I have been remiss in my reporting or lack there of on the activities of the Ryan Beautification group. If you have been down to the Ryan Business District on Washington then you will have noticed the new Ryan Cowpersons banners that have been installed on the newly repainted light poles. They are really nice looking, so if you see any of the folks responsible, be sure and commend them for their hard work.
The school year is drawing to a close and various groups and organizations are having their year end festivities. The sports banquet is Monday night and the FFA banquet is having theirs Tuesday night. As I mentioned in an earlier column, the Ryan School Variety show will be Tuesday, May 14th. Be sure to come out and watch the many talented kids.
On Saturday, May 18th there will be a dance sponsored by the American Legion. There will be concessions available. There will also be a live band consisting of Bill Roberson, Cary Gore and Gene Chesley. I’ve heard Mr. Roberson and Mr. Gore play and sing but I believe this will be a first for me to hear Mr. Chesley, I understand he plays a fine dobro guitar. Be sure and come out and support the American Legion, hear some good music and have a good time.
For the book portion of this column I will be discussing one author and several of her books. Angie Debo, in the early and middle part of the twentieth century wrote a great deal about Oklahoma history and also the history of the Native American People and how the government dealt with the people that were moved to make way for westward expansion.
Ms. Debo was born in Kansas and moved with her parents to Indian Territory as a small child. Her dissertation, “ The Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic” was published by the University Press and received much praise, but her next book, “And Still the Rivers Run” was more controversial. This book described how the Five Civilized Tribes were first moved to Indian Territory and then deprived of the very land and resources granted to them by federal treaty. With the passing of the Dawes Act in 1887, non-tribal members were able, with the help of the very people that were tasked with protecting the tribes, to swindle their way to ownership of what was formally tribal property. Ms. Debo had a hard time finding a publisher for “And Still the Waters Run”, but it eventually found a publisher with the Princeton University Press. Angie Debo went on to write among others, “The Road to Disappearance”, The Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma”, “A History of Indians of the United States” and “Geronimo, The Man, His Time, His Place”. If you have any interest in history, any or all of these books are well worth the time spent finding and reading.
Until next week.
