It also will be a tremendous help for the rest of the general public interested in learning about the history, cultural background, customs, leaders, organizations, and industries of any part of the state. This means we can learn more about our own Oklahoma hometowns and regions, or those of parents, grandparents or other relatives.
We also can learn about places we would love to visit before we go there. We can learn about the histories and development of parks, museums, theaters, geographical features plus social, cultural, and economic backgrounds.
“The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture” is a tremendous accomplishment by Oklahoma Historical Society Publications Director Dr. Dianna Everett, her project staff, and volunteer authors, who primarily are university-based scholars, said Dr. Bob Blackburn, director of the Historical Society. The project celebrates Oklahoma’s first 100 years of statehood.
“With 2,455 entries, “The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma” is comprehensive,” Blackburn emphasized. “It strikes a balance in the broad sweep of Oklahoma history, and it is accessible in two printed volumes and a digital version on line. It also is engaging with subjects that range from town histories and personal biographies to essays and accounts of events that have defined our shared history.
“Each historical theme is informed overall by chronology, and each is complimented by cultural, regional and geographic perspectives. The entries are reader-friendly in their presentation from A to Z in strict alphabetical order with profiles of each of Oklahoma’s 77 counties and 586 incorporated towns and cities among other subjects.”
This means I can go to O and easily look up Okarche, my mother’s hometown and learn about how it was settled during the Cheyenne-Arapaho Land Run, which included my great grandparents. I can go to S and find Stroud, my father’s hometown, and learn about the Sac and Fox Land Run, which included my father’s family. I also can learn about the Battle of Honey Springs before going to a reenactment, or learn about other events, museums, historic sites, and leaders as I travel around Oklahoma.
“The Encyclopedia” content revolves around 26 basic themes of major themes of major significance. One consultant advised on each historical theme.
More than 700 authors contributed to the research and writing, including only a handful of Historical Society staff members. The authors are scattered across the United States at colleges and universities and also include a large number of local historians.
“There are biographies of individuals significant in Oklahoma history and of people from Oklahoma who were significant in the history of other parts of the country,” said Everett. “The biographies include all of Oklahoma’s governors, U.S. Senators, and U.S. Representatives. All of the state’s American Indian tribes are represented, as are ethnic groups such as Asians and Hispanics.
“European exploration, industry and business, the petroleum industry, environmental history, farming, and ranching also are represented. The state’s military history includes major sections on the Civil War, the Indian wars, and other engagements. Recreation and Entertainment covers major sports involving Oklahomans, including well-known athletes. Art and artists, writers, musicians, and similar topics are included.”
To make sure that each part of Oklahoma is represented, the project staff conducted a Community History Program. In each of 10 regions, a scholar based at a regional university served as regional coordinator, Everett said.
“The regional coordinators worked with project staff members and many of the local/county historical societies to research and write entries on county, town and local history,” Everett said. “Members of the Oklahoma public examined, researched and helped to write their own history, and each worked with a humanities scholar.”
Planning for “The Encyclopedia” was started in 1998. The National Endowment for the Humanities provided two grants totaling almost $300,000. In 2001, Everett assembled a project staff of Linda Wilson, Larry O’Dell, and Jon May. An advisory board of Oklahoma citizens collaborated with the project staff, professional historians, and other scholars to devise a set of missions and goals.
Production of essays by consultants in two dozen different fields of inquiry and the writing of county/town entries by local historical groups and other others extended from mid-2000 through 2006.
“Despite this complex 12-year effort, the A to Z format makes entries easy to find,” said Blackburn. “Each entry has cross references to articles for further exploring a topic, and each has a bibliography to consult for in-depth learning. “All this meets the goal of “The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma” to investigate, explain, and interpret what it has meant, and what it means today to be an Oklahoman.”
Editor’s Note: The Oklahoma Historical Society Gift Shop stocks the book. The retail price is $100 for the set, plus $8 shipping/handling, plus applicable state and local sales taxes. OHS members receive a discount on their purchases. Institutional discounts may also apply for certain types of organizations, including libraries, schools, etc. You can contact the Oklahoma Historical Society Gift Shop at giftshop@okhistory.org or 405-522-5214.
