The History of Oklahoma

While it may not seem like an exciting state from a distance, Oklahoma actually has a great history to it that is full of action and adventure. In Dwyer’s The Oklahomans, the history of these people comes to life. There are many stories to tell as Dwyer notes, so it is difficult to know where to begin—but as always the best place is typically at the beginning. The beginning of the story of the Oklahomans begins even before statehood was accomplished in 1907. It starts in the 19th century when the land was being used by cattle herders, farmers, settlers, and Indians who were placed there in what was then known as Indian Territory. Some of these Indians were fierce, like Quanah Parker, the warrior Comanche who killed many settlers and made the region a frightening place. However, Parker converted to Christianity later in his life, after coming into contact with people like Teddy Roosevelt who cherished the frontier life and had great respect for people who lived out at the edge of society.
The Oklahomans were also great entrepreneurial workers who helped bring oil to the area. Dwyer shows how the oil men were full of spirit and energy and their story is one that helps to bring the history of the people to life. Setting up the oil rigs and getting the oil transported via the railroad was a tremendous work. It helped to connect others all over the country and made the state and its people very important in the larger scheme of things for the rest of the country. Their contribution helped to reshape the way Americans lived their lives.
Christianity played a very significant role in the state and its people’s lives. The state Constitution invoked the power and guidance of Almighty God and this was a sign of the deep faith of the Oklahomans. Yet there were also some problems in the state as Jim Crow laws and segregation kept African Americans from truly being treated equally in the state. This is an unfortunate moment in the history of the lives of the Oklahomans, but it soon passed and the state grew to show equality to all persons following the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The story of how the Oklahomans preserved through the Dust Bowl period and how they dealt with the prairie losing its top soil in the years that followed when the people turned towards conservation efforts in order to save the soil and also create lakes for the farmers so that another drought like that one that hit in the 1930s could be avoided.
Overall, the story of the Oklahomans is one of sheer ingenuity. So many people out on the frontier—facing the wilderness, facing the warriors like Parker of the Comanche, facing the elements and the weather, using the earth, the land, the oil beneath, and developing all of it to make the state even better: all of this shows that the history of the Oklahoman people is one of real excitement. Dwyer’s account of the Oklahomans, what they experienced, what they endured, and how they managed to make a difference—even in the life of a man like Parker, who ultimately became like them and shared in their values and faith—is a full account that gives the Oklahoman history a robustness that it deserves.