Oklahoma: A History of Five Centuries

Oklahoma: A History of Five Centuries by Gibson, Arrell Morgan. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780806117584.

The drama and the excitement of the Oklahoma story unfold from the prehistoric residency of Clovis man and Folsom man and the Spanish and French explorations in the early historic period through the removal of many diverse Indian tribes to the federally-designated Indian Territory and into the modern period of Oklahoma politics and economic advancement. Betrayal of the Indians, racism, and political corruption are told in their entirety. The achivements of the state and its people are related as the story progresses through the early years of statehood and the hardships of opening pioneer farms and building new townes. The effects of the Great Depression are told, revealing that Oklahomans were coping with drought and depression long before the rest of the nation. Later chapters tell of the modern period in Oklahoma, when its politics became more sophisicated, when its economic base expanded as the result of recruitment of industry to the Sun Belt, and when science and technology opend the new frontiers of the space age. Of equal importance to modern-day Oklahomans is the successful growth of the humanities and the arts, with increasing appreciation of the states rich Indian heritiage. Enlivened by many illustrations and maps and written in an easy, conversational style.