Ghosts of Crook County: An Oil Fortune, a Phantom Child, and the Fight for Indigenous Land

by Russell Cobb

The true—and unsolved—story of unabashedly greedy men, their exploitation of Muscogee land, and the hunt for the ghost of a boy who may never have existed

For readers of David Grann’s award-winning Killers of the Flower Moon

In the early 1900s, at the dawn of the “American Century,” few knew the intoxicating power of greed better than white men on the forefront of the black gold rush. When oil was discovered in Oklahoma, these counterfeit tycoons impersonated, defrauded, and murdered Native property owners to snatch up hundreds of acres of oil-rich land.

Writer and fourth-generation Oklahoman Russell Cobb sets the stage for one such oilman’s Tulsa entrepreneur Charles Page’s campaign for a young Muscogee boy’s land in Creek County. Problem was, “Tommy Atkins,” the boy in question, had died years prior—if he ever lived at all.

Ghosts of Crook County traces Tommy’s mythologized life through Page’s relentless pursuit of his land. We meet Minnie Atkins and the two other women who claimed to be Tommy’s “real” mother. Minnie would testify a story of her son’s life and death that fulfilled the legal requirements for his land to be transferred to Page. And we meet Tommy himself—or the men who proclaimed themselves to be him, alive and well in court.

Through evocative storytelling, Cobb chronicles with unflinching precision the lasting effects of land-grabbing white men on Indigenous peoples. What emerges are the interconnected stories of unabashedly greedy men, the exploitation of Indigenous land, and the legacy of a boy who may never have existed.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, True Crime, Crime, Audiobook, American History, American

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2024

Reviews

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Taken from the Goodreads synopsis. "The true—and unsolved—story of unabashedly greedy men, their exploitation of Muscogee land, and the hunt for the ghost of a boy who may never have existed

For readers of David Grann’s award-winning Killers of the Flower Moon

In the early 1900s, at the dawn of the “American Century,” few knew the intoxicating power of greed better than white men on the forefront of the black gold rush. When oil was discovered in Oklahoma, these counterfeit tycoons impersonated, defrauded, and murdered Native property owners to snatch up hundreds of acres of oil-rich land.

Writer and fourth-generation Oklahoman Russell Cobb sets the stage for one such oilman’s Tulsa entrepreneur Charles Page’s campaign for a young Muscogee boy’s land in Creek County. Problem was, “Tommy Atkins,” the boy in question, had died years prior—if he ever lived at all.

Ghosts of Crook County traces Tommy’s mythologized life through Page’s relentless pursuit of his land. We meet Minnie Atkins and the two other women who claimed to be Tommy’s “real” mother. Minnie would testify a story of her son’s life and death that fulfilled the legal requirements for his land to be transferred to Page. And we meet Tommy himself—or the men who proclaimed themselves to be him, alive and well in court.

Through evocative storytelling, Cobb chronicles with unflinching precision the lasting effects of land-grabbing white men on Indigenous peoples. What emerges are the interconnected stories of unabashedly greedy men, the exploitation of Indigenous land, and the legacy of a boy who may never have existed."

I wanted to truly enjoy emerging myself into this nonfiction mystery story, but I just could not get into the book.

It was all over the place on telling the story and way too much going on. It was like eating a sandwich with too much bread with a little bit of meat. Research is there but needed to put into a more cohesive manner, the jumping so quickly from one part of the story to next felt like it was giving me whiplash. I needed a chart on who was who and related to who and why they had interest who and why. The story, to this day, has so many unanswered questions.

It is a five-star story but a two-star book.

[Gail Amendt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my goodness!! This is the most convoluted and confusing tale of corruption, greed and exploitation I have ever read. In the early days of the 1900's, an oil boom in Oklahoma resulted in massive corruption as rich white oil barons defrauded indigenous landowners of what was rightfully theirs, often with the help of plenty of bribery and outright lies. The most litigated piece of land belonged to one Tommy Atkins, a boy who may or may not have existed. No less than three different women claimed to be his mother in court, surprisingly including a woman with ties to the Alberta, Canada community I reside in. We still do not have the answer to whether Tommy Atkins ever existed, and if so, who his mother was. This book is well researched, but is so convoluted that I found myself confused much of the time. The author is coming to speak at my local library soon, and I hope to understand the story better after that.

[Samm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sad I didn’t like this more. It was very well researched, but I should have known from the beginning that since it was an unsolved crime, that it would be confusing. Too many people involved, I lost track of who was who or who they were related to. Made it difficult to understand.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Understanding indigenous history has always been so important to me. This novel allowed me to go deeper into this than ever before. We know that we live on stolen land, but the length many white settlers went to hold onto the land during the oil boom is extraordinary. Having never visited Oklahoma and knowing very little about its history, I found the focus on Tulsa fascinating. It’s incredible to hear how many of the actions taken 100+ years ago are still visible today. If you’re at all interested in indigenous history, Oklahoma history, or both - definitely check out this book!

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good read. It was hard to follow, and I don’t think that’s only because of the narrative itself, which involves many people committing fraud and purposefully obscuring the truth.

But the story is compelling, and I enjoyed that the author is himself the scion of a powerful Tulsa area family who was affiliated with the cruel power brokers described in this book. I also enjoyed the revelation toward the end that Tommy Atkins was used in Britain as a generic everyman name like “John Doe,” so it could have been a sly joke or fraud even in the original Dawes rolls.

I also enjoyed the thoughtful depictions of Minnie, Nancy, and Sadie. They were each women struggling to get by on the margins of society, and through a combination of deceit and self-enterprise, they pieced together lives for themselves. Sadie especially is a memorable person who will be on my mind for a while.

I almost feel the marketers did the author a disservice by comparing it to Killers of the Flower Moon, because that book was so damn good and the author’s own research turned out to be so unexpectedly revelatory. This is also a good book, but not quite as original or gripping.

It’s a great story underlying the book, and if you’re interested in American history or Indigenous peoples’ history, I recommend it. But I wish the author had a better editor to tighten things up.

[Mike Broderick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is another one that I am giving a 3.5 star rating but downgrading to 3.
There is lots to like in this book. A true history and the reality of power and money in the United States, especially in the oil industry.
Oil has long made humans act badly and in a world where we already have a population being pushed around, having oil in the area only created even more reason for people to act badly.

The stories proved to be interesting, the flow of the book was decent, however, it still dragged on in at some points and I found it at times to be repetitive. Maybe that is purposeful, as white man pushing Indigenous People to less desirable land, only to push them again when oil is found has happened time and again.
My biggest issue with the book is that it is wholly American, I would like to see more Canadian stories and even though this is about oil, a connection to Indigenous People and Oil in Alberta could have made this even more relevant for me.

[Alan Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the heels of "Killers of the Flower Moon" this book shows up to let us know that Osage Country is not the only place where white people were victimizing Native Americans. It was happening all over eastern Oklahoma. Crook County, refers to Creek County, Oklahoma south and west of Tulsa and like Osage County, home of an oil boom back in the early days of the 20th century. Cobb tells a complex and confusing story about as well as can be and in the process takes down a Tulsa hero, Charles Page showing him to be just as greedy as anybody else in trying to take what belongs to others.

I loved this book.

[Susan Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book about Oklahoma history that was totally new to me after attending 12 years of Oklahoma schooling and taking an Oklahoma history requirement for graduation! The book details more of the sad history of crimes against the Indigenous population of Okla. A listing of the many people in the account would help to keep them all in mind

[G.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who thinks the rich and powerful should be in charge must read Russell Cobb's Ghosts of Crook County.

Any Indigenous person who thinks any government will help us achieve equal footing under their rule and regain control of our lands and our governance must read Cobb's Ghosts.

The question Ghosts planted in me: How do you redress ugly?

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it was near impossible to understand the myriad claims and counter claims, legalities and illegalities encountered in this true(?) story about what went down ( and continues to go down ) in Oklahoma when oil, greed, racism, and a good dose of connivery happened, Russell Cobb researched it and told it in this book.
An amazing documentary of an incredibly difficult subject.

[Siobhan Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting story, but I agree with other reviewers that sometimes there was just too much info and the story became hard to follow. I get that non fiction requires a ton of research and it's clear Cobb put a lot of time into researching this story, but it seems that he struggled to pare down what he wanted to include to make it easier for an audience to understand.

[Monika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book that gives great insight into the not so savory past of Oklahoma oil. Would have given this book another star if the author had left out how his family history intertwines with the story- it felt like a stretch and had an air of white saviorism to it.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolutely too many characters to keep track of, and too much jumping back and forth. I gave up before I was even half way through this mess. The story could have been good, but it was written in a way that was just too hard to keep straight.

[James Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little repetitive but still good to read an in-depth analysis of shady land and oil dealings in the Tulsa area.

[Elexndra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Very tangled tale about oil and crooks! Library borrow

[Celina Tebor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredibly well researched, but DAMN is this book dense. The story of Tommy Atkins is convoluted and confusing, and that’s the point — but the book itself leans a bit too much in that direction.

[Susan Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

True story but still a mystery and unsolved. A lot of confusing information and current political bashing. Take away- Charles Page should not have a boulevard.

[Courtney Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

It can be really difficult to read an unsolved true crime story but this was compelling.

[Andrew Dodderidge]

Concur with those who struggled with keeping up with the hundreds of names involved with this hidden ordeal, but it's a triumph in uncovering a scary past, concluding that the rise of those around us likely has a dark reason. The first-person narrative towards the last few chapters locks you in and makes you interested in unearthing these stories yourself.