Okc History Books

Note: Edited on 7/3/07 to add Oklahoma Justice; edited: on 6/30/07 to Add Book Links for Amazon & Full Circle Bookstore where available; on July 18, 2007, to add And Satan Came Also; on July 19-20 to add description and Doug Dawgz "ratings" for each of the books shown here; on 7/27/07 to add Life of a Successful Bank and Oklahoma City: A Centennial Portrait; on 9/3/2007 to add The Oklahoma Land Rush and When Oklahoma Took the Trolley; and on 9/26/2007 to add Oklahoma City Rediscovered.

Doug Dawgz collection of books relating directly or indirectly to Oklahoma City history is by no means complete ... but I am working on it! The purpose of this post is to give you a list of what I have, thinking that one or some of the books might serve as starting points for your further reading and/or research about Oklahoma City history. Some of the books are out-of-print but you could likely find them in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan (or other) Library or in a used book store, or on-line.

I wholly value each of the books shown here, one way or another. Some have more "history information," some have more "images," but the best (for me) have both. I much prefer books that have indices, and, sadly, some of the otherwise better Okc History books below (notably the Arcadia publications) do not. Neither does the 2007 release by Larry Johnson, caretaker that he is for the Okc Metropolitan Library System's "Oklahoma" area. That said, images are present in his new book that I've not seen before, and that makes it valuable to me for that reason alone. So, regardless of the book, each contains positive contributions to Oklahoma City history, whether the "positives" be "knowledge" and/or "pictorial" information.

The books are listed alphabetically by book title. My method (1) shows the book jacket or cover, (2) gives links to a book's table of contents and a sample page, and, (3) provides links as to where you can get a copy at Amazon, Full Circle Books, or other locales at the bottom of this page. I'll edit this post later to add some additional books that I learn of or, better still, come to own!

In the table below, click on a book's title to move to that particular book. Larger images of all books' covers are available by clicking on the smaller images shown here.

Book Title	Author	Publisher & Year	In Print?	Indexed?	Color Images?
And Satan Came Also - An Inside Political History of Oklahoma City	Albert Leroy McRill	Britton Publishing Co. 1955	No	Yes	No
Born Grown	Roy P. Stewart	Fidelity Bank 1974	No	No	Few
Heart of the Promised Land: Oklahoma County	Bob. L. Blackburn	Windsor Publications 1982	No	Yes	Yes
Historical Atlas of Oklahoma	Charles Robert Goins & Danney Goble	University of Oklahoma Press 2006	Yes	Yes	Yes
Historic Photos of Okc	Larry Johnson	Turner Publishing Co. 2007	Yes	No	No
Images of History: Oklahoman Collection	Bob L. Blackburn & Jim Argo	Oklahoma Historical Society 2005	Yes	No	Yes
Images of Oklahoma: A Pictorial History	Bob L. Blackburn	Oklahoma Historical Society 1984	?	Yes	No
Life of A Successful Bank: 1908-1978	Pendleton Woods, Odie Faulk & Welborn Hope	Fidelity Bank 1978	No	Yes	Few
Oklahoma City: A Centennial Portrait	Odie B. Faulk, Laura E. Faulk, & Bob L. Blackburn	Windsor Publications 1988	?	Yes	Yes
OKC: Second Time Around	Steve Lackmeyer & Jack Money	Full Circle Press 2006	Yes	Yes	Yes
Oklahoma City: Land Run to Statehood	Terry L. Griffith	Arcadia Publishing 1999	Yes	No	No
Oklahoma City: Statehood to 1930	Terry L. Griffith	Arcadia Publishing 2000	Yes	No	No
Oklahoma City: 1930 to the Millennium	Terry L. Griffith	Arcadia Publishing 2000	Yes	No	No
Oklahoma City: Capital of Soonerland	Lucyl Shirk	Okc Board of Education 1957	No	No	No
Oklahoma City Rediscovered	William D. Welge	Arcadia Publishing 2007	Yes	No	No
Oklahoma Justice	Ron Owens	Turner Publishing Co. 1995	Yes	No	No
Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889	Stan Hoig	Oklahoma Historical Society 1984	No	Yes	Yes
OPUBCO's First Century	David Dary	Oklahoma Publishing Co. 2003	Yes	Yes	No
Photographing Oklahoma 1889/1991	Mark Klett	Oklahoma City Art Museum 1991	Yes	Sorta	No
Vanished Splendor	Jim Edwards & Hal Ottaway	Abalache Book Shop Publishing Co. 1982	No	Yes (in Vol 3)	Yes
Vanished Splendor II	Jim Edwards & Hal Ottaway	Abalache Book Shop Publishing Co. 1983	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vanished Splendor III	Jim Edwards, Mitchell Oliphant & Hal Ottaway	Abalache Book Shop Publishing Co. 1985	No	Yes	Yes
When Oklahoma Took The Trolley	Allison Chandler & Stephen McGuire	Interurbans. 1980	No	Yes	No

In the notes which follow, click on book cover for a larger view.
AND SATAN CAME ALSO
An Inside Political History of Oklahoma City
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
This magnificent (and hard to find) book tells the seamy side of Okc history from Land Run through later days. It's a great read, even if it is comparatively pricey compared to others here ... it is perhaps the most "expensive" single book in this list (around $125 - $200, if you can find it), and it's the hardest to find. But, it got Doug Dawgz money and he thinks that it's worth every penny!

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 5 stars (you won't find matching substantive content anywhere else ... it is quite unique as to content); Book's Images: 3 stars (not because they are that great, but because they are unique); Quality of production: 1 star (except for a few images, not done with high quality paper; graphics are not that great but some are unique, not to be found elsewhere); Worth the money? 5 stars, because of content.

For a more thorough review, see George H. Shirk's review at page 120 in the linked PDF file.

BORN GROWN
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
This book was written as a part of Oklahoma's contribution to the 1976 United States Bicentennial, and, arguably, contains the most expansive content from Oklahoma City's birth through the date of its publication in 1974. Don't look for any knockout pics, but the content is excellent and the book is very well indexed.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 2 stars (while some unique images are present, they are not that great and all are black and white); Quality of production: 3 1/2 stars (the book is printed with high qualify "glossy" paper and it won't fade away before you get around to reading it) but "large" images are not presented; Worth the money? 4 stars, because of content, index, and quality of production.



HEART OF THE PROMISED LAND: OKLAHOMA COUNTY
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
This 1982 book with commentary by Bob Blackburn contains a nice blend of text and images tracing the historical develpment of Oklahoma County. Unfortunately, toward the end, the book takes on a "commercial" flair with what amounts to commercial plugs for various companies operating in the Oklahoma County area, or so it seems to me ... how else (for example) might a reader characterize a full page (251) devoted to Willman's Furriers? Regardless, the paper quality is excellent, the images are sharp, and several are in color. This is not Bob Blackburn's best work, but, still, I'm glad to have it.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 3 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 3 stars (some are unique and some are in color, but none will knock your socks off); Quality of production: 4 1/2 stars (the book is printed with high quality "glossy" paper and the images are crisp and clean); Worth the money? 3 1/2 stars - the commercials were a bummer for me, othewise I'd give it a 4 star rating because of the production quality.

HISTORICAL ATLAS OF OKLAHOMA
Click here for Contents p. 1   Click here for Contents p. 2
Click here for Contents p. 3   Click here for Contents p. 4
Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
This most exellent book continues the long-standing series of "Oklahoma Atlas" books published by the University of Oklahoma Press. While not "focused" on Oklahoma City, a significant number of articles, statistics, and images are, and that's why I'm listing it here.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 1/2 stars - some of the essays are very very good; Book's Images: 4 stars (some are unique and a some will knock your socks off); Quality of production: 5 stars (the book is printed with high quality "glossy" paper and the images are crisp and clean; Worth the money? 4 1/2 stars - a bit more "color" would have gotten this book my "5 star" rating.

HISTORIC PHOTOS OF OKC
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
Larry Johnson's black and white (as, of course, most "vintage" photographs were) 206 page book presents many images not previously displayed in Oklahoma City books. Mr. Johnson is a reference librarian at the Okc Metropolitan Library System and he maintains the "Oklahoma Room" at the downtown library.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 2 stars - not much text accompanies the images and that's why I rank it low on "content;" Book's Images: 4 stars (many are unique and the images cover a wide span of time ... Territorial Days through downtown Civil Rights marches); Quality of production: 3 stars (the book is printed with high quality "glossy" paper but several are not crisp and many would have benefitted from contrast enhancement ... this is not Mr. Johnson's fault but is the publisher's for not taking care of production; Worth the money? 3 3/4 stars.

IMAGES OF HISTORY: OKLAHOMAN COLLECTION
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
This "coffee table" book includes some outstanding photos from the Oklahoman's archives, many of which I'm sure were taken by photographer Jim Argo. With Bob Blackburn as co-author, one might expect more "scholarly" articles to accompany the photos than were present. There are too many "people" pics to suit me (from a history perspective), but, to each his/her own. The book does not focus on Oklahoma City but includes many stunning images of Okc not available elsewhere.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 2 1/2 stars - just a bit more than Mr. Johnson's book, above;" Book's Images: 4 1/2 stars (many are unique and the images cover a wide span of time ... Territorial Days through downtown Civil Rights marches); Quality of production: 5 stars (the book is printed with high quality "glossy" paper and all (some spanning 2 pages side by side) are all sharp and very well produced; Worth the money? 4 stars.

IMAGES OF OKLAHOMA ~ A PICTORIAL HISTORY
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
This book covers all of Oklahoma but with barely enough included of the Oklahoma City area to make it nice to have but not enough to make it indispensable from an Oklahoma City perspective. That said, there a few nice images, including one of the Blue Devils Deep Deuce band. All images are "sepia"-treated to make them look antique ... which they are ... almost if not all images are of Territorial or through the 1930s.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 2 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 3 stars; Quality of production: 3 1/2 stars - I didn't care much for the sepia treatment; Worth the money? 3 stars.



LIFE OF A SUCCESSFUL BANK: 1908-1978
Contents   Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
This "smallish" (88 page) book includes some unique photos of the locations of Fidelity Bank from its beginning in 1908 to the 80th bank anniversary in 1988. Spanning 80 years of time, it also includes interesting vignettes of Okc history during that period. For a little book, it is good to have in your Okc History library. You can get it through Amazon for under $5, plus shipping.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 stars; Book's Images: 3 1/2 stars; Quality of production: 3 stars (because of the non-glossy paper); Worth the money? 3 3/4 stars.





OKLAHOMA CITY - A CENTENNIAL PORTRTAIT
Contents Page 1   Contents Page 2   Contents Page 3
Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
This coffee table book is a celebration of Oklahoma City's Centennial in 1989, though published in 1988, and it does a pretty nice job of blending text and pictures.

Covering land run days through 1988, many of the images are quite excellent and the production quality is quite good. While a good survey, it doesn't contain a great amount of detail that you couldn't find elsewhere and doesn't begin to match the content, say, of Born Grown, (above), even if it is prettier. It is available through Amazon for under $5, plus shipping.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 3 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 5 stars; Quality of production: 4 stars; Worth the money? 4 stars.


OKC: 2nd TIME AROUND
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
My full review of this fantastic book is here. In a nutshell, this book is an Okc history lover's delight, containing enoroumous amounts of content, enormous amounts of images, and all produced with outstanding quality by Full Circle Press. Although the focus of the book is mid-1950s to the present day and how Oklahoma City managed to turn the tide of downtown's history, it also includes some stunning images which precede that period (by way of background) ... such as excellent images of "the Great Race" (1st National & Ramsey Tower) and interior shots of the Criterion.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 5 stars; Book's Images: 5 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 5 stars.

OKLAHOMA CITY: LAND RUN TO STATEHOOD
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
Part 1 of Terry L. Griffith's 3-book series covers what it says, Land Run to Statehood. Although a paperback (as are all 3), the all black & white graphics quality is generally quite good but cannot be considered to be "excellent." The books are about 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" and, while that impacts the "size" of the images to being not all that large, it also makes the book handy to take with you, say, on airplanes. Even though the books' focus are "Images" (as in the publishers "Images of America" series around the country), a lot of excellent content is presented, as well.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 stars; Book's Images: 4 stars; Quality of production: 4 stars; Worth the money? 4 stars.


OKLAHOMA CITY: STATEHOOD TO 1930
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
Part 2 of Terry L. Griffith's 3-book series covers Oklahoma City from Statehood to 1930. My general comments are the same as the above: Although a paperback (as are all 3), the all black & white graphics quality is generally quite good but cannot be considered to be "excellent." The books are about 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" and, while that impacts the "size" of the images to being not all that large, it also makes the book handy to take with you, say, on airplanes. Even though the books' focus are "Images" (as in the publishers "Images of America" series around the country), a lot of excellent content is presented, as well.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 stars; Book's Images: 4 stars; Quality of production: 4 stars; Worth the money? 4 stars.

OKLAHOMA CITY: 1930 TO THE MILLENNIUM
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
Part 3 of Terry L. Griffith's 3-book series covers Oklahoma City from to 1930 to the "Millennium", Y2K. My general comments are the same as the above: Although a paperback (as are all 3), the all black & white graphics quality is generally quite good but cannot be considered to be "excellent." The books are about 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" and, while that impacts the "size" of the images to being not all that large, it also makes the book handy to take with you, say, on airplanes. Even though the books' focus are "Images" (as in the publishers "Images of America" series around the country), a lot of excellent content is presented, as well.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 stars; Book's Images: 4 stars; Quality of production: 4 stars; Worth the money? 4 stars.

OKLAHOMA CITY: CAPITAL OF SOONERLAND
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
Ms. Shirk's book was published by the Oklahoma City Board of Education in 1957 and (but for a map of central Oklahoma) is an all black & white production. While containing many images, it is largely "content" based. While the paper quality & weight is good, it is not "glossy" and the images lack contrast. It contains a good amount of content and images and is a good "pre-Urban Renewal" book to read ... but it doesn't focus on the problems of downtown that had begun to occur.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 stars; Book's Images: 4 stars; Quality of production: 4 stars; Worth the money? 4 stars.



OKLAHOMA CITY REDISCOVERED
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
Mr. Welge's book is a welcome addition to the various Images of America series of books which focuses on Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City Rediscovered focuses on downtown Broadway, particularly "Automobile Alley," Capitol Hill, Deep Deuce, and the "Warehouse District," i.e., "Bricktown" in today's vocabulary.

I consider the element which makes this book particularly unique is its coverage of Deep Deuce and Bricktown, covered in more depth than any other publication I've seen, and its coverage of Capitol Hill isn't far behind.

Only one area gives me some pause: on quick review, I've noticed a few obvious errors which should have been picked up before publication. Some are harmless, e.g., using "capital" when used in the context of the state's "capitol" city (as did Lucyl Shirk's book even in her book's title!) but some are not. For example, on page 18 a very nice aerial photo of the warehouse district says that the picture was taken "around 1913" which is not possible since it also shows a 3-wing Skirvin Hotel in the lower right corner, each with 14 stories — the 3rd (east) wing of the Skirvin wasn't added until around 1925 and the other wings' elevation to 14 floors didn't occur until 1930. The image also shows the Calvary Baptist Church which was constructed in 1921.Whether this mistake was a careless proofreading error (1913 instead of 1930) or some other kind of mistake doesn't matter — things such as that give reason for pause in accepting text as "factual" when it is not.

Notwithstanding, the author is very well credentialed and the research put into the book, particularly as concerns Capitol Hill, Deep Deuce, and the Warehouse District, is obviously extensive and impressive. In this book you will find more images of Deep Deuce (which were apparently not always easy to obtain) than in any other book and they are a treasure to have.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 5 stars; Quality of production: 4 ½ stars; Worth the money? 5 stars.


OKLAHOMA CITY JUSTICE: THE OKLAHOMA CITY POLICE
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
What a fun book this one is! The author, an Oklahoma City Police Captain, definitely has a way with words! Consider his treatment of "Rip Rowser Bill," a threatening braggart in 1889 ... "...they [a "concerned" committee charged with securing him until the southbound train arrived so that he could be sent back to Texas, but "Bill" having been found hanging by the cottonwood tree before the train arrived] contended they had left Bill secured to a limb of the cottonwood tree and had limited his wanderings by means of a rope around his neck. A rapidly assembled jury agreed with the men's contention that the rope had shrunk during the night's dampness, raising Bill off the ground and causing his death. The next morning, Bill was buried on the banks of the North Canadian River just south of the Military Reserve section now known as the Bricktown area. Thus he fulfilled his prophesy about 'starting a graveyard in Oklahoma City.' But not before he was fined $3.30, the amount found in his pockets, for carrying a concealed weapon." True story? Who can say. Fun to read? Absolutely!

Although a black & white production, the paper is high quality glossy. It is largely content-based but has lots of pics, as well. Its 336 pages would probably convert to a book about 500 pages long but for the very small font-size that was used. Its only major shortcoming is that it lacks an index.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 5 stars; Book's Images: 4 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 4 1/2 stars.

OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH OF 1889
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
The inside jacket reads, "The great rush for the Oklahma lands in 1889 was more than a regional event – it was a national excitement comparable to the California and Colorado gold rushes and involved people from all parts of the country. Some were honest, God-fearing citizens; some were not." Continuing, the comments say that the book, "is the first study to take an in-depth look at what really took place before and after the shots were fired at high noon on April 22."

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: As yet, none. After I've read it, I'll amend this section.






OPUBCO's FIRST CENTURY
Click here for Contents
Next Book   Go To Book Links
Like it or not, none can doubt the impact of E.K. Gaylord and his family upon Oklahoma City if not the State of Oklahoma, and David Dary, emeritus professor of journalism at the University of Oklahoma, tells the story very very well. Beginning with the pre-Oklahoma roots of E.K. Gaylord, the book tells his story ... his coming to Oklahoma, investment in the Daily Oklahoman, eventual ownership of it, WKY radio and television. Other family members, of course, are covered, too, all the way down to Gaillardia Golf & Country Club and beyond. The well-indexed book has lots of great images, too, as would be expected!

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 5 stars; Book's Images: 5 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 5 stars.

PHOTOGRAPHING OKLAHOMA: 1889/1991
Click here for Contents
Next Book   Go To Book Links
As one would expect from the title, aside from a pair of introductory sections, this book focuses on Oklahoma City images, black & white, and not content. But the images, largely historical, are quite good. Contemporary images (to the book's publication date, 1991) are also present ... I'm particularly fond of Mr. Klett's picture taken in the "then" North Canadian River with no water with a television someone must have lost there!

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 1 star; Book's Images: 5 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 4 stars.

THE VANISHED SPLENDOR
Click here for VSP Index p. 1   Click here for VSP Index p. 2
Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
These three magnificent colletor's-item books follow no particular flow but through 587 (in all books combined) postards or photos trace the nostalgic memories of Oklahoma City from its earliest days until some point in the 1960s, as best as I recall. Why these books are no longer in production, I haven't a clue because I'm confident that they would sell like hotcakes if they were. Not only are the images excellent (though fairly small), a very good "content" description is presented by the authors along-side each image presented.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 4 1/2 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 5 stars.

THE VANISHED SPLENDOR II
Click here for VSP Index p. 1   Click here for VSP Index p. 2
Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
These three magnificent colletor's-item books follow no particular flow but through 587 (in all books combined) postards or photos trace the nostalgic memories of Oklahoma City from its earliest days until some point in the 1960s, as best as I recall. Why these books are no longer in production, I haven't a clue because I'm confident that they would sell like hotcakes if they were. Not only are the images excellent (though fairly small), a very good "content" description is presented by the authors along-side each image presented.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 4 1/2 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 5 stars.

THE VANISHED SPLENDOR III
Click here for VSP Index p. 1   Click here for VSP Index p. 2
Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links
These three magnificent colletor's-item books follow no particular flow but through 587 (in all books combined) postards or photos trace the nostalgic memories of Oklahoma City from its earliest days until some point in the 1960s, as best as I recall. Why these books are no longer in production, I haven't a clue because I'm confident that they would sell like hotcakes if they were. Not only are the images excellent (though fairly small), a very good "content" description is presented by the authors along-side each image presented.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 4 1/2 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 5 stars.

WHEN OKLA TOOK THE TROLLEY
Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
Go To Book Links
Part of national "trolleys" series, this book covers trolleys and interurbans throughout Oklahoma, but its coverage of Oklahoma City, its trolleys and interurbans to El Reno, Guthrie, and Norman occupies 49 pages of the book. A very good review of the development of local rail in Oklahoma City and the interurbans is presented as are many excellent images and advertisements. I would have liked a bit more detail on some of the images shown, but that's just me. The book is nicely indexed. It is also hard to find and pricey when you do.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 stars; Book's Images: 4 1/2 stars; Quality of production: 4 1/2 stars; Worth the money? 4 1/2 stars.

BOOK LINKS. Full Circle Books, located at the northeast corner of the first level of 50 Penn Place, Oklahoma City, is Oklahoma's largest independent bookstore and I'm happy to support this fine business by showing links for books identified here if I understand them to be available there. Of course, you can also search on-line at Barnes & Noble and/or Borders, or, of course, do it the old way by actually going to a physical bookstore! And, for sure if you want an adventure, you might pay a visit to John Dunning's Western Trail Trading Post at 9100 N. Western, Oklahoma City. John has thousands of vintage postcards, lots of old books – there's good finds to be had in Dunning's rustic old store!

In the same alphabetical-by-book-title order, here are some links I located this morning, June 30, 2007. Only a sometimes abbreviated book title and publication year is shown below.

• And Satan Came Also (1955): hard to find; copy was available on 7/18/07 at John Dunning's Western Trail Trading Post; on the same date none available at Amazon but that may change; at Biblo.com


• Born Grown (1974): at Amazon


• Heart of the Promised Land (1982): at Amazon


• Historical Atlas of Oklahoma (2006): at Amazon   at Full Circle Books


• Historic Photos of Okc (2007): at Amazon   at Full Circle Books


• Images of History: Oklahoman Collection (2005): at Amazon


• Images of Oklahoma: Pictorial History (1984): at Amazon


• Life of a Successful Bank (1978): at Amazon


• Oklahoma City: Centennial Portrait (1988): at Amazon


• Okc: Second Time Around (2006): at Full Circle Books


• Okc: Land Run to Statehood (1999): at Amazon   at Full Circle Books


• Okc: Statehood to 1930 (2000): at Amazon   at Full Circle Books


• Okc: 1930 to the Millennium (2000): at Amazon


• Okc: Capital of Soonerland (1957): at Amazon


• Okc Rediscovered (2007): at Amazon   at Full Circle Books


• Oklahoma Justice: OCPD (1995): at Amazon   at Full Circle Books


• Oklahoma Land Rush (1984): at Amazon


• OPUBCO's First Century (2003): at Amazon


• Photographing Oklahoma (1991): at Amazon


• Vanished Splendor (I) (1982): at Amazon


• Vanished Splendor II (1983): at Biblio.com (no Amazon link was found on 6/30/07)


• Vanished Splendor III (1985): at Amazon


• When Oklahoma Took The Trolley (1980): at Amazon

Go to Top

Stockyards City

"EAT MORE BEEF" ...

Edited 7/10/07 to add link to the full OHS article at the end in Additional Resources.


... says Stockyards City (formerly known as Packingtown)!

According to a May 8, 1994, Oklahoman article by Jon Denton,

You know you're in Stockyards City when:

There are more real cowboys on the street than in all the rest of Oklahoma city

Everywhere you look, there's a store with Western boots, saddles, jeans or hats

There's a beefy aroma in the air, but it's not even close to what you get at McDonald's.

Greenhorns might say Stockyards City, south of Interstate 40 and west of downtown, has authentic "Western ambience."
* * *
It's the cowboys who have never given up on Stockyards City. The town-within-a-town got started when packing plants and feed lots opened on the far southwest edge of town just after the turn of the century.

Into the 1930s, the cowboys, farmers and ranchers made Stockyards City a destination point for their livestock sales and weekend shopping. They bought their farm implements, building materials and clothing, and they patronized the bankers and doctors.

They sated some hearty appetites with some of the best Western-style restaurants in the state. And sometimes they got in trouble.

"There were a lot of rowdy bars and old hotels that doubled as other things," [Chris] Wilson says. "I would say right around Prohibition was the town's high point, with gambling and wide-open liquor.

"There are a lot of stories, but I think it's pretty well known that a pastor and sheriff were both bootleggers."

While visitors do not find the bars and hotels they did 50 years ago, the merchants wisely leave the Western flavor unchanged.

They might bristle, however, at the suggestion they offer any sort of Western theme-town experience. They operate at a profit. They remain individualists. They say they are typical of those who settled the West, one hand on the plow and the other hand on a gun.

This post traces the history, present day, and prospects for Stockyard City.

WHERE IS IT? Stockyards City is generally a 4-6 block area centering on the intersections of Exchange and Agnew Avenues, with SW 15th and SW 11th as the respective southern and northern boundaries. The Oklahoma City National Stockyards is immediately west and north, and the former Wilson & Co. and Armour & Co. meat packing plants were to the area's west, just east of May Avenue. They all form part of the area's history and identity. Many thanks to mmm at OkcTalk.com for getting my head straight on the maps below and the relative locations of Armour & Wilson ...



A closer look at the area is shown below:


EARLY ENVIRONS. Sorry, vegetarians, but Oklahoma City had some of its early economic underpinnings based on cowboys ... which is to say ... cattle ... which is to say, "beef." In the days before Stockyards City, cattle would be driven to Oklahoma City and loaded on trains bound for Kansas City or Chicago as is nicely discussed by Larry Johnson in his article at the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Library System (you may need to click your "refresh button" to load the article after clicking the previous link). His article opines that this pic, taken in 1891, shows longhorns on Grand Ave., looking west from the Santa Fe Railroad.

Credit: Oklahoma City Metropolitan Library System


But, some or all of that would change in 1910 when the local Chamber of Commerce (or its predecessor's name) succeeded in luring Chicago's Morris & Co. (to become Armour & Co.) to build a $3 million slaughterhouse and meat packing plant here. Another fine article, Oklahoma City National Stockyards and the Packing Industry, by Larry Johnson at the Metropolitan Library System (again, you may have to click your refresh button after clicking the prior link – that often seems to be the case with links to the "Oklahoma Images" articles in the MLS website). Mr. Johnson's article describes that Thomas E. Wilson had been negotiating "secretly" with city leaders such as Anton Classen since 1908 for this development which included incentives by the city – a cash contribution of $300,000, connections to city utilities and electricity, and an agreement to keep the 200 acre tract involved outside the city limits for five years (i.e., no city taxes).

In fact, some or all of the area remained outside city limits as late as 1988, according to a September 5, 1988, Oklahoman article – I'm uncertain of its "current" status but I'll update this later as I learn more.

The new plant employed 1,000 people and worked hand-in-glove with the next-door Oklahoma National Stockyards Company and, according to Mr. Johnson's article, was an immediate success, so much so that another company, Schwartzschild & Sulzberger (S & S) (to become Wilson & Co.) was built next door, west of Morris & Co. Together, these plants employed 2,400, not to mention the bourgeoning business area which developed to the east which became known as "Stockyards City" (though it was never incorporated as such). Do the math ... 60,000 population ... guessing that 1/3 of the population was "employed" somewhere ... which is 20,000 ... that means that 12% of the working population was employed in the packing plants, not counting collateral employment associated with the meat packer people!

Smelly? Oh, yeah! I remember it when driving to Okc when I was a kid in the late 1950s, driving north on May from Lawton before the interstates were constructed. In fact, the odorific prospects originally projected the area's development northwest of Oklahoma City – though, of course, that did not happen. A November 16, 1987, Oklahoman article quoted Clarence Achgill who began reporting on livestock markets in 1926. He said,

My first impression of the stockyards was, it stunk. * * * That (first impression) lasted in my mind forever, but after a week or two I didn't even smell it.

That's good for him, but even not living in Okc in those years, the stinking memory still remains! The only worse smell I remember is from a paper mill in Camden, Arkansas, in 1960 or so! Yuuch! Trust me, the Camden, Ark., "yuuch" is twice as much as Packingtown, but both remain in my serious "yuuch" category!

Vice? For sure! Mr. Johnson's article says,

The work associated with the industry was often grueling, combining long hours with physically demanding work not recommended for the squeamish and the area quickly became known as one of the wilder parts of town as "cowboys" and slaughterhouse workers let off steam. According to Bonnie Speer, "Almost every business sheltered a house of prostitution on the top floor. Nearly everyone was involved in gambling and bootlegging, one way or another."

One of the Stockyards' and the city's most enduring landmarks has its own legend involving gambling. The story goes that the Cattlemen's Restaurant, which also opened in 1910, was owned by Hank Frey who entered into a craps game with Percy Wade in 1945. As the stakes climbed Frey put the keys to the restaurant on the table for collaterl. Frey lost and Percy Wade and his son would operate the restaurant for the next 50 years.

Here are some of the early day images I've located. As is almost always true, click on an image for a larger view.

Credit Jim Edwards & Hal Ottaway's Vanished Splendor
(Abalache Book Shop Publishing 1982)

Morris & Co. 1910



Credit Oklahoma City Metropolitan Library System
Morris & Co. and the new Livestock Exchange Building to the Left


Credit Jim Edwards & Hal Ottaway's Vanished Splendor
(Abalache Book Shop Publishing 1982)

S&S Company



Credit Jim Edwards & Hal Ottaway's Vanished Splendor II
(Abalache Book Shop Publishing 1983)

It Wasn't Just Beef – Hogs (and sheep), Too!



Credit Jim Edwards & Hal Ottaway's Vanished Splendor
(Abalache Book Shop Publishing 1982)

A 1911 Pic Showing Both Plants



Credit Jim Edwards & Hal Ottaway's Vanished Splendor
(Abalache Book Shop Publishing 1982)

A 1911 Pic Showing Stockyards City and the Stockyard Entry


OTHER DEVELOPMENTS. As already said, other developments occurred in and after 1910 as commerce, and recreation, as well, developed. Some are shown in this section.

Livestock Exchange. This building is at the left in the MLS image, above. Constructed in 1910 and located on the north side of Exchange Ave. and inside and west of the Packingtown Gate, it was the business address for a number of firms related to the cattle and packing industry. The original building was destroyed by fire in 1915 and was immediately rebuilt.

Credit Jim Edwards & Hal Ottaway's Vanished Splendor
(Abalache Book Shop Publishing 1982)

The 1910 Facility



Credit County Assessor's Website
The Successor (larger image not available)


A fire in 1980 destroyed the above and it, too, was replaced by a later building, shown in the contemporary images below.

The Coliseum. The Oklahoma Coliseum opened in 1922. While certainly used in conjunction with the Stockyards and associated events, its use was not as limited as that. As noted in Vanished Splendor, it hosted road-show comedies, auto shows, conventions, and performances by Al Jolson, John Philip Sousa's Band, Jack Dempsey, and others. Destroyed by fire in 1930, it was rebuilt in 1931 and survived until 1970 when it was destroyed (the State Fairgrounds facility had pretty much captured its business – and the fairgrounds facility had air conditioning which the Coliseum did not).

Credit Jim Edwards & Hal Ottaway's Vanished Splendor
(Abalache Book Shop Publishing 1982)

The 1922 Coliseum



Credit Jim Edwards & Hal Ottaway's Vanished Splendor II
(Abalache Book Shop Publishing 1983)

The 1931 Coliseum


ALL IS WELL IN STOCKYARDS CITY. For many years, all continued to go well and the area flourished, as is reflected in the following images from the 1930s and 1950s.

Even "sin" fared well during this period. A December 17, 1952, Oklahoman article, "Our City Hot? Yes, Frankly – in Spots", responding to a national article which labeled Oklahoma City as a "Hot Town, U.S.A.," said,

Just how wild is Oklahoma City? How "open" are the taprooms generally? Daily Oklahoman reporters after three weeks of investigation are convinced that whisky can be bought along with beer in perhaps 25 percent of them. Some officers concede privately and with candor that the figure may be closer to 50 percent.
* * *
You can find what you want in Oklahoma City. In behalf of law enforcement agencies, it can be said that gambling is not "wide open," prostitution flourishes but not flagrantly. There is no "organized crime" in the sense that bigger cities know it * * *.

Hmmm ... see February 9 and 10, 1952, Oklahoman stories if you're interested in pursuing this topic. Before closing this section, it is worth noting that in a February 9, 1952, article, it was reported that:

He [Dwight Brown, OCPD Chief] produced police records to show that Smoke House parlor had been raided 15 times since Nov. 7, 1951, and its operators and players had paid gambling fines totaling $1,056. ¶"That doesn't look to me like he has had very much police protection."

In a December 17, 1952, article, it was said ...

The magazine writer claimed, "there are more strippers in Oklahoma City and you see there what you don't see in any other place in the United States."

Right. But, what's the truth?

Were the 1952 protestations of City Police and city officials true? Hmmm ... in a September 30, 1953, Oklahoman article, this interesting story appeared:

Officer Denies He Linked City Police, Gamlber

Walter Acord, one-time Oklahoma City police vice bureau chief and retiring 34-year veteran policeman, toned down his charges against Packingtown's kingpin gambler Tuesday afternoon following conferences with police chief L. J. "Smokey" Hilbert and "two or three" councilmen.

Earlier in the day, Acord told a newsman that gambler Hank Frey "and others" had controlled an element of the city government for the last several years.
* * *
He [Acord] said: "For the last several years an element of the city government has been controlled by Stockyards City gambler Hank Frey and others. I wasn't ready to retire, but working conditions have got so bad at the police department I'm going to."

So, the city denies the "sin" so ... it doesn't exist. Hooahh!

"Sin" wasn't the only thing allegedly going on in this "mid" period as the area continued to prosper. So, let's get back to that boring stuff.

Credit Jim Edwards & Hal Ottaway's Vanished Splendor II
(Abalache Book Shop Publishing 1983)

Wilson & Co.'s Clydesdales at 1936 State Fair



The next two images are in Lucyl Shirk's Oklahoma City, Capital of Soonerland
(Oklahoma City Board of Education 1957)

Bird's Eye Views in Early-To-Mid 1950s





Credit mmm at OkcTalk.com for this image showing relative locations in the above ...


Ms. Shirk's 1957 book said,

Since 1910 the doors of Oklahoma City's two major packing plants have never been closed. Not even the depression years pinch [or] halt production.

That would soon change.

TIMES CHANGE. Armour & Co. cut back its operations in 1958 and was the first meat packer to close, in 1960, when faced with the necessity of almost completely renovating its plant. Wilson & Co. would modernize in 1964, but it, too, would come to an unhappy end, in 1992.


STOCKYARD CITY TODAY. An interesting article by Max Nichols in the June 22, 1998, Journal Record, Start of a Dream, gives some background. In the article, Jeanette Ainsworth Bode, who opened the Westgate Gallery in September 1997, reflected on her identification with Stockyards City. Although the gallery no longer exists (and the former space is now occupied by the Oklahoma Beef Council – see a pic below), the article nonetheless tells a story worth remembering. At the time the 1998 article was written ...

Jeanette owns the historic building that houses the WestGate Gallery at the southwest corner of Exchange and Agnew avenues. It was owned by her grandfather, Neal Ainsworth, and her father, John Ainsworth, going back to 1910. The family also owns the Langston's Western Wear building across the street. In addition, her maternal grandfather, Dan Lackey, was influential in bringing the first meat packing plant to what became Stockyards City. He later served as president of what is now the Oklahoma National Stockyards for about 25 years. "I wanted to open a gallery that would show off the works of Oklahoma artists," Bode said, "because we have outstanding artists in Oklahoma, and people visit Stockyards City from all over the world. I also want to develop a Stockyards City historical society with a museum to tell visitors about its unique history. "Visitors come here from all the world to see the National Stockyards (now the largest of its kind in the country), but there is no place to tell them how this city was built. Visitors want to know how this happened -- why Stockyards City is here." * * * She also is helping a Main Street program develop a walking tour of the preserved frontier town, and there is even talk of replacing the old Stockyards Coliseum. * * * The background of all this goes back to the 1889 Land Run. Neal Ainsworth made the land run at only 16. He had to have his claim registered in the name of his older sister, Jeanette Ainsworth. Dan Lackey, once a John Deere Co. agent, became mayor of Oklahoma City and helped form the first delegation that went to Chicago to bring the meat packing industry to Oklahoma City. City leaders raised more than $400,000 to buy a 575-block of land. Lots in the area were sold to raise another $300,000, and a separate city was formed. By 1910, two packing houses were here, and Neal Ainsworth owned the building at the southwest corner of Exchange and Agnew. * * * In about 1988, she joined an effort to get the National Trust for Historic Preservation to form a Main Street program in Stockyards City. It became the first Urban Main Street program, but Bode's dream eluded her. "My primary interest was in starting a historical society," she said, "but I was told that economic development had to come first -- that we couldn't have two forces competing for money. So I went along with it." * * * While the historical society had to wait, Jeanette and Al Bode both worked with the Main Street development. When the old Charter Club, a notorious bar, was closed in John Ainsworth's building during 1992, it was replaced by a gallery. When problems with the gallery developed, Jeanette Bode decided to start her own. The result was WestGate. * * * Bode sees the endless stream of trucks bringing cattle to auction at the stockyards early every week and wonders why people don't realize it. She sees cattlemen and other visitors enjoy the legendary Cattlemen's Cafe and shopping for western wear or for highly crafted boots, saddles and hats, and she sees opportunity. "People come here," said Bode, "but there is nothing for them to do, though the history of Oklahoma is right here."

Even though WestGate Gallery apparently no longer exists, the aspirations of Jeannette Ainsworth Bode remain in place through others.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places register in 1979, the Stockyards City Historic District is described there as "An irregular pattern along Agnew and Exchange Aves., Oklahoma City (220 acres, 19 buildings, 1 object)."

The following pics were taken in Stockyards City on June 23 and June 25, 2007.

Approaching Stockyards City on Exchange Avenue ...





Monument at Northwest Corner of Agnew & Exchange Avenues



Looking Southeast at Northwest Corner of Agnew & Exchange Avenues



Looking South From Agnew & Exchange Avenues



Cattlemen's Cafe



Inside A Shop Next Door To Cattlemen's





On the Corner of Southwest 13th and Agnew



Across The Street From Cattlemen's



On Exchange West of Agnew Looking South



On Exchange Looking West Into The Oklahoma City National Stockyards


THE STOCKYARDS TODAY. Despite the loss of Wilson & Armour, the Oklahoma City National Stockyards boasts that it is the world's largest Stocker and Feeder Cattle Market. The pic below is a Google satellite image taken a few years back.



On Exchange Looking Westerly at Fairly New, But Empty, Retail Areas



On Exchange Looking South at the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Building



On Exchange Looking North at the Oklahoma National Stockyards Livestock Exchange Building


THE WILSON SITE. These days, the area is barren turf. Wilson, per se, ceased operations in 1992. A consortium of former Wilson managers acquired it, but in the property was quickly acquired by an Oklahoma City based firm, Bake Rite. But, Bake Rite was acquired by a New York firm, Doskocil, in a hostile takeover, but Doskocil went through a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy ... or something like what I've just said ... I may have the details incorrect. But, the bottom line is that Wilson & Co. and its successors in interest closed shop in Oklahoma City in 1994.

A June 23, 2006, Oklahoman article by Richard Mize is the last information that I've found about the property ... "Industrial Park Planned On Plant Site." The article says that the investors planned to "knock down the four buildings – one of them dating to 1910 – and develop the area as an industrial park."

Did that happen? It doesn't seem so ... these are pics taken on June 23, 2007, which show the "progress" ...






ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.

"Stockyards City" Booklet. The "Stockyards City Main Street" office next door to Cattlemen's makes available a reprint of a very nice article written by Carol Holderby Welsh in Chronicles of Oklahoma (Oklahoma Historical Society 1982).


The article is limited to the development of the meat packers and the Oklahoma National Stockyards between 1910-1982 and doesn't cover much else (such as related developments in Stockyards City, e.g., businesses, gambling, booze, etc.) but it does thorougly trace historical developments as to the Stockyards, Wilson & Co., and Armour, in a matter-of-fact sort of way, more than has been done in this post.

I've scanned Stockyards City's booklet and it's a good read if what you're looking for is detailed development of the Oklahoma National Stockyards, Wilson, Armour, etc. But, don't look for any "vice" stories in the article ... they are not there. A few nice historical images are shown, however. Either click the above image or click here to open Stockyards City's nice booklet. I've set it up so that it should print well in your web browser.

Other Web Resources.

Oklahoma County Assessor's Stockyards City Images

Stockyards City website

Cattlemen's Restaurant website

Oklahoma National Stockyards website

Go To Top