Prairie Lore Index

Prairie Lore Fall 2021, Volume 58, Number 2, Book 147, is a Meers-centered issue rooted in territorial-era journalism and regional preservation. This volume draws heavily from the 1905 Mineral Kingdom newspaper of early Lawton, offering direct reprints that reveal how frontier communities in Comanche County viewed themselves during Oklahoma Territory days.

Several articles concentrate on Meers, Oklahoma, at the base of the Wichita Mountains. The Meers Attraction and the documentation of the Meers One Room School examine rural education, settlement patterns, and the evolution of one of southwest Oklahoma’s most recognizable historic communities. The inclusion of the National Historic Place Nomination for Meers makes this issue especially relevant for preservation researchers and local historians.

Historic tourism is explored through Craterville USA near Cache, while Vietnam Cloud provides military-era reflection tied to a region shaped by Fort Sill and generations of service. The Gold That He Left Behind continues Prairie Lore’s tradition of preserving regional narrative storytelling rooted in prairie identity and frontier memory.

For readers researching Meers history, Mineral Kingdom newspaper archives, early Lawton reporting, rural Oklahoma schools, or Comanche County preservation efforts, this issue provides concentrated documentation within a single volume.

Prairie Lore Fall 2004, Volume 40, Number 2, Book 113, is a historically rich issue centered on Oklahoma Territory history, land settlement, Native American narratives, and early state development. This volume moves beyond memoir into documented frontier events, federal land policy, and historically significant individuals tied to southwest Oklahoma and the broader territorial region.

This issue includes archival reprints such as Faces From the Past (February 1902, Delineator), preserving early 20th-century perspectives. Christopher Columbus Lee by Norma Lauer and Cynthia Ann Parker by Donald W. Hawthorne examine figures whose lives intersected with frontier expansion and Native history.

Land settlement and government policy are explored through The Last Government Land Lottery by Draper and The Great Lottery by A. Emma Estill, providing historical context surrounding Oklahoma’s federal land distribution system. A History of Indianola by E.E. Whetsel documents one of Oklahoma’s lesser-known communities, contributing to regional settlement research.

Cultural and genealogical documentation continues with Documenting Cemeteries by Ardeth Denney, a resource of particular value for ancestry research and preservation efforts. Personal narratives are preserved through No Dugout For Her! by Rosa Riddle Jackson and A Lifetime of Memories by James T. Barr, while Making Starch from Capper’s Weekly reflects domestic and agricultural life in early Oklahoma communities.

For readers researching Oklahoma land lotteries, territorial settlement, Cynthia Ann Parker history, early Oklahoma towns such as Indianola, cemetery documentation, or frontier-era personal narratives, this issue provides concentrated historical material grounded in primary sources and regional scholarship.