthy again. They

thought opening trade routes across Louisiana would

provide a new market for French manufactured

goods. To open those trade routes, it was necessary

to explore the region and make pacts with Indians

who lived there to assure safe passage of traders.

ThefirstrecordedaccountsofFrenchtradingin

oklahoma came in 1719 when two expeditions pen-

etratedtheregion.ThefirstwasledbyBernarddela

Harpe in 1719. He had been given a land grant on the

red river and was instructed to explore that river,

“learn about the savages,” and establish posts among

the Native Americans, and to ultimately establish

commerce with the Spaniards in Texas and Mexico.

In June, 1719, La Harpe left his post on the red

river in present Louisiana and headed up river to

The federal government granted John Florer this per- mit in 1872 to trade goods for furs with the osage. Courtesy Oklahoma Histori- cal Society.

There was active fur trading in some rural areas of oklahoma during the Great Depression. Arnold Kincaid ran the general store in Hochatown in McCurtain County and sent furs from local trappers to St. Louis.

26

acquaint the surrounding tribes with

his French merchandise. It was not

long until he encountered several

Native American villages. The inhabit-

ants belonged to various tribes of the

Caddoan linguistic family, all of whom

played major roles in the history of fur

trading in oklahoma. The Hasinai and

Caddo tribes lived on the red river,

the Paniouassa were located along the

Arkansas river and upper red river.

on August 13, 1719, La Harpe

crossed the present Arkansas-okla-

homa border at Grassy Lake and

pitched camp for the night near pres-

ent Bokhoma in McCurtain County.

The following night, La Harpe and his

party camped in the immediate vicinity

of Idabel, the present county seat of

McCurtain County.

La Harpe’s journal gives history’s

firstrealglimpseattherugged,un-

spoiled wilderness that would someday

become oklahoma. He found evidence

of life and of travel. He camped near

a crossroads “which formed two little

pathways, one which ran to the West

to the roving nations, and the other to

the Northwest.” La Harpe wrote:

The seventeenth, we remained in

camp, our guides killed for us two buff-

alos and some roebucks, but the heat

was so great that the meat could be

preserved for only two days, unless it

was smoked…

After leaving southeast oklahoma,

La Harpe’s party followed the Cana-

dian river, although the precise route

is not known. He visited with the Tao-

vayas, a large band of Native Americans

living at the mouth of the river. With

no sites chosen for permanent trading

posts, La Harpe became ill as he began

his return to the red river via the

Arkansas river.

La Harpe was skeptical that the

Native Americans he had met on his

journey through oklahoma would ever

buy many French-made goods. Part

of his frustration came from the lack

of stable settlements in oklahoma.

He wrote in his journal, “My intention

was to leave with this nation three of

my men until the council of Louisiana

should decide upon an establishment

here, but I changed my mind, having

learned that these people quit all their

villages in the month of october to

go hunting to which they return only

in the month of March to sow their

maize, beans, and pumpkins which they

eat in the summer.”

even though villages dotted the

red river, seldom did the Native

Americans stay in one place for the

entire year. That mobility caused La

Harpe to shy away from recommend-

ing to his superiors in Louisiana and

France to immediately set up trading

posts along the red river.

At the time La Harpe was ap-

proaching the oklahoma wilderness

from the south, another Frenchman,

Charles Du Tisne, began an expedi-

tion into oklahoma from the north.

Du Tisne’s purpose was to develop an

overland route for trade and com-

merce with the Spaniards in Texas and

New Mexico. Spain had been trading

with Native Americans in the West for

nearly a century before the French

began to challenge her for trade with

inhabitants of the southern plains.

other Frenchmen pursued trad-

ing prospects in oklahoma. French

In the late 1700s, French coureur es bois often entered into future oklahoma illegally to trade with Native Americans. They often spent entire winters collecting furs before hauling them to St. Louis for sale to exporters to satisfy the demands of European ladies and gentle-men. Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

BYDR. LEWIS STILES AND BOB BURKE

27

Canadian brothers, Paul and Pierre Mal-

let, traveled westward to Santa Fe, New

Mexico, in 1739, and returned to New

orleans along the Canadian and Arkan-

sas rivers. Andre’ Fabry de la Bruyere

was sent by the governor of Louisiana

the following year to attempt to reach

Santa Fe and explore trade with the

Spaniards. However, his mission was

stalled by low water on the Canadian

river.

The coureurs des bois who began

mapping and writing about oklahoma

were unique men who were eager to

expandtheinfluenceoftheFrench.

Historian Anne Million wrote, “They

exhibited personal traits not unlike

those of later French immigrants—an

independent spirit and individual-

ity, a personal kind of religion, and a

readiness to assimilate with the existing

population. For the coureurs des bois,

this entailed adapting to Indian ways and

languages, even taking Indian wives. This

accounts for many French-Indian names

in oklahoma.”

Soon after La Harpe and Du Tisne

reported on their expeditions to okla-

homa, French traders and trappers be-

gan visiting the area, often remaining for

the entire trapping and hunting seasons

to procure furs and pelts. They camped

on the banks of streams and bartered

with Native Americans who often led

them to areas that were teeming with

fur-bearing animals—deer, beaver, lynx,

otter, mink, raccoon, bear, and buffalo.

French traders and trappers gave

names to many of the mountains and

streams in oklahoma. The names given

by the French stuck because other

Frenchmen kept coming to oklahoma

and called streams and mountains by

the same names. on the Arkansas

River,thefirststreamofsubstantial

size west of the border with okla-

homa is the Poteau, French for “post.”

La Harpe had set up a post carved

with the arms of the French king near

present Haskell, oklahoma.

A branch of the Poteau river is

the Fourche Maline, the French words

for “treacherous fork.” In view of the

present city of Poteau is Cavanol Hill,

the tallest hill in America, just under

theofficialheightofamountain.Cava-

nol is a corruption of the French word

meaning “cavernous.” Farther up the

Arkansas river is Cache Creek. Cache

was used by French traders to express

the act of concealing or hiding property

from the Native American inhabitants.

other oklahoma names came

from French explorers, traders, and

trappers. Sans Bois Creek is derived

from the French words for “without

wood.” Sallisaw is a corrupt form of

French words for “salt provision.”

French traders salted buffalo meat

on the banks of this creek in some of

their earliest expeditions to the area.

Vian is from the French word, viande,

meaning “meat.” The Verdigris river is

from the French words for “green” and

“gray,” perhaps named for the green-

ish gray rocks in the channel of the

stream.

In southeast oklahoma, the

kiamichi Mountains and kiamichi river

received their names when the French

sawhugeflocksofwhoopingcraneson

the bank of the river in the spring of

the year. kiamichi is the French word

for “horned-screamer,” a species of

water bird. Boggy river was originally

called the Vazzures river by the French.

The name came from the French adjec-

Co-authored by Dr. Lewis Stiles and Bob Burke, Bounty of Nature: Fur Traders in Oklahoma was released earlier this year.

28

tive meaning “boggy” or “miry.”

The French began frequenting

Wichita villages along the red river.

French traders from Illinois and New

orleans established trading posts,

intermarried with Native American

women, and took up the Wichita cus-

toms and dress. The Wichitas were by

tradition tillers of the soil, but became

fur hunters in order to trade with the

coureurs des bois. In exchange for otter,

mink, beaver, and muskrat furs, suet,

deer skins, buffalo robes, and bear oil,

the Wichitas received knives, guns and

ammunition, cloth, hardware, and bran-

dy. Traders took their bounty by pack

trains to Arkansas Post, 50 miles above

the mouth of the Arkansas river and

thendelivereditviaflatboattoNew

orleans, a trip that often took two or

three months. Furs were shipped from

New orleans to european markets.

With each passing decade after the

expeditions of La Harpe and Du Tisne,

more French traders and trappers

came to oklahoma. The law of supply

and demand already had been estab-

lished in oklahoma. The Wichitas living

along the red river increased their fur

production to buy guns and ammuni-

tion from French traders to prevent

the osage in Missouri from perma-

nently moving into oklahoma.

The osage often ventured into

present northeast oklahoma for hunt-

ing and trapping. In 1742, the osage

disruptedtheprofitableFrenchtrade

by declaring war on the Taovayas. The

Wichitas sent warriors to the upper

Arkansas river to help the Taovayas,

and stayed in the area after the osage

threat ended.

In 1747, French agents helped

facilitate an alliance between the

Wichitas and Comanches, an alliance

ofsignificantcommercialimportance.

Comanches exchanged deer skins,

buffalo robes, and other pelts for

French-made guns that the Wichitas

had received from the French. In turn,

theWichitas,perhapsthefirst“middle-

man” in oklahoma commerce, traded

the furs to the French.

For several decades of the 20th

century, historians believed oklaho-

ma’sfirstwhitetradingpostwases-

tablished in the 1740s on the west side

of the Arkansas river near Newkirk in

present kay County. The claims about

the founding of Fernandina came from

Dr. Joseph A. Thoburn of the univer-

sity of oklahoma history department.

using funds provided by e.W. Mar-

land, the founder of the oil company

that became Conoco, and who later

was elected governor of oklahoma,

Thoburn completed preliminary work

on the site, now known as the Deer

Creek Site.

Thoburn theorized that the

French established Fernandina as

a trading post for dealing with the

Wichita peoples who lived in the area.

Thoburn also assumed that Fernandina

was the same settlement that Du Tisne

visited in 1719. Du Tisne reported

that the village was on the bank of a

creek on a hill surrounded by elevated

prairies and that another village was

a short distance away. French geog-

rapher, Gaston Du rivage, also had

reported at about the same time that

he traded with the friendly people in

the village for two horses and set up

awhiteflagbetweenthetwovillages,

thus laying claim to the country for the

king of France.

Later scholars believe that the

Deer Creek Site was not a French set-

tlement, but instead a Wichita village

that was surrounded by a dry moat to

protect it from enemies, probably the

osage. There has been no systematic

excavation of Deer Creek Village, but

archaeologists believe the village was

occupied as early as 1720 and remained

in use until the late 1750s. No doubt

French traders frequented the village.

exploration of a contemporane-

ous village two miles upstream on the

Arkansas river of what is known as

the Bryson-Paddock Site has revealed

artifacts of French material culture,

including fragments from French-made

musketsandgunflints.Flintstone

scrapers, used by the Indians to dress

buffalo hides, were found in the old site.

other scholars have different

ideas about the two settlements near

Newkirk. Because no large presence

of French artifacts has been found by

researchers, it is assumed that Deer

Creek was not the site of a permanent

French trading post. Huge amounts of

animal bones were found, indicating

that the villagers processed buffalo

hides, prepared smoked, dried, or salt

meat, and stored tallow and oil. resi-

dents of the villages supplied meat for

French Louisiana.

Perhaps the most logical explana-

tion of the legend of Fernandina was

presented by historians W. David Baird

and Danney Goble:

The evidence suggests that it was

a typical Wichita village and that it

29

became the headquarters of thirty

to forty Frenchmen who were there

as professional hunters to supply

Louisiana with meat. The villagers

worked for these men as hunters

themselves and as meat processors,

being paid in European merchandise.

Contrary to historical legend, there

was no thriving commerce at Deer

Creek in which the Wichitas served

as crafty brokers between the

coureurs des bois and the Plains

tribes. The evidence collected from

the trash mounds may not be terri-

bly romantic, but it is persuasive.

Deer Creek was an early-day stock-

yard and meat-processing plant, where

the Indian people worked as laborers.

The Wichitas living in present

kay County relocated south to the

red river after 1750, due in large part

to war that had broken out with the

osage. The osage were better armed

and wanted to drive the Wichitas

south to open the land for osage

hunting parties and permanent villages.

Another reason for the Wichitas

to move to the red river Valley was to

be closer to stable supplies of goods

from the French, brought up the red

river from Natchitoches, Louisiana.

The Wichitas may have been encour-

aged to settle in villages along the red

river to give the French a buffer to

possible Spanish expansion from Texas.

Several Wichita villages arose

on the banks of the red river in the

1750s. The most famous were called

the Twin Villages, on either side of

the river, in present Jefferson County,

oklahoma, and Montague County,

Texas. The village on the oklahoma

side had a log stockade and moat.

Inside was a horse corral.

The Twin Villages became a thriv-

ing center of trade. The Wichitas were

brokers between the resident French

traders and the Southern Plains tribes.

The tribes exchanged meat, hides,

horses, and Apache and Spanish cap-

tives for guns, ammunition, blankets,

pots, and other manufactured items.

While the Spanish and French both

had contact with the Wichitas along

the red river, French traders contin-

ued to deal with the osage in north-

east oklahoma. The osage of Arkansas

had a long-standing trade relationship

with the Chouteau family, and that re-

lationship blossomed after some of the

osage voluntarily moved to oklahoma.

New orleans-born businessman, rene

Auguste Chouteau, his brother, and

their sons and grandsons made their

mark on commerce in the middle por-

tion of North America, and particularly

in oklahoma. The elder Chouteau es-

tablished the trading post that became

St. Louis, Missouri, a community built

on fur trade with surrounding Native

American tribes. As early as the 1760s,

Chouteau and his half brother, Jean

Pierre Chouteau, began trading with

the osage and monopolized trade

with the tribe for the next 40 years.

Pierre began venturing into north-

east oklahoma in 1796 where a band

of the osage had relocated into the

Verdigris river valley. He had a reputa-

tion for trading european goods for

furs at reasonable rates of exchange.

At least one historian has claimed that

Pierre established a trading post on

the site of present Salina, oklahoma,

in 1796. However, an overwhelming

majority of well-respected historians

do not believe Pierre or any member

of his family established a permanent

trading post in oklahoma until after

1800, perhaps as late as 1815.

Oklahoma’sfirstpermanent

trading posts were built in the Three

Forks Area of northeast oklahoma.

Theregionaroundtheconfluenceof

the Arkansas, Neosho (Grand), and

Verdigris rivers, in present Cherokee,

Wagoner, and Muskogee counties, was

a hotbed of trading activity between

the osage and several traders, includ-

ing the Chouteaus of St. Louis, who had

built a trading post a few years before

in present Vernon County, Missouri.

The abundance of fur-bearing

animals and the need for salt had

drawn the osage to the Three Forks

area. A salt spring was well known

among the osage who traveled the

ancient osage trail that later became

part of the Texas road. They boiled the

salt water from the spring until only

salt remained, and carried it to their

villages. They used salt in food and also

to preserve and tan hides.”

Historian Grant Foreman wrote

about the salt spring:

The work of collecting the salt

was done by the women, while their

husbands were engaged in hunting

or other occupations. For the Grand

Saline [near present Salina] was more

than merely a place to secure salt. It

was a famous place to hunt the buffalo

and other game that collected there

for the salt. It was often a rendezvous

for Indians who met their friends there

in large bodies for conferences to plan

30

wars or other affairs of state among

the Indians; and quite as often they

came there to surprise their enemies

and kill them if possible.

http://l.yimg.com/g/images/space-

ball.gif The osage trapped along the

streams of northeast oklahoma and

brought their furs to trading posts in

exchange for textiles, guns, knives, am-

munition, cooper, playing cards, cheap

jewelry, calico, and trade ribbons. Many

of these items came to via Montreal,

Quebec. From the Port of New or-

leans came sugar, Italian soap, china,

glassware, iron, honey, gunpowder, and

tobacco pipes. In return, the traders

shipped large quantities of pelts to

France and england where they were

in great demand.

French leader, Napoleon Bonapar-

te, believed Louisiana to be “the bread-

basket of a restored French empire.”

However, Napoleon had problems at

home and sold Louisiana to the young

united States in 1803 for a mere $15

million. The Louisiana Purchase encom-

passed parts of 15 present states and

two Canadian provinces. All of okla-

homa was included in the purchase.

Pierre Chouteau was appointed by

President Thomas Jefferson to be

osage agent, headquartered in St.

Louis. With the new power, the Chou-

teaus regained their dominance of

trade among the osage.

With both white hunters and resi-

dent Indians harvesting fur, there were

plenty of pelts to trade to the Chou-

teaus and other traders. In France in

the 1820s and 1830s, every respected

gentleman had a top hat, and beaver

was the chosen fur. Ladies in France

also wanted a mink stole. A mink pelt

sold for 40 cents, deer skins brought 40

cents a pound, a beaver skin was worth

$3, and a buffalo robe sold for $6.

By the mid-1820s, Colonel Chou-

teau headed the most successful and

influentialtradingoperationinOkla-

homa. He coordinated his extensive

trading empire from an elaborate,

two-story, log house at Salina. In his

two oklahoma trading posts, Chou-

teau annually sold $20,000 worth of

european goods imported from St.

Louis and New orleans.

The law of supply and demand

that controls markets and prices in

the 21st century was alive and well in

early oklahoma. The osage had been

trading furs for european made goods

for decades and were aware of “new”

products that competing traders used

to seek their business. When the

osage expressed an interest in buying

blue cloth, Colonel Chouteau had to

gotogreatlengthstofindanother

company that could supply him that

type of cloth. Chouteau was sensitive

to the wants of the osage.

In 1823, Chouteau purchased

the trading post on the Verdigris that

was owned by Brand and Barbour.

This community of traders had several

names including Sleepyville, Falls City,

Verdigris Falls, Verdigris Landing, and

Chouteau’s post. Pierre Milicour Papin,

a cousin of the Chouteaus, was placed

in charge of the former Brand and

Barbour post.

Chouteau shipped 38,000 pounds

of furs to New orleans markets in

1824. That amount would diminish year

after year as game became scarce in

northeast oklahoma. Another change

in the oklahoma marketplace was

seen as Chouteau and other traders

shipped grain, salt, lead, pecans, and

beeswax downriver to New orleans.

even in the 1830s, it was clear that the

economy of the region was changing

from hunting to agriculture.

With the arrival of the Five

Civilized Tribes and the opening of

lands to white settlers in the last half

of the nineteenth century, fur produc-

tion in present oklahoma was greatly

diminished. After statehood, the lure of

fur never was quite the same as it had

been two centuries before. However,

statewide organizations keep the art

of trapping and preserving furs alive

today.

Fur trapping is alive and well in the twenty-first century. Dr. Lewis Stiles of Broken Bow holds pelts harvested from the Kiamichi Mountains.

31

IN THE BEGINNING In the mid-1930s with Public Works Administration (PWA) paying for 45 percent of the cost and local school districts paying 55 percent, the Tulsa Board of Education began constructing two high schools—origi-nally called Eastside and Westside. They were the first two PWA funded high schools in oklahoma. By locating a high school in such a remote, top-of-the-hill, open prairie the School Board almost invited controversy. Some things never change. The east site was chosen because of the number of feeder schools and projected growth. The University of Tulsa, less than a mile to the west, was also a factor. Between Admiral Place to the north and 11th Street, U. S. Route 66, to the south there were only a couple of houses, an abandoned mine shaft, and a number of cows with a bad attitude. Students used several footpaths and most came to school early, before the bike racks filled up.

BY STEVE WRIGHT

32

Central High, originally Tulsa High

School, was bulging—5,100 students with

space for 2,500—and there was great relief

when Webster opened to 767 students

on November 6, 1938 with an air-condi-

tioned auditorium and individually-heated

classrooms. Will Rogers High opened

in September 1939 with 1,501 students, a

faculty of 44, and a staff of three. Because

of the recent death of Will Rogers, killed in

a plane crash in Alaska with Wiley Post, it

was decided to name the school Will Rogers

High. This building was one of the first

in the country to be named after this great

American and Oklahoma’s favorite son.

Designed to serve 1,500 students, on

opening day Will Rogers High was at maxi-

mum capacity. An eight-room wing on the

northwest corner of the original building

helped alleviate the space problem when it

opened for classes September 6, 1949. In

the l950s pre-fabricated classrooms outside

the building also helped the overcrowding.

Tulsa schools were noted for their

progressive education and innovative ideas.

This led to national attention for Tulsa, and

specifically for Will Rogers High in TIME

and LIFE magazines in 1942. At Will Rog-

ers there was space provided for learning

about everyday life, not just space for tradi-

WR

HS

TIM

E L

INE AuGuST 28, 1936 - 28.894 acres purchased from the Fred Turner family

(as in Turner Park west of the campus) by the Tulsa Board of Education

for Eastside High School.

FALL 1936 - Name chosen. One of the first public buildings to be named

for Will Rogers.

OCTOBER 11, 1937 - Construction begins.

JuNE 30, 1939 - Construction complete. Building officially accepted by

Tulsa Public Schools from the architect.

SEPTEMBER 11, 1939 - First day of classes.

SEPTEMBER 14, 1939 - First view of auditorium by students. The first

assembly coordinated on the 125th anniversary of Francis Scott Key writ-

ing the “Star Spangled Banner.”

SEPTEMBER 29, 1939 - First football game: Claremore 12, Will Rog-

ers 6. The marching band also made its debut at the same game.

SEPTEMBER 1939 - The Dudes and Ranglers formed as girls and boys

pep and service clubs who supported school activities.

OCTOBER 1939 - First football victory: Will Rogers 14, Broken Arrow 6

NOvEMBER 3, 1939 - Dedication of school for students and faculty.

NOvEMBER 4, 1939 - Observance of Will Rogers’ 60th birthday.

NOvEMBER 5, 1939 - open House and public dedication attended

by 10,000 people and verified by a newspaper report. The population of

Tulsa was approximately 142,000.

FEBRuARy 1940 - Application submitted for accreditation with

North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges.

1940 - The initial Literariat was published containing creative

writing - poems, sonnets, short stories - from any student. Creative

writing and news publications continued under various names.

They included The Ropers Review, Will Street Journal, Hoof Prints,

Spurs, The Phoenix and Blue and Gold Rambler. The School Life

was also a source of information for Tulsa’s high schools.

1940 - First faculty talent(less) assembly.

MARCH 7-8, 1940 - First Round Up, all school musical review.

APRIL 5, 1940 - Accreditation granted after nearly 40 meetings,

numerous informal conferences, input from faculty, administration and

students and a 3-day visit from inspection team.

1940 - The first yearbook, The Lariat, was published thanks to financial

help and encouragement from parents. And, it’s been published every

year since.

MAy 1940 - First commencement for 329 seniors held in the auditorium.

SPRING 1941 - Basketball team goes 18-4 to win first state championship.

33

tional courses in math, sciences, history, and

English. The school had a child develop-

ment laboratory with nearly 20 nursery

students, a wood shop, an auto mechanics

area, a machine shop, and a cosmetology

classroom.

As LIFE said, “It [progressive educa-

tion] joins and holds together the student,

the curriculum, the environment, and the

problems of daily life. It relates science

to the back yard, English to the radio,

mathematics to the machine shop. It welds

into one harmonious pattern of learning the

diverse and often confusing aspects of a

general education.” Progressive education

was student centered and experience driven

rather than teacher centered and content

driven. Students were taught how to think,

not what to think. Independent thinkers

were capable of learning whatever was

needed to have successful lives.

THE WAy IT WAS – 1939 There was absolute excitement on

September, 1939 among the first students

in the new school. And, some 44 teachers

and administrators were equally as thrilled.

New rooms, new gym, first sounds over the

P.A. system, first assembly in a beautiful

auditorium, electing class officers, starting

APRIL 1942 - Articles in TIME and LIFE magazines feature Tulsa’s progres-

sive education program, and highlights Will Rogers High.

SPRING 1942 - The war was on. To save on tires there were fewer cars in the

parking lot, more bicycles, more crowded buses at 3:30 and collection areas

for tinfoil, waste paper and toothpaste tubes.

FEBRuARy 11, 1943 - First time dancing was allowed on school property.

1943 - There was a big scrap drive to help the war effort and students were

asked to bring in their weight in scrap metal and steel. They almost doubled

their quota.

1943 - Teachers were anything but permanent. The men were called into

military service and both men and women worked in defense plants.

1943 - Labor shortage almost closed the school cafeteria, but mothers of

students volunteered to help prepare and serve school lunches.

MAy 1943 - No senior breakfast for the class of ’43 due to rationing of

gasoline and food.

DECEMBER 1, 1944 - School awarded the Schools-at-War Flag for having

more than 90% of the student body buying war stamps each month, the first

senior high in Tulsa to win this award.

1945 - First state championship in football.

1946 AND 1947 - During this time some 70 veterans of World War II were

enrolled to finish high school.

SPRING 1948 - Bob Canfield, class of ’48, composed both the words and

music of the Alma Mater.

1948 - Campus landscaping improved after years when conservation and

rationing were more important.

DECEMBER 1948 - Football practice field dedicated to honor Henry Frank,

Jr., football captain and senior, who died following an injury sustained in a

game with Central in 1946. His dad was head football coach at The University

of Tulsa, 1941-45, and was at Tulane in 1946.

APRIL 1949 - Bust of Will Rogers in southwest corner of main hall presented

by the class of ’47. Designed by Philbrook artist, Bernard Frazier, for $1,100.

SEPTEMBER 1949 - Eight new classrooms on two floors opened as a north-

east wing expansion at a cost of $246,000.

DECEMBER 1952 - More than 40 large sepia-tone prints depicting the life

of Will Rogers were hung throughout the building. The Will Rogers Memorial

Commission in Claremore loaned the small prints and enlargements were made

by Hawks-Terrell Photographers.

Early 1950s - The fictional character, Otis Wonie, whose creation and identity

was claimed by several classes, hung around the halls of Will Rogers longer

than any student.

34

1953 - Pre-fabricated classrooms were added on northwest side of

school to ease crowded conditions.

JANuARy 1954 - Rare portrait of Will Rogers by Italian artist

Tamburini, given to the school.

SEPTEMBER 1955 - First standard senior rings arrive; pioneered

by and first worn by the Class of ’56.

NOvEMBER 4, 1955 - Dedication of the Reginald oras Shaw

(class of ’42) Memorial Organ in the auditorium, a gift from his

parents. The electronic organ was the only one of its kind in

oklahoma. Shaw, a graduate of West Point, and later in the oil

business in Tulsa, was killed in an auto accident in January 1951.

1955-56 - Banner sports year: state champs in football, basketball and

cross-country.

MAy 1956 - To take advantage of the student musical talent and the

musical and theater faculty leadership, Will Rogers High School presented

the first amateur production of South Pacific for four days at Edison High

because that stage was bigger.

OCTOBER 1957 - Bellamy Award Presentation.

1958 - First state championship in wrestling.

1950S-60S - Cafeteria serves great bean chowder and cinnamon rolls

1960 - State champs in football; scored 263 points and gave up only 33.

1963 - Dr. Raymond W. Knight, principal, 1950-69, was appointed to the

Will Rogers Commission by Governor Henry Bellmon and became chair

in 1967. He served as chair until August 1978, when he was named chair-

man emeritus. He died in December 1978.

MAy 1964 - Silver anniversary graduation with four days of reunions and

banquets. Commencement speaker was Will Rogers Jr.

SuMMER 1964 - Northwest addition completed adding 21 classrooms

and a girl’s gym at a cost of $715,000.

1966 - A sidewalk shaped like Will Rogers’ dog iron and a marble and

stone sign added to the front south lawn, a gift of the class of ’66.

SPRING 1972 - The Round Up, an all school student musical production,

a popular fixture and a tough ticket since 1940, was cancelled due to lack

of interest. It was revived in 1996.

SEPTEMBER 1972 - 27 new classrooms opened in the annex building on

the southeast corner of campus at a cost of $733,000.

SPRING L974 - Carl E. Barnett, Instrumental Music Director since 1951,

died of a heart attack on stage while directing the spring concert of the

orchestra.

new committees, selecting nicknames and

school colors.

For the most part, Rogers’ students

and Tulsa families had many conveniences

at home. There was a rotary dial telephone

with color of choice as long as it was black.

Some had party lines for sharing, not mer-

riment. The always popular one bathroom

seemed to work without families taking a

number. The radio was in the living room

like another piece of furniture and when it

was on most all hovered around and listened

quietly with boundless imagination.

There were no TVs, except controlled

experimental ones in the laboratory. Pa-

perback books were introduced at 25 cents

each. More than likely there was only one

car in the family to be used by Dad at work

or Mom at home. With gas at 20 cents a

gallon families could not always afford two

cars. The only air conditioning was gener-

ally at the movie theater, or at home when

Mom went to the window and opened it.

Songs were “over the Rainbow,”

“Moonlight Serenade,” “Beer Barrel

Polka,” “Deep Purple,” and “In The Mood.”

Dancing was at its peak, even thought it was

not done at Rogers until 1943, with dancers

who called themselves alligators, jitterbugs,

35

or cats. They did the jive, the jitterbug, the

Susie Q, the Lindy, the shag, and trucked

on down waving a finger and shaking

their heads in a chicken like motion called

pecking. Everybody was swing dancing

to the Big Band sound from Glenn Miller,

Benny Goodman, the Dorsey brothers, Guy

Lombardo, Count Basie, Les Brown, and

Harry James who had a skinny little singer

who considered himself the greatest vocalist

in the business—Frank Sinatra.

Talkies had been out for only 12 years

and first-run movies like The Wizard of Oz

and Gone with the Wind were great. Who

would have thought then that some 70 years

later they would still be popular classics?

Up until 1935 Will Rogers was the top male

movie attraction and Shirley Temple was

the number one female.

Just 10 days before the doors opened

at Rogers, Germany invaded Poland and

on September 3 Great Britain and France

declared war on Germany. While school

was paramount there were a lot of boys in

the upper teens who were concerned about

their future. Two years later the United

States was drawn into the war and hundreds

of Rogers boys were enlisting, even before

graduating.

MAy 1979 - State champions in 5A baseball.

MARCH 1988 - Boys are state champs in 5A basketball.

SEPTEMBER 1988 - Year long 50th anniversary celebration begins on

the south side with students, teachers, alumni, administrators and special

guest, 85-year-old Joseph Koberling, one of the architects.

MAy 1989 - Four day 50th anniversary celebration with reunions, ban-

quets and mixers over the Memorial Day weekend.

1990 - Football field, track and baseball complex completed. The football /

track area was also part of Tulsa’s flood control project.

1994 - Air conditioning, mostly window units, completed

1995 -The 43 large mural size photos on the hallway walls, originally hung

in 1952, were refurbished, re-framed and plexiglass added. Funding was

provided by the Will Rogers Alumni Foundation with money collected

from individuals, companies and graduating classes.

1997 - Big improvements: the library was remodeled, the auditorium was

painted, and received a new sound system, new lighting and carpet and the

entire building was cabled for technology.

OCTOBER 1997 - The original Tamburini painting of Will Rogers, in

the school since 1954, was permanently loaned to Gilcrease Museum for

proper protection and safe-keeping. Please see sidebar story in July.

2006 - New field house, with seating for 1,145, added on the north side at a

cost of $5.4 million.

2007 - Central air conditioning installed, replacing the old boiler heating

system and eliminating the need for window units, which will remain until

the windows are replaced.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2007 - Will Rogers High School officially listed in the

National Register of Historic Places. Please see sidebar in June.

MAy 2008 - 44th annual Round Up: Can-Can if you Can-Can.

MAy 2008 - Senior banquet and dance held at oklahoma Aquarium.

Great idea! When not dancing or talking, students had a chance to meet

a few fish.

OCTOBER 2008 - Will Rogers High hosts the annual awards program

of the National Preservation Conference being held in Tulsa.

SCHOOL yEAR 2009 - Will Rogers High School celebrates its 70th

anniversary.

3636

vIEW FROM THE ARCHITECTS In 1936 Tulsa architects Joseph Koberling and Leon Senter were

selected to design Tulsa’s new Eastside High School. Their selec-

tion to plan, design, and supervise the construction did not influence

their thoughts that the Tulsa Board of Education was “slightly off its

rocker” to build a school so far east in the middle of a prairie away

from the main streets.

Naming the school in honor of Will Rogers definitely influenced

their design. It would be both a monument and a memorial. It was

their responsibility to design the 101 features they hoped would make

an attractive as well as a functional building. It would incorporate the

modern architecture of the time and the use of quality materials, good

construction, and excellent craftsmanship. Manhattan Construction of

Tulsa was the chosen contractor.

As a school it would not be somber like a monument, but,

according to Koberling, “alive and joyous in character not only reflect-

ing Rogers own outlook on life, but also the spirit and aspirations

of the generations of young men and women who were to use this

structure as a place of learning and training to become useful citizens

throughout the coming years.”

WRHS BY THE NUMBERS$21,772 – paid by Board of Education for 26.894 acres to

build Eastside High School.

$1,239,905 – cost to build the school.

$10,000 – the amount under budget enabling design and

installation of mural in auditorium.

45% - amount of total cost paid by the Public Works

Administration.

55% - amount of total cost paid by Tulsa Public Schools.

$158,192 – cost of equipment within the school.

200,000 - square feet of floor space of original building

(about 5 acres).

$6.20 – construction cost per square foot in 1939.

$200.00 – estimated square foot construction cost in 2009.

$40 MILLION – estimated cost to build the same build-

ing in 2009

120 – railroad carloads of material used to plaster the

walls.

7,800 - cubic yards of concrete.

680 - tons of reinforcing steel.

680,000 – face brick used.

510,000 – common brick used.

9,892 – pieces of terra cotta in the main corridor.

80,000 – sacks of cement used (20 railroad cars)

61,400 - square feet of roofing on 18 different roofs

246 – electrical receptacles

6,000 - gallons of paint, varnish and thinner

1,500 – light bulbs

36 – classrooms in 1939

205 – total rooms in 1939

3,463 – lockers in 1939

1,501 - number of students on first day of classes: 359

seniors, 524 juniors, 618 sophomores, plus 44 teachers.

1,533 – auditorium seating capacity.

700 - books in library on first day of classes in 1939.

329 - students in first graduating class – 1940.

40,000 – approximate number of graduates of Will Rogers

High

37

Every feature, seen or unseen, was

carefully studied, analyzed, and drawn with

this in mind. The corridors and stairways

were wide and well illuminated, cheerful

in color and built of materials selected for

durability of heavy traffic. The original

classrooms were painted in pastels, color-

keyed to learning. Stimulating colors were

used for mathematics and science and quiet

colors were used for the library. Five dif-

ferent colors were used and the standardized

color scheme was later adopted by the entire

Tulsa school system.

Construction began on Will Rog-

ers High School in october 1937. There

definitely were architectural advantages

because Rogers’ name was on the school.

People were awed by the beauty—then and

now. However, it came to life in September

1939 when the doors opened and hundreds

of students and administrators climbed

the steps, found their lockers, checked out

classrooms, and scrambled for seats.

It was in clear view—located on top of

a hill surrounded by an open prairie that

provided great sight lines north to Admiral

Place and south to 11th Street. It was named

for a great communicator and the first radio

talk show host, minus the call-ins. He was

America’s favorite son and Oklahoma was

pleased to share him with the rest of the

country and the world. He was the number

one read and most-watched American of his

time.

The original body of students picked

names that carry on today—Ropers, the

Lariat, and the Round Up. Blue and gold

has been there since the beginning. The

band, the choir, and numerous sports teams

still perform today.

The World War II years were

character building with successful

paper, scrap metal, and bond drives.

In the l950s giant photographs and

portraits of Will Rogers graced the

walls and hallways. Along the way teachers

were honored and students excelled in the

classroom, on the athletic field, and on the

stage.

Amidst the dedicated teachers, stu-

dents, graduates, theatrical productions,

athletic events, and special awards, there

was one more honor to come to Will Roger

High School. on September 6, 2007 the

school was formally included in the Na-

tional Register of Historic Places thanks to

the idea and perseverance of Betty Brown

Trinkam, Class of 1955, and the writing and

presentation of Cathy Ambler of Preserva-

tion oklahoma. While most buildings so

named have state or local significance, Will

Rogers High was recognized as having

national, even world, significance as well.

The Art Deco style of architecture

reflects the Progressive Education move-

ment that gained prominence in the 1930s.

Although the term Art Deco was not used

until the late 1960s, the modern architec-

tural masterpiece was well known for the

quality of materials, construction, and fine

craftsmanship.

Experts and authors have marveled at

the rare example of Will Rogers High after

surveying 84 other schools in 30 major

cities with some elements of Art Deco type

of architecture. only one or two could equal

the Tulsa school in quality of design, detail,

materials, and maintenance through the years.

The original interior and façade are

intact, thanks to those who maintained and

operated the building over its nearly 70

years of history. The l,500-seat auditorium,

for example, still has its original lighting

fixtures, floor-to-ceiling mural, and cast

iron seats. Plaques on the building and in

the south lawn commemorate the National

Register honor and achievement.

Will Rogers High School is open to the pub-lic for free student-led toursat 6:30 p.m. the second Monday of every month during the school year. No reservations are required and cameras are welcome.

Through Its People

38

ABOVE: Left to right, Justice Steve Taylor, Jill Hughes, and Paul Massad at the Association’s membership event at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum.

RIGHT: Enjoying the February 5 membership event were Kari and Hardy Watkins with their children, Ford and Caroline.

ABOVE: Oklahoma Hall of Famer Tom Love, left, and OHA Director Ernest Holloway visited during the member-ship event held in Oklahoma City.

ABOVE: Dave Campbell, left, visited with Jean Hendrickson and Walt Hendrickson at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum.

BELOW: Attending the January 14 reception celebrating the opening of the Doel Reed Exhibit in the Tulsa World Gallery were, left to right, Dick Fischer, Malinda Berry Fischer, Melinda Johnson, Chancellor Glen Johnson, and Lela Sullivan.

LEFT: OHA Director Tiffany Sewell-Howard, left, and Lori Tyler enjoyed the Association’s most recent membership event.

RIGHT: Left to right, OHA President Shannon Nance, Director Jane Jayroe Gamble,

Second Century Board Chairman Kelly McConnell, Ford Watkins, and 2008 Nichols

Scholarship Recipient Devin Newsom at the February 5 membership event.

LEFT: OSU President Burns Hargis and Chancellor Glen Johnson welcomed attendees to the Doel Reed opening.

RIGHT: Thrissa Johnson, center, a teacher at Fort Gibson Public Schools,

received the Harold C. & Joan S. Stuart Indian Territory Award for Excellence

in Teaching Oklahoma History from OHA Chairman Tom McDaniel and

President Shannon Nance.

LEFT: Receiving the Edward L. & Thelma Gaylord Award for Preservation of State and Local History was the Marland Estate Foundation, represented by Louise Abercrombie, Chairman of the Foundation and David Keathly, Executive Director of the Marland Estate Center. They were rec-ognized by OHA Chairman Tom McDaniel and President Shannon Nance.

RIGHT: Dr. Bill Bryans from Oklahoma State University,

center, received the Bass/Mc-Casland Award for Excellence in

Teaching Oklahoma History from OHA Chairman Tom McDaniel and

President Shannon Nance.

LEFT: Oklahoma City University President Tom McDaniel, left, was named Chairman of the Oklahoma Heritage Association during the Annual Membership Meeting of the Association on March 31. He was congratulated by Chairman Emeritus Glen Johnson following the appointment.

Through Its People

39

ABOVE: Doel Reed’s former students, Karen Kirkpatrick and Donna Hopper, admire a sketch drawn in class by Reed for Hopper.

BELOW: Doel Reed Exhibit Committee Member Rita Moore, left, is congratulated on the exhibit’s success by OHA Directors Burns Hargis and Meg Salyer.

ABOVE: The Indian Territory Marshals from Muskogee earned the Harold C. & Joan S. Stuart Indian Territory Award for Preservation of State and Local History at the An-nual Membership Meeting of the Oklahoma Heritage Association on March 31. They were recognized by OHA President Shannon Nance and Chairman Tom McDaniel.

LEFT: OHA Chairman Tom McDaniel, left, and President Shannon Nance, right, presented T. L. Walker, Executive Director of the Standing Bear Museum and Education Center, with the Oklahoma Heritage Distinguished Service Award for Preservation of State and Local History.

RIGHT: Oklahoma Historical Society Executive Director Dr. Bob Blackburn,

center, is congratulated by OHA Chairman Tom McDaniel and

President Shannon Nance with the Oklahoma Heritage Distinguished

Editorial Award at the Association’s Annual Membership Meeting and

Awards Luncheon in Tulsa.

RIGHT: Receiving the Edward L. & Thelma Gaylord Award for Excel-

lence in Teaching Oklahoma History from OHA Chairman Tom McDaniel, left, and President Shannon Nance,

right, was Charlotte Smith from Oklahoma City’s Classen School of

Advanced Studies.

ABOVE: OHA Chairman Tom McDaniel, left, thanked Becky Frank and Joe Cappy for serving as co-chairs of the Annual Luncheon Com-mittee for the Association’s Annual Membership Meet-ing and Awards Luncheon.

ABOVE: Left to right, OHA Chairman Tom McDaniel, Gilcrease Museum Executive Director Dr. Duane King, Chelsea Gann, and OHA President Shannon Nance. King served as the keynote speaker for the Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Luncheon and Gann sang the “National Anthem” and closed the luncheon with “Oklahoma!”

BELOW: Attending the 2009 Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Luncheon were, left to right, Suzanne O’Brien, OHA Chairman Tom McDaniel, Roxana Lorton, Vaughndean Fuller, Joe Cappy, and Clayton I. Bennett.

40

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MAIL APPLICATION TO: OKLAHOMA HERITAGE ASSOCIATION • 1400 CLASSEN DRIVE • OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73106

M E M B E R S H I P A P P L I C A T I o N

Memberships in the Oklahoma Heritage Association make excellent gifts. Please complete the form above and recipient information at right.

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Check membership desired.o Student ........................... $15o Subscription ................... $35o Individual ....................... $50 o Centennial ................... $100o Sponsor ......................... $250o Pioneer .......................... $500o Honor ......................... $1,000o CoRPoRATE

o Honor ......................... $1,000 o Corporate Circle ........ $2,500o President’s Circle ....... $5,000o Chairman’s Circle .... $10,000

They Know Who They Are: Elders of the Chickasaw NationBy Mike & Martha Larsen

Chickasaw Press. $29.95

Chickasaw Governor Bill Anoatubby sets the

stage for They Know Who They Are in his foreword

by reminding us that “in the Chickasaw Nation, older

members of society, known as elders, are revered for

their knowledge, wisdom and courage.” What a tribute

the Larsens have created to honor this extraordinary

population!

Together, Mike and Martha Larsen have

celebrated the personal journeys of Chickasaw elders

through captivating illustrations and rich narratives.

With the stories of each elder featured, the reader will

rejoice in their passion and triumphs and be saddened

by their hardships and sorrows. From missionaries

and veterans to bronco riders and bow makers, the

diversity of those chosen for this project represent the

range and talent of the Chickasaw Nation.

Mike Larsen’s early sketches and notes are

coupled with the finished paintings of those featured in

They Know Who They Are. The inclusion of the artist’s

sketches—the work in progress—serves as a symbol

of growth for the project and for the Chickasaws. They

Know Who They Are glorifies the contributions of the

Chickasaw elders, the history of our state, and the gifts

from Oklahomans to Oklahomans.

—Gini Moore Campbell

Editors Note: The “They Know Who They Are” exhibit will

be on display from October, 2009 through March, 2010 in

the Tulsa World Gallery of the Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma

Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

OkLAHOMA HERITAGE ASSOCIATION MEMBERS AT THE HONOR LEvEL AND ABOvE

List represents donors as of April 10, 2009.

Abowitz Timberlake & Dahnke, P.C. Oklahoma CityAckerman McQueen Oklahoma CityMs. Suzanne Airington EdmondMs. Ann S. Alspaugh Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Michael A. Anderson Oklahoma CityDr. and Mrs. Glenn Ashmore Oklahoma CityASSET Group, Inc. Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. W. S. Atherton TulsaMr. Keith Bailey TulsaMr. and Mrs. Don Banister EdmondBank of Oklahoma TulsaMr. Howard K. Berry, Jr. Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. G.T. Blankenship Oklahoma CityMs. Georgene Blaschke Oklahoma CityMr. Donald Bolen Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Don R. Brannon ChoctawMs. Debby Broomfield Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Steven M. Brown Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Bill W. Burgess, Jr. LawtonMr. and Mrs. Afton Burris KeotaMr. and Mrs. Jim Burt MooreByron’s Liquor Warehouse Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Don Cain Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Cappy TulsaMr. Tom J. Carson StillwellCentury Inc Midwest CityCharles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation TulsaMrs. Karen Childs EdmondMr. and Mrs. George Cohlmia EdmondCommunity Bankers Assn. of Oklahoma Oklahoma City

Oklahoma Publishing Company Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Jim Conway EdmondMr. and Ms. Edward H. Cook Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Edwin W. De Cordova Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. William H. Crawford FrederickMr. Ricky Cross Fort SmithMr. and Mrs. John N. Crouch Oklahoma CityMr. B. Keaton Cudd III Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Douglas Cummings Oklahoma CityMrs. Betsy Amis Daugherty Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Paul Dudman Oklahoma CityDulaney Brothers Investments Oklahoma CityCrowe and Dunlevy Oklahoma CityMs. Sarah J. Earley Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. John “Cy” R. Elmburg AftonEvans Family Foundation Ponca CityMs. Pat Evans Ponca CityMr. and Mrs. James H. Everest Oklahoma CityMs. Kim Falk Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Ken Fergeson AltusFirst Lutheran Church YukonFirst National Bank of Oklahoma Oklahoma CityMr. Fred Fitch LawtonMr. Buckshot James Forrest MustangMr. and Mrs. Rodman A. Frates Oklahoma CityMrs. Josephine Freede Oklahoma CityDr. and Mrs. A. Munson Fuller TulsaMr. and Mrs. Gerald Gamble Oklahoma CityDr. and Mrs. Gilbert “Gib” Gibson LawtonMr. Charles Givens Oklahoma City

Mr. and Mrs. Ike Glass NewkirkMr. and Mrs. John D. Groendyke EnidMr. and Mrs. Mo Grotjohn Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. V. Burns Hargis StillwaterMrs. Jane B. Harlow Oklahoma CityMs. Danelle Harris EdmondMs. Sheri Hartig ChoctawHelmerich & Payne Inc. TulsaMr. and Mrs. Rassoull K. Hill Oklahoma CityJames H. & Madalynne Norick Found. Oklahoma CityMrs. Lou C. Kerr Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. King Kirchner TulsaMr. and Mrs. Lloyd Kirk EdmondMs. Linda P. Lambert Oklahoma CityMr. Jay Larimore EdmondMr. and Mrs. Larry E. Lee TulsaMr. and Mrs. Roger Lienke Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Duke R. Ligon Oklahoma CityLobeck-Taylor Foundation TulsaMr. and Mrs. Dave R. Lopez Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Robert E. Lorton TulsaLove’s Travel Stop & Country Store Oklahoma CityMass Mutual Financial Group Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. John Massey DurantMr. David Matthews DallasMcBride Clinic Oklahoma CityPresident and Mrs. Tom J. McDaniel Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Herman Meinders Oklahoma CityMs. Lisa Monahan Oklahoma CityMrs. Shelli S. Moore Arcadia

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Mullins EdmondMustang Fuel Corporation Oklahoma CityNBC Bank Oklahoma CityLarry and Polly Nichols Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. John Nickel TulsaMr. and Mrs. Ron Norick Oklahoma CityOG&E Foundation Oklahoma CityOG&E Electric Services Oklahoma CityOklahoma Blood Institute Oklahoma CityOklahoma City Community Foundation, Inc. Oklahoma CityPhase 2 Development Corp. Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. W. DeVier Pierson Chevy ChaseMr. and Mrs. Robert C. Poe TulsaPresbyterian Health Foundation Oklahoma CityPuterbaugh Foundation McAlesterQuikTrip TulsaMs. Cheryl Rayburn Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. George J. Records Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Carl R. Renfro Ponca CityRuth Bader Ginsburg America Inn of Court Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Richard Ryerson AlvaSamuel Roberts Noble Foundation ArdmoreMs. Mary Susan Savage Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Phil Scaramucci Oklahoma CityMr. Mark Sewell Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. George Singer TulsaMrs. Jane Sneed TulsaSonic Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Dennis Souza Elk CitySpirit Bank Oklahoma City

Mr. and Mrs. Mark A. Stansberry EdmondMr. and Mrs. Charles C. Stephenson, Jr. TulsaMr. and Mrs. G. Lee Stidham ChecotahT.D. Williamson, Inc. TulsaMr. Robert E. Thomas TulsaTulsa World TulsaUMB Bank Oklahoma CityMs. Jill Utz Oklahoma CityMr. Jim Vallion Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. David A. Walker EdmondWalker Companies Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Stephen Wallace Oklahoma CityMr. Peter M. Walter TulsaWalton Family Foundation BentonvilleMr. and Mrs. Lew O. Ward EnidMs. Lori Webb TulsaMr. and Mrs. Marshall Weir Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. Max Weitzenhoffer NormanWells Fargo Bank Oklahoma CityMr. and Mrs. D’Lane Wisner Raleigh

$3.95

ABOVE: The 2009 Teen Board raised more than

$20,000 with its annual Battle of the

Bands fundraiser.

More than 400 attend-ees watched as Ada’s band Injunuity won top honors at the 2009 Teen Board Battle of the Bands at the Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum.