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 Doug Dawgz Blog is one year old today!
Yea! When I started this Oklahoma City History blog on July 15, 2006, I knew that it would be fun for me, but I had no clue whether it would be an inviting place for others. I've posted 65 times so far which is about 5 & 1/2 posts per month on the average. In the past 365 days, the blog has had 19,725 visits which include during those visits various posts being opened 39,597 times. I'm quite pleased with the measure of interest and I take that as a good indicator that at least some of what I've put together has been interesting to many. This post traces a few "high points" during the 1st year, and solicits any comments about desired topics in the year to come.
Traffic. Traffic has been global, though, as expected, most comes from the United States and most of that comes from in or near Oklahoma. I only recently "upgraded" my Sitemeter account from a "free" to a "premium" one (meaning that I now pay a few dollars for added features) and it tracks more closely the past 500 visitors. Since I upgraded on July 11, there haven't been 500 visitors. But the USA map below shows the past 363 hits in this country (without zooming, several "hits" overlap each other, so don't bother counting) ...
Increased Blog "Circulation." The mere mention of Doug Dawgz Blog by Steve Lackmeyer in the February 25, 2007, Sunday Oklahoman, in an article anticipating the next day's opening of the Skirvin Hilton, changed the "visibility" of the blog.
Steve's article said,
Doug Loudenback was one of the lucky ones. The downtown attorney’s Web site, dedicated to city history, caught the attention of the Skirvin Hilton’s publicist. Loudenback was invited for a private tour.
Loudenback previously posted historic Skirvin photos on his blog, www.dougdawg.blogspot.com, and even took extensive new photos of exterior renovations.
He didn’t restrain his glee at adding photos from his Jan. 26 tour: “The official opening of the Skirvin Hilton is scheduled for Monday, February 26, 2007!!! YEA!!! YEA!!! YEA!!! HOOAHH!!!” On that day and for several days following, Doug Dawgz Blog received a serious spike in visitors ... see the chart below (yellow is # of visitors, orange + yellow is # of opened pages by the visitors).
HOOAHH is right! I was ecstatic with the blog's increased attention (as well, of course, with the grand reopening of the Skirvin)!
Oklahoma Rising. The Vince Gill & Jimmy Webb Centennial Anthem, mixed in with rotating Oklahoma images but mostly from Oklahoma City, was and remains a hit!
The post which has generated the most personal e-mail as well as telephone calls has been the December 2006 Oklahoma Rising flash files post (since modified several times). The post contains instructions about how to save the file to and play it on your own computer without being connected to the internet. I've been gratified that several organizations (schools, cub scout troops, others) have requested permission to use the flash files in presentations for their students, etc. However, I've gotta say that the most touching such request was from a squad leader stationed in Iraq ... the Sergeant wanted permission to play the flash file for his squad ... tell me that that didn't bring tears to Doug Dawgz eyes!
Beverlys Chicken-In-The-Rough. Old Doug Dawg was just waxing nostalgic when making this post. Little did I know that people from all over the country were interested, as well.
Not too many comment in the blog anymore (since I started moderating comments after some ugly and distasteful comments related to Okc & the NBA), and that's too bad. The Beverlys post tops the number of comments to a single post at 20. People all over the country, even the world, seem to want to know about Beverly's Chicken-In-The-Rough! It has persistenly been one of the most frequented posts since it was originally posted in July 2006.
Skirvin Posts. Ahhh ... Doug Dawg loved to follow this most excellent development in and for Oklahoma City! And, thanks to Dan Mahoney, publicist for the Skirvin Hilton, some great "inside" pics were had and posted here.
As popular as the Beverlys post were the 4 Skirvin posts. The 1st drew 5 comments; 14 commented on the 2nd (the January inside tour); and the 4th, grand opening post, had 1, for a total of 20 comments.
Springlake. Everyone old enough to do so remembers Springlake. But, it was Norman Thompson, who gratuitously made several hundred images available, that made this excellent post possible.
While not drawing as many comments (4), the Springlake post may outrank all others in terms of recorded "hits." My Sitemeter account tells me that there have been 108 "Entry Page" hits to the Springlake post since its initial posting on April 2, 2007, and that ain't too shabby. After the post here, OETA picked up several of Norman's pics posted in Doug Dawgz Blog and largely based one of their Centennial video clips on those pics. See OETA's Springlake video clip.
OKC & NBA Posts. It's no secret that Doug Dawg is a Hornets Fan! See my "picture" at the top of this post ... a drawing made in the Ford Center at either a preseason game or the 1st regular season game in 2005.
Responses (comments) to these posts caused me to change my "Comment" policy ... 1 or 2 posters can't seem to tolerate the joy and pride and pleasure we in Okc take about hosting the Hornets for 2 seasons and/or being a candidate for the Supersonics & Storm should those teams move from Seattle. While their infantile comments have been deleted here, those comments led to my current policy of moderating all comments before they appear here, and I regret that. Of these Okc-NBA posts, the one which gave me the greatest personal pleasure was the 2 year Hornets Retrospective flash file post ... the flash file linked there takes about 9 minutes to run.
The Dust Bowl. This post picked up a lot of attention, too. Where did the term "Okie" come from? It came from this era as scores of thousands of hard-hit farmers and others migrated to points west, usually California.
Interest in the "Dust Bowl" continues to be a topic of interest. Other websites found the post to be of sufficient interest to link to the Dustbowl post. It was in this era that "Okies" came to be a derrogatory term, even if most of us now relish and take pride in referring to ourselves as "Okies."
Asian District & Chinese Underground. This post, too, continues to draw attention from around the country.
Was there an underground Chinatown in downtown Oklahoma City? Absolutely! I just wish that we could know more about it.
Deep Deuce. The 3 part series on Deep Deuce history, beginning here, was one of my favorites to research and has been popular with readers.
This important part of Oklahoma City's history was largely unknown to "the white man" in its heyday, during the days of forced segregation, during the days of the great jazz musicians and one great author that emerged from this geographically small part of the city. Too, it is the story of great-ness rising from greater-still adversity, and is part of our proud heritage.
Wiley Post. The pair of Wiley Post articles was one of the most fun to put together!
If you don't know that Wiley hung his hat in Oklahoma City, that he was the first to circumvent the planet in an airplane (with a navigator), was the 1st to do so "solo," that he had ticker-tape parades in New York City, that he is buried in Oklahoma City, and lots of other stuff, you should!
Your Comments. That's my happy birthday post to me! I welcome comments about topics to cover during the next year, as well as any others, should you care to give them.
Several items are on my "to do" list ... more "Cops & Robbers" posts, the Oklahoma Heritiage Association, restaurants gone by, and several others. Maybe I'll finish my long dormant project of making the revised "clickable" downtown Oklahoma City map! If you want, please post your comments in this thread about Okc History topics you would like to see explored during the next 12 months.
Thanks for dropping by and for a great 1st year!
... Click here to read the full article and any comments ...
 Thanks to Jack Money and Steve Lackmeyer (above, left to right), authors of the fantastic Urban Renewal-to-present-day history book, OKC - Second Time Around, as well as an upcoming book on the history of the Skirvin Hotel, a brand new Oklahoma City history website emerged on July 7, 2007 ... OkcHistory.com. Their new website has enormous promise to become the premier (second, of course, to the amazing Doug Dawgz Blog) website which is singularly devoted to all of Oklahoma City's history. Hopefully, it will become a "clearinghouse" for all who are interested in this city's fascinating history. These guys know their stuff. Jack and Steve are award-winning journalists at The Oklahoman. They anticipate expanding their site to include a "forum" (talk/chat) element in which anyone interested in Oklahoma City history can participate in the near future.
Although less than a week old, they are off to a great start! This post shows you very little that you could not see on your own if you just go there (save and except for the last image in this post), but Doug Dawg will give you a quick tour, just the same!
Click on an image for a larger view
Home Page
The sidebar in the left panel takes you to other elements ...
Okc History Internet Links
Current Events (News) relating to Okc History
This Week in Okc History
Okc Forgotten ... a Slide Show showing things gone by
Books on Okc History ... I'm sure this will be expanded
Featured History ... Serious Articles About Okc History ...
(Note Doug Dawgz role in snagging Okc's 1st major
league team is featured in a story 100 years later!)
I confess to making up the above "featured history" story ... just wishful thinking on Doug Dawgz part!
As I said, a "forum" is hoped for soon. For now, visit the website and let Steve and Jack know what you think in their "Guestbook." And, if they don't live up to their website's promise, give 'em some shit! If they do, give all praise that is surely their due!
... Click here to read the full article and any comments ...
Creative photographers didn't come to exist in the computer age ... as is evidenced by this creative and engaging "vintage" photograph I've run across ... Click the pic for a 1024 px wide view
Click here for a still larger (2800 x 1953 px) image
 Lots of unanswered questions ... who put the collage together, and when? I'm studying further but one would suppose that it was before the 1st National and Ramsey Towers were completed in 1931, else they'd have been in the collage.
While I'm in the process of trying to figure out all "the pieces," some might enjoy trying to do the same ... so ...
TEST YOURSELF! Here's the pic with "numbers" I've placed on it to identify the various buildings shown ... 1 through 78 ... the numbers kinda-sorta run clockwise in a weird sort of way ... click on the image for a 1024 px wide image and one which will print better (I recommend that you print in "landscape" orientation) ...
Test answers (to the extent that I can figure everything out) will follow in an edited post. See what you can come up with on your own, Okc history lovers! Go ahead! Give it your best shot!
| Pic | Description | Pic | Description | | 1 | ____________________________ | 40 | ____________________________ | | 2 | ____________________________ | 41 | ____________________________ | | 3 | ____________________________ | 42 | ____________________________ | | 4 | ____________________________ | 43 | ____________________________ | | 5 | ____________________________ | 44 | ____________________________ | | 6 | ____________________________ | 45 | ____________________________ | | 7 | ____________________________ | 46 | ____________________________ | | 8 | ____________________________ | 47 | ____________________________ | | 9 | ____________________________ | 48 | ____________________________ | | 10 | ____________________________ | 49 | ____________________________ | | 11 | ____________________________ | 50 | ____________________________ | | 12 | ____________________________ | 51 | ____________________________ | | 13 | ____________________________ | 52 | ____________________________ | | 14 | ____________________________ | 53 | ____________________________ | | 15 | ____________________________ | 54 | ____________________________ | | 16 | ____________________________ | 55 | ____________________________ | | 17 | ____________________________ | 56 | ____________________________ | | 18 | ____________________________ | 57 | ____________________________ | | 19 | ____________________________ | 58 | ____________________________ | | 20 | ____________________________ | 59 | ____________________________ | | 21 | ____________________________ | 60 | ____________________________ | | 22 | ____________________________ | 61 | ____________________________ | | 23 | ____________________________ | 62 | ____________________________ | | 24 | ____________________________ | 63 | ____________________________ | | 25 | ____________________________ | 64 | ____________________________ | | 26 | ____________________________ | 65 | ____________________________ | | 27 | ____________________________ | 66 | ____________________________ | | 28 | ____________________________ | 67 | ____________________________ | | 29 | ____________________________ | 68 | ____________________________ | | 30 | ____________________________ | 69 | ____________________________ | | 31 | ____________________________ | 70 | ____________________________ | | 32 | ____________________________ | 71 | ____________________________ | | 33 | ____________________________ | 72 | ____________________________ | | 34 | ____________________________ | 73 | ____________________________ | | 35 | ____________________________ | 74 | ____________________________ | | 36 | ____________________________ | 75 | ____________________________ | | 37 | ____________________________ | 76 | ____________________________ | | 38 | ____________________________ | 77 | ____________________________ | | 39 | ____________________________ | 78 | ____________________________ |
OK OK! Compare your results to Doug Dawgz and others' best guesses so far!
Go To Top
... Click here to read the full article and any comments ...
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.
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
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 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
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 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.
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