Hidden History of Tulsa

Hidden History

by Steve Gerkin

The story of Tulsa's transformation from a nineteenth-century cow town into the "Oil Capital of the World" has been above ground for years, but a great reservoir of Tulsey Town's heritage has remained beneath the surface. These neglected tales include the dirigible flyover of 1929, the Hominy Indians' victory over the New York Giants and the legendary final performance of Spade Cooley, convicted killer and the self-proclaimed "King of Western Swing." From the horrors of the city's early race riot and the proud legacy of Greenwood (aka Little Africa or Black Wall Street) to Tulsa's iconic landmarks and unforgettable personalities, Steve Gerkin provides an evocative and enjoyable voyage through T-Town's hidden history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2014

Reviews

[Jackson Burnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tulsa's hidden history wasn't hidden. On May 31, 1921, white vigilantes overran an African-American section of the city leaving over thirty-five city blocks of businesses and homes in rubble, scores dead, and thousands homeless. For decades, the white community adopted silence to hide this tragedy, most probably because many prominent community leaders either stood and watched or participated in the terror.

Author Steve Gerkin's short narratives about the Tulsa Race Riot are compelling, his ones of the more recent past less so. All are richly detailed and told with the accuracy one might expect from a dentist turned journalist.

A few quibbles. Virtually all the pieces in this short history originally appeared in "This Land Magazine," a popular monthly publication. Because of that, primary sources aren't noted. While this doesn't detract from these historical sketches, this book is more of a journalistic effort than of historical scholarship. Also, the author seems to report only what his research supports. That's what a journalist/historian should do, of course, but I found the writer's management of holes and inconsistencies in some of these pieces confusing at times.

This book provides an important contribution to the history of race relations in America and the Tulsa Race Riot. It includes, too, quirky and odd stories found in the city's history, a few of which only those truly connected with the place will find of interest.

Overall, though, this book merits a 4.5 rating.


Jackson Burnett
Author of The Past Never Ends

[Charlene Intriago · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a native Tulsan, this title caught my eye at an airport book store so I had to pick it up. I understand these articles originally appeared in This Land magazine - not sure of the publication dates. I found many parts of this book to be extremely informative - especially the history in the early 1900s. Oklahoma had just become a state in 1907. I only wish the original publication date in This Land magazine had been included at the end of each chapter.

That being said, Tulsa, like many US cities, has an amazing history. I will be looking for more books about it.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book suffers greatly from a lack of editing. It all became clear when my husband told me the writer used to be his dentist and when I saw that the chapters are all article submissions to a local Tulsa publication. Once upon a time, I edited for a Tulsa magazine, and the majority of article submissions were like this: full of interesting information haphazardly dashed together without a great sense of order. The author tries to give a teaser hook at the beginning of each chapter/article, but he doesn't often tie it in well well or present information in a logical order. The whole first section of the book is a series of short chapters discussing various aspects of the Tulsa Race Riot and the KKK which would have been better taken apart and rearranged so that items aren't repeated. There are also lots of random chapters that seem out of place--like one about a funeral, one about a zeppelin flying over Tulsa, and another about somebody baling hay.

I just wish this book had been edited because there is some interesting content. I honestly knew nothing about the Tulsa Race Riots other than the fact that they happened. I didn't realize they were sparked by a black guy accidentally bumping into a white girl (who happened to be his girlfriend) in an elevator, making her yell out, and having someone say he tried to rape her. I'll never look at the Sinclair gas stations the same. I didn't know that Tulsa had secret clubs for selling alcohol as recently as the 1980s. I'll never eat at JJ's hamburgers. And now I know the heinous story of Spade Cooley whose picture my husband pointed out last time we were at Cain's Ballroom.

4 stars for content, minus 1 for need of a good editor.

[Jenni Plaster · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very poorly written and edited. This book has a few interesting stories, but they are only loosely related to Tulsa. There is little to no citing references for information and several hyperbolic claims that are unverifiable and undermine the veracity of the rest. The first few chapters repeat themselves verbatim and are tedious to get through.

[Katie Sargent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good history to know, but extraordinarily repetitive and poorly edited. This short book could have been even shorter, but I'm not sad I now have the information that was in it.

[Alan Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found “Hidden History of Tulsa” at our local Barnes and Noble. The author, Steve Gerkin, was having a book signing and I grabbed a copy and talked with him a little bit about the book. I mean I love hidden things, history, and Tulsa so it was like the holy trinity.

The book is a compilation of several articles that Mr. Gerkin wrote for “This Land” magazine. I thought I knew a lot about Tulsa history but the author brought a lot of new information to me. He writes a lot about Tulsa’s racial history, in particular the prominent role the Ku Klux Klan played in the early 20th century including the participation in the Klan by several of our prominent civic citizens at the time. He also provides new (to me) information about the Tulsa Race Riot. I found all that fascinating. Personally I think the scars from that era affect Tulsa today.

He covers a lot more including a 1929 dirigible flyover by the US Navy’s USS Los Angeles including pictures of downtown with office workers crowding the rooftops of the highrises downtown watching the spectacle. He also gets into some of Tulsa Oilman Harry Sinclair’s participation in the Teapot Dome Scandal.

Anyway, I loved this book and give it a five star rating.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of articles written for the magazine "This Land". About half of the book was devoted to stories related in some way to the race riots of 1921. Many of the remaining stories, characters and their experiences reminded me of my own youth in Oklahoma, e.g. a weekly bath in the corrugated tub on the back porch of my uncle's farm. Made me smile and sometimes laugh out loud.
Enjoy.