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Tierra de mi Familia, Oklahoma: The Land of My Family Susan Berberet, Assistant Curator of Collection
Oklahoma Historical Society
Oklahoma is a land of many people and cultures coming together, forging one history. This State is the adopted home to many immigrant families, and as we grow toward our future, we can begin to share the fascinating stories that brought us here. One such story is explored in the exhibit, Tierra de mi Familia, Oklahoma, which discovers the history of Latinos in Oklahoma.
The exhibit is told through individual narratives, video and exhibited artifacts. You can view a saddle, sombrero, and lasso used by early vaqueros or dishes from El Charrito, one of the first Mexican food restaurants in Oklahoma City. Also displayed are personal items brought with families as they fled Mexico and Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution (1910). Additionally featured are traditional food preparation tools, musical instruments, and traditional clothing from several Latin American countries donated and loaned by local families.
The title of this exhibit, Tierra de mi Familia: Oklahoma, was inspired by a pen and ink work by Oklahoma City artist Bernie Martinez.
Tierra de mi Familia: Oklahoma will run through November 2010 and is located in the Inasmuch Foundation Gallery at the Oklahoma History Center. The Oklahoma Museum of History staff developed the exhibit in collaboration with many community organizations and individuals around the state. We invite you to join us in the circle and share this story.
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Oklahoma Centennial Farm and Ranch Program
By Glen R. Roberson, Coordinator, and Shea Otley, Assistant Coordinator,
Oklahoma Centennial Farm and Ranch Program
In March 1989, during a special celebration of the Land Run of 1889 at the Oklahoma Historical Society Building, Governor Henry Bellmon officially announced the establishment of the Oklahoma Centennial Farm and Ranch Program. To punctuate the proceedings, H.C. Hitch, Jr., owner of the Hitch Ranch in the Oklahoma Panhandle, handed the Governor the first application. Since that March day, over 1,200 properties and families have joined Mr. Hitch to become part of the Oklahoma Centennial Farm and Ranch family. The staff of the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS), coordinates the program in partnership with the Department of Agriculture.
While the program was initiated as part of the 1889 land run centennial celebration, the farmers and ranchers who made the run composed only a segment of a much larger story about those families who have farmed and ranched in Oklahoma. The purpose of the program is to honor families who have owned, operated or lived on a farm or a ranch for at least one hundred continuous years. Hundreds of families honored by the program came to Oklahoma after the land runs and many American Indian families have been here even longer. Interviews with members have become a popular segment of the agricultural television program, SUNUP, produced at Oklahoma State University (OSU) and seen on Saturday mornings on the Oklahoma Education Television Authority (OETA) channel. The SHPO staff also works closely with the people at the Oklahoma State University Oral History Project in honoring our pioneer families.
The Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture take great pride in cosponsoring this special recognition program. The vital role that farm and ranch families have played in Oklahoma's past and will continue to play in the future is recognized through this program. The hard work and determination necessary to succeed in farming and ranching make it clear that those families who have been involved in the business for 100 years or more are certainly a special group of people. Through the Centennial Farm and Ranch Program we can extend our appreciation to rural families for their contributions to the State's heritage and to its economy.
To qualify for the program, (1) the family must have occupied the land for at least 100 years, (b) it must be a working farm or ranch of at least 40 acres, (3) it must have minimum of $1,000 in annual sales, and (4) it must be operated by or lived on by a family member, or be leased out by a family member over age 65. Applying families may also be eligible for the Historic Structures Award if four or more buildings or structures that are at least 50 years old remain on the land. For more information, click here, http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/farmandranch.htm, or contact either Glen R. Roberson at (405) 521-6387 or groberson@okhistory.org or Shea Otley at (405) 522-4485 or sjotley@okhistory.org.
The Pruett Family Homestead - Piedmont, shown above, is one the farms/ranches honored in the Centennial Farms and Ranches Program. |
From The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
Louise Funk Fluke (1900-1986)
By Linda D. Wilson
Known as "the Betsy Ross of Oklahoma," artist Louise Funk Fluke designed the Oklahoma state flag. She was born in Van Buren, Arkansas, on February 9, 1900. In 1901 Louise Funk moved with an older brother and her parents, R. W. and Trimmier Sloan Funk, to Shawnee, Oklahoma. As a young girl she received art lessons from Marjorie Dodge Tapp. Funk continued her art studies at Columbia University and the Chicago Art Institute. Returning to Oklahoma, she married George Fluke in December 1924, and they had one son.
In 1925 Fluke submitted an entry in the Oklahoma Daughters of the American Revolution's statewide contest for a new design for the state flag. Fluke consulted with Dr. Joseph B.  Thoburn, secretary of the Oklahoma Historical Society, and studied Oklahoma history as well as Indian lore and artifacts. For her final design she selected an Osage war shield with six crosses representing the Indian symbol for stars and seven pendant eagle feathers. A calumet (peace pipe) and an olive branch, superimposed over the crosses on the shield, represented a united people living in peace. Her design won the contest and was adopted by the state legislature in 1925. Before her death on July 27, 1986, in Oklahoma City, she received many honors, including the Pioneer Woman Award in 1982.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Marquetta Griswold Brown, An Oklahoma Flag Designed by a Fluke (Ponca City, Okla.: M. G. Brown, 1996). Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City), 30 July 1986. "Oklahoma-Flags," Vertical File, Research Division, Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City.
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Lunch & Learn Lecture: Heraldry
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 11:30 AM
Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma Historical Society Research Center invites you to attend our Lunch & Learn Lecture Series.
Join us Wednesday, October 14 as Frankia Story explores the subject of heraldry from 11:30am to 1:00pm in the Oklahoma History Center classrooms. $10, lunch included. Pre-registration required. To register call (405) 522-5225 or use our printable mail-in forms.
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SHPO ACCEPTING AWARD NOMINATIONS
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), Oklahoma Historical Society is now accepting nominations for its 2010 awards program. Know someone who rehabilitated an important historic building in your community? Protects an important archeological site located on their property? Worked with a dedicated group of volunteers to save an endangered historic landmark? Developed a walking tour brochure for a historic district? These and many more projects and activities contribute to the preservation of Oklahoma's heritage. Help the SHPO recognize the many preservation success stories across the state.
The SHPO's awards program includes the Shirk Memorial Award for Historic Preservation and the SHPO's Citation of Merit. The deadline for nominations is 5:00pm, Friday, December 4th, and candidates will be notified in February 2010 about the results of the selection process. The awards will be presented at the banquet during Oklahoma's 22nd Annual Statewide Preservation Conference in historic downtown Okmulgee (June 9-11, 2010).
The Shirk Memorial Award for Historic Preservation is presented for historic preservation programs or activities that have had statewide impact. The SHPO's Citation of Merit is awarded for noteworthy accomplishments in historic preservation at the state or local level.
The SHPO will accept nominations in either electronic or hard copy format. To request nomination forms and instructions, contact Betty Harris at (405)521-6249 or bharris@okhistory.org. Or, obtain the information from the SHPO's website at http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/shpoawards.htm.
If you have questions about the awards criteria, contact Melvena Heisch at (405)522-4484 or mheisch@okhistory.org.
 This image is of the Waynoka Santa Fe Railroad Depot. The successful restoration of the depot earned the Waynoka Historical Society a 2008 SHPO Citation of Merit Award. |
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Tour Peter Conser's 1894 home by candlelight, and listen to storytellers tell tales of ghosts and goblins. Everyone who braves the tour receives a treat! A donation of $2.00 per person is requested and may be paid at the door. Questions or reservations call (918)653-2493 or email breid@okhistory.org.
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October 6, 2009
Shelly Crynes, Editor
(405)522-0317
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| Oklahoma Historical
2401 N Laird Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK
73105
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