I want to learn more.
History and its placement of detail and context has always been a favorite of mine. My family moved to Oklahoma after my father’s discharge from the U.S. Army in 1963. My earliest memories were traveling with dad from Pryor Creek to Wagoner and learning about the history of Oklahoma. When we moved to Tulsa in 1969 dad’s oration about the historical buildings, farms, airports, and everything else continued. One of the historical things he spoke about was the town of Alsuma whenever we passed the town which still had residents in it at that time. I always wanted to know more about the town and with this opportunity. I wanted Alsuma to teach me something and I went for it with this assignment for Professor Takacs' class American Studies 3683, Culture In The Making, at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa campus.
History and its placement of detail and context has always been a favorite of mine. My family moved to Oklahoma after my father’s discharge from the U.S. Army in 1963. My earliest memories were traveling with dad from Pryor Creek to Wagoner and learning about the history of Oklahoma. When we moved to Tulsa in 1969 dad’s oration about the historical buildings, farms, airports, and everything else continued. One of the historical things he spoke about was the town of Alsuma whenever we passed the town which still had residents in it at that time. I always wanted to know more about the town and with this opportunity. I wanted Alsuma to teach me something and I went for it with this assignment for Professor Takacs' class American Studies 3683, Culture In The Making, at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa campus.
My belief was that those who experienced their life in Alsuma would want to share what they remember about its existence as a town in order to preserve the knowledge about the town. Also that this information was important enough for the former residents and their descendants that they would be delighted in preserving what had been a part of their lives. Gathering pertinent details which prove accurate have been more difficult in obtaining. My suspicions were correct.
Oklahoma State University-Tulsa research librarian Debra Horton is awesome. I have enjoyed researching The O.S.U.-Tulsa Library, Tulsa Community College Library, Tulsa City-County Library, Ancestry, U.S. Census data, multiple internet searches of many key-terms; as well as placing phone calls and posting on Facebook my Alsuma project. I wanted to learn more. Discovering more on this subject will continue for me now that I graduated from Oklahoma State University 12 December 2015.
Taking pictures for this project was the easy part. Stand, point, and shoot. Only upon beginning my oral history interview did information fall into my lap about more oral history available about Alsuma
I want to learn more.
My interviewee asked that this project not be about race as his deep unbending belief is that they were all poor and lived together. It was life as he knew it and folks got along.
Knowing many of the details available surrounding the existence of Alsuma aided me during my interview with Jim Hardcastle. This information helped keep the interview moving and thereby details were added to this story. Sometimes the side subject topics Mr. Hardcastle talked about were stories unto themselves. I want him to teach me more.
The stories Jim told as he moved his finger around the survey map copy (provided by me) were stories into the life of the community of Alsuma. He provided during our three hour interview time the names of some of the people who lived in the survey map’s representative houses and which houses were not accurately placed; and invited me back to learn more names and history of Alsuma. He also detailed where the sole gas station, the train station, the four stores, and five churches were; as well as where the “Indian Town” was. We were walking together on streets whose foundation was laid down sixty-five years ago; now made manifest again through memory aided by the mnemonic device of the map.
My goal is to remain in contact with Mr. Hardcastle as we agreed to do..This story rather than being completed has only just begun; the ball is rolling down the tracks and into the story of Alsuma, Oklahoma.
I want to learn more.
Oklahoma State University-Tulsa research librarian Debra Horton is awesome. I have enjoyed researching The O.S.U.-Tulsa Library, Tulsa Community College Library, Tulsa City-County Library, Ancestry, U.S. Census data, multiple internet searches of many key-terms; as well as placing phone calls and posting on Facebook my Alsuma project. I wanted to learn more. Discovering more on this subject will continue for me now that I graduated from Oklahoma State University 12 December 2015.
Taking pictures for this project was the easy part. Stand, point, and shoot. Only upon beginning my oral history interview did information fall into my lap about more oral history available about Alsuma
I want to learn more.
My interviewee asked that this project not be about race as his deep unbending belief is that they were all poor and lived together. It was life as he knew it and folks got along.
Knowing many of the details available surrounding the existence of Alsuma aided me during my interview with Jim Hardcastle. This information helped keep the interview moving and thereby details were added to this story. Sometimes the side subject topics Mr. Hardcastle talked about were stories unto themselves. I want him to teach me more.
The stories Jim told as he moved his finger around the survey map copy (provided by me) were stories into the life of the community of Alsuma. He provided during our three hour interview time the names of some of the people who lived in the survey map’s representative houses and which houses were not accurately placed; and invited me back to learn more names and history of Alsuma. He also detailed where the sole gas station, the train station, the four stores, and five churches were; as well as where the “Indian Town” was. We were walking together on streets whose foundation was laid down sixty-five years ago; now made manifest again through memory aided by the mnemonic device of the map.
My goal is to remain in contact with Mr. Hardcastle as we agreed to do..This story rather than being completed has only just begun; the ball is rolling down the tracks and into the story of Alsuma, Oklahoma.
I want to learn more.
All material, photos, articles, and any and all other
materials contained within And Pertaining To The Blog
"Alsuma, Creek Nation, Indian Territory A Town Unified By Poverty"
Is The Property Of And Copyrighted By Hans A. Pasco
No comments:
Post a Comment