Trahern’s Station

(Image above is Brazil Creek near the Council House site) How slowly the scales fall from my eyes as I try to see into the past, the obscurity of the obvious sometimes clearing and other times going completely dark as I seek the truth in this landscape aged 200 years. Both extremes, along with the continuingContinue reading “Trahern’s Station”

West of Fort Smith

Oklahomans of the 21st Century, if they think about it at all, might like to imagine a location within the state’s borders as its birthplace: perhaps the Three Forks region near Muskogee, where fur traders headquartered in the early 1800s, or Purcell, the southern border of the April 1889 land run. Or there’s Guthrie, theContinue reading “West of Fort Smith”

Five Historic Places in Oklahoma You’ve Probably Never Seen (But Should)

The history of Oklahoma didn’t begin with statehood in 1907 or even with the Land Run of 1889. Early inhabitants left plenty of archaeological evidence of their presence, but except for the well known Spiro Mounds Historic Site, you can’t get to those places and even if you could there might be nothing to see.Continue reading “Five Historic Places in Oklahoma You’ve Probably Never Seen (But Should)”

Legends of the Canyons

Congratulations to Art Peters, curator of the Hinton Historical Museum, on publication of his second book, “Legends of the Canyons, A Collection of Legends, Stories and History of the Canyons in North Caddo County.” Bill and I hiked with Art in one of these beautiful canyons last winter and one of my photos from thatContinue reading “Legends of the Canyons”

More from the Butterfield

The second day of our trip on the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach route through Oklahoma yielded some treasures. See Retracing the Butterfield Overland Mail Route for photos from the first day.

Retracing the Butterfield Overland Mail Route

Continuing our exploration of the route of the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach route through Oklahoma (begun on a short trip last year about this time). The Butterfield stage ran from 1858 to 1861 and 192 miles of its route traversed what is present-day southeastern Oklahoma. Today we started in Spiro, Oklahoma and made it toContinue reading “Retracing the Butterfield Overland Mail Route”

The Obelisk Tour

In central Oklahoma, the weather between Christmas and New Year’s was sunny and warm and I was ready for a road trip, but I didn’t have time to get too far afield. Where could I go within an hour or so’s drive of home? I like themed travel — burning gas “for a reason” makesContinue reading “The Obelisk Tour”

The “Natural Mounds” of Caddo County

West of Oklahoma City — way out past Hinton and nearly to Hydro — the casual observer driving along Interstate 40 might catch out of the corner of his eye some mounds to the south upon the prairie. They’re easy to miss, since such physical features are unexpected amid the flatness, and one’s eyes areContinue reading “The “Natural Mounds” of Caddo County”

Found on The Great Golden Way

The latest issue of Oklahoma Today (September/October 2016) features my article, “The Great Golden Way,” which tells the story of a trail that crossed Oklahoma in the 1800s, the California Road. It began in Fort Smith, Arkansas and carried fortune-seekers to Santa Fe, New Mexico on their way to the gold fields of California, startingContinue reading “Found on The Great Golden Way”

Gallery: Sacred Indeed

It’s pristine, easy to access, and historically important. It’s also remote and seems to be relatively unknown, and the fact that few people know about it is probably a good thing. The grounds of Sacred Heart Abbey, near Konawa, Oklahoma are a place of peace and calm and mystery. It’s a quiet place to walk,Continue reading “Gallery: Sacred Indeed”