Northern Oklahoma College - Roundup Yearbook (Tonkawa, OK)

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I-2- aff , -.1 , -... . .. . , wj,'f' ?flS,sv,,Iz'P.. a?if5? 'gx,j 'fe iq ,f ,W . ,.A ,.f , A -af 1 ', ' ff ' ' .wwf -is. .:4 'v1' J! 3' . .s51 trailsg the rolling prairies are diyvi ' - , ded 1 - . . . .- comfortable farm houses. A H10 SQCUOIIS and ale dotted heie and there with l L -A5 .X A - - . , f A. . mo, Vgtfflgggogg 'UUE the ll1Sf015 oi Oklahoma is one of romance, in others it is teem- 1.Dt Y , D , 5' lsf as the Dame llllplles, a land of the Red Man. In the earlier Slslori ofleveiy other state, the Indian has played a brief, pathetic part' In Oklahoma ' 0 If las le been SUCH 411 11HD0.1't21I1t constructive force. So close has been the relation 'S uffi, as a s a e, she 1 1 ,,. . . - , - ment to the white man. D may one me bleatel pmt of hel develop The first white man to cross her boidei C ., . 4 H ' 1. I - I ' ' was o1'onado in 15-ll while se r- i 0- ' 223351-Olllgt ieven aities of f'llJOl3..U' ln 1803, Oklahoma was bought f1'o1iiaF?a1i1?e fix' , Y cc : Va as anc set as.de as ll1Cll2lI1 Territory, and the Indians were moved here to-make tll9.l hciues. Countless tribes came he1'e to start life anew. Many had been driven from the land of their fathers and forced to come to this new land broken- hlearted and llstless, to frequent new haunts, to build new homes, to make new council Iires, and to stzirt new burial grounds. The way to Oklahoma for some lay over the trail of tears and nothing short of death could heal many broken hearts. Even as the old Arc-adians, they were a nation in exile. v -For a time, Oklahoma became the field for Indian feuds and Indian wal-S-I The Livil War wrought utter devastation among the Indians of Oklahoma, but the passing ofthe years and the coming of the white man brought a. change, and the indian, led by the Five Civilized Tribes, entered into- the work of developing his land. Oklahoma is the youngest pioneer state of the Union. Every Oklahoman knows and thrills at the memory of the opening-of the long struggle of the Boomers to settle in Oklahoma and how one April day at noon the Suns' were fired and the long race for claims and homes' began. Then followed the long years of pioneer life, of the struggle against drought and loneliness, when the pioneers lived in dugouts and thc smallest frame house seemed a luxury, and finally the triumphant victory over all these hardships-Oklahoma took her place among the 'foremost states of the Union. The opening of Oklahoma was the -culmination and climax of the story of American pic-- neering. Not even so much because of ber scenery or even because of her history is Okla- homa a splendid background for literature, but rather because of her great variety ol' citizens, I-ler citizenship is a composite of every state in the Union. Okla-homa is considered the melting pot of America, because every race and every nation represent- ed in America is found in Oklahoma. Here the North and the South, the East and West, have met and blended through their people. Here the horneseeker and the pros- pector, the politician and the townbuilder, t-he ranchman and the pioneer may be found side bv side. Here also is found the blood of the Puritan and the Cavalier, thexPatroon and the povenanter' while many of her people are proud to trace their descent from the American race as well, and out of these have sprung 21 11901919 Ufleflllavled f01' thell' llhflft- sociability and practical intelligence. h ' Thg Indian wo, whose character 'ns a peculiar combination of good and bad, coma prises a large part of 'her citizenship. Nature has stamlied the llldlangwith a 'hard ani stoic physiognomy. His cold temperament is. often hard to 'reach -thiough fiiendshgig but once a friendship is formed there Us no tie strong GUQUE-ll 'to bleak It-, HIS sets all language at defiance and his wild love of liberty IS l1?S 11111113 PHSSUOQ- MQW' of the old inenkare real philosophers, and their ideas of life, t02i9U161' WIUI tllell' qllallll . - . f . listinctness all their own. wa 's of ex ISSSIII' them, 5? WG fllem F' f A - 1 . ,, cyAt films? oflancg it seenrs that Oklahoma is much too YOUH8- to 0131111 3 lJ21CkS10UHd, . D , . , , . F - - 'ts amazed at the vastness ol lor literature but when one pauses to -Olislflel he is almo take Hd ,. '- . 1 - - Almost any ylace of her his-tory .may be ' 11 fl nmtiiimg ihft liolfoarlly glieeeis the home of a race that is fast being 9Xtel'1mUflted ,and nlout efl lllhosadl little has been written. Many unique Indian characters 11.21VG l1VGfl iL3iul'ul1l'lG1'6 Stlih as John Ross, Geronimo and Quanah Parker. At .Fort 1 Sill totlflb 'mc Elec ', ' - . of War t-he tribe of Apache Indians, the only prisoneis of wal Ill she holds as pr1sone1S I f - bgblx' the oldest place of note, founded in 1322. the United States. Foit Gibson is nronh . IMHO, The Cowboy, lore too, his bauadg and Visited' ,ten years later' l:?y1V1'?A:h1n'5Eii1l1Y Oklalioma is an excellent background fo-r and his stories, belong '10 Ok H10 literature. 149

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wafer? ie 'H - Q ml . .. Oklahoma as a Background for Literature Ruth Muskrat, '17 Oklahoma-the land that has quifvered under the lash of a thousand tragedies' that has' vibrated d ' ' ' ' ' un ei -the force ot a million joys-has emerged triumphant, her unique history clinging to her as a protecting garment, and she calmly waits for some of her so-ns and daughters to discover to the world her store of romance and tragedy. For, in her scenery is the inspiration and in her history the material that make her a striking background 'for literature. In her scenery as well as fin her citizens, there is great variety. She ranges from the foothills of the Rockies to the swamps Of the Arkansas, and from theplains of Kansas to the valley of the Red River. In the northeast section, formerly the Indian Territory, she claims the beautiful sparkling, but treacherous Spavilnaw River and the innumerable pine crested Spavinaw hills, rich in the lore and legend of all the Cherokee people, which would furnish ample inspiration to another heart throbbing with sympathy, and a desire to right the wrongs of a downl trodden race for another R ' ' - amona. The Aibuckle mountains, too, are included with- in her borders. They stand in all their magnificent grandeur, as a silent witness' of thousands of outlaw deeds, of countless Indian wars, and of everyday joys and sor- rows. And their unparalleled beau-ty, together with the silent message that they give, makes them an inspiration for one with the lyric impulse The lone' str t le of , . . e ci s snowy crystal salt plains in the northwest, the Kiamichi mountains iii the southeast, filled with the nimble-footed deer and the wild turkey are as much a part of Gkla- homa as the broad fertile prairie, broken by swiftly ,flowing rivers and broken occa- sionally with little circular pools of water. To the alien mind these small pools mean but little but to an Oklahoman t'1ey are known as Buffalo Walliowsf' and the sight of them instantly recalls to mind those early days when the Oklahoma plains were covered with these shaggy monarchs of the prairies, and w-hen the Indian, the hero of the forest, lord and master of them all, rode at will the wild free prairies on his hunt for buffalo. Later, after the countless herds had been diminished by the reckless slaughter of the white man. nothing but their bones lt' li' ' ' ' ' ' ant ne wa lows iemained to tell the story of their numbers, and the broad plains stood ready to take on a new life. This change from t-he buffalo days was rapid, and for a brief period, cattle held domin' tl ' ' 0' ' ' ' lon over ie plains. During this time it was customary for the Texas cattle to come through Oklahoma on their way to market So the plains that h l b ' l . ac een COXGYGC only a short time before with shaggy buffalo, were now covered with grazing cattle Tl b ' ' it ' ie usy, boisteious cosy boy had taken the place of the leisurely Indian. There were the night fires, the stampedes and 'the years of drouth when scorf-hin wi l f tl , - g nc s rom ie Texas prairies seared the grass and sapped the vitality from every living creature Full f o romance and tragedy are those drouth-ridden years, when each drive might be the last, when the streams sank out of sight and the choking dust 'settled in the grass until it became unfit for food. The winters, too, held their terrors for man and beast. In the wake of an unex- pected blizzard was left many a snow grave Or again 1 carelessl dr ci t l . g .. y oppe ma ci- the fire that followed cannot be expressed in words. In the high and tangled g1'2lS5 where its victims were hindered in their efforts to escape it too seems to linger and to delight in the wearing out of their supple muscles, but when it reaches short grass and its prey escaping, tiny tongues of fire run over the ground swifter than a swiftly flYlI1S cloud-leaping pools of water, flinging glowing straws into the air and stopping Ollll' when nature seems to revolt at the wanton xi aste and quenches it forever. Those early conditions are now only memory. The unbroken seas of grass have given way to the billowy fields of wheat and corn. The cotton has taken the place of the rank vegetation. At night one may see inste l f l el . . g . , ac o tie g eam of a cowboY's camD- the lamplight glow from a nearby farmhouse. Cities have sprung up along the old 148

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--az-'--an ,:w1e-Q., gf'-n-4:12, ,,aa'e.+w,-Y-2 iii 31. mga w.1.+.ff, awe, gt: . ,L ,Shag ,, ' ,s I ' sal' .- 'ff' 'TSW 'W '9' 1m.,:'- -:t...z-' Wa i P- Mai. .ws....d aa Does It Pay Leona Edmondson, '16 Does it pay to he honest, straightforward and true? In classroom, in business, in play? If everyone else cheats, can't 1 cheat, too? To he strictly true, does it pay? The World seems to respect a dishonest man, If he's Wealthy, and friendly, and smartg Were I to do wrong, would the World still demand That I play the honest part. In the classroom i'exams, when y0u're trying so hard To do the right thing and be square, You see open books, ponies, and cards- It takes all your grace 'to be fair. Your teacher may ask why your grade fell so low, When some of the rest did so wellg You could answer her truly, for surely you know- But isn't it hard not to tell? But then, after all, I find it does' pay To hold to your standard of truth: For all through this World, all along the rough way, lf you be man, Woman, or youth, You'll find there are times when you're plungped in despaii When your skies are black clouds, Where once blue: Those are the times. if you've always been fair, That the world will reach out and help you. 159