Peace
Pipes, Lariats and Oil played a pivotal role in the expansion of the
American West. Prehistoric
and native tribes roamed the plains of the region long before the white
man arrived. Early French
explorers sometimes carried a calumet or “peace pipe” as a passport to
areas inhabited by potentially hostile Indians. This sacred peace pipe was
used as a safe-conduct for guides, to ratify treaties and for formal peace
making ceremonies. These Indians followed huge herds of buffalo that
grazed on the grasslands. The grasslands were so inviting that, after the area was
opened to settlers, thousands of farmers and cattlemen poured into
Oklahoma. No rancher or
cowboy could have survived without his rope or “lariat”, a comfortable
saddle and his trusty horse.
Oklahoma
would continue to produce one bonanza oil field after another.
In 1859, Lewis Ross, brother of Cherokee Chief, John Ross, found oil
while drilling for water. The Cudahy Oil Company drilled the first commercial well at
Bartlesville in 1897. The
growth in the use of oil products, mostly in the form of “kerosene”, was
tremendous. The oil lamp was
changing American life by extending the light of day, especially in winter. The Native American Indian, the cowboy, the cattle rancher
and the discovery of oil all contributed to the inevitable prosperity of the
region.
The
spiritual ceremony of smoking a peace pipe was sacred to many Native
American Indians. The bowl
was usually made of red pipestone, attached to a long hollow reed and
decorated with colorful feathers. When
peace was sought, white feathers were used to decorate the pipes”.
The Native American Indian is the only race that makes a solemn
ceremony of smoking the pipe.
After
so much hardship caused by those who infringed on their land in the east, it
is difficult to understand how these mostly peaceful native people were able
to survive. Almost all conflicts
happened when there was a threat to their ancestral culture. The tradition of smoking the “peace pipe” was carried
westward by the Cherokee and other tribes who had been living east of the
Mississippi for hundreds of years.
In
1987, The Unites States Congress designated more than 2,000 miles of land
and water routes as “The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail”.
Those who suffered, along the way, first used that expression when
they spoke of that arduous journey. Ultimately,
the same fate came to the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole, the other
four tribes of the “Five Civilized Tribes”.
These tribes were referred to as “civilized” by white settlers in
the 1800’s, when the Indians attempted to assimilate and coexist by
adopting many European customs. With
all of their trials and tribulations, the Cherokee people adapted to their
new land, formed their own government and became the largest American Indian
group in the United States.
Will
Rogers, Oklahoma’s native son, was perhaps the most successful writer,
speaker, humorist and “trick roper” in America who came from Cherokee
heritage. Both his mother and
father were part Cherokee. While
Will lived on the family ranch near Oologah, a freed black slave taught him
how to use a lasso (lariat) as a tool to work cattle.
His roping ability became so skillful that he was listed in the
Guinness Book of Records for throwing three lassos at once.
His unique ability to use his lariat won him jobs in “Wild West”
shows and on vaudeville stages as a trick roper.
Soon the audiences found his folksy humor more interesting than his
roping. He became a famous
movie star and traveled worldwide.
As
a young man, Will went to the panhandle of Oklahoma Territory to work as a
cowboy. These rugged men, who
took care of large herds of cattle, gained fame in the days of the Western
frontier, sometimes referred to as “The Wild West”.
The life of a cowboy on the open range was not an easy one.
He might go for months without seeing anyone other than the men he
worked with daily. Early
cowhands labored long hours, particularly on the trail.
After the Civil War, they drove large herds of Texas Longhorns
through Indian Territory, mostly along the Chisholm Trail, to railroad
towns to be shipped to Chicago and other meat packing centers where prices
were generally ten times higher. What
little spare time the men had was spent playing cards, telling tall tales,
or playing practical jokes on each other. Some would sing songs to pass the time. At night, singing softly seemed to have a soothing effect on
the herds and no doubt saved many stampedes.
The
cowboy’s lariat (from the Spanish word “la reata”, meaning rope), was
his most important tool. A rope may be 30 to 70 feet long. Early ropes were
made of horsehair, grass or henequen. Each
rope had a small honda or fixed knot on one end.
The cowboy passed the other end through this knot to form a loop.
This made it possible to pull the rope tight or loosen it after the
animal was caught. Roping was a
favorite activity at rodeos, but the same strength and expertise were needed
on the trail. The lariat is
sometimes called a “lasso” and is used to snag cattle, hold a cowboy’s
horse, help pull a wagon across a muddy stream or even kill a snake.
A good horse and a strong rope have long been regarded as the two
things a cowboy must have for his work.
The
Native Americans unearthed oil long before it was considered useful to the
rest of the world. The Indians
used petroleum that seeped from the ground, called “oil springs”, to treat
arthritis and other ailments. With
the discovery of huge amounts of oil in Oklahoma, a new era evolved. The
change from living off the “good earth”, as farmers or cattlemen, created
a culture shock for those Indians who began working in the oil fields. Many of the mineral rights still belonged to Native Indians.
Ironically for some, the “black gold” in Oklahoma proved more
valuable than the gold in Northern Georgia, which caused their removal.
The Indians soon became targets of speculators who raced to the area to
obtain signed oil leases. In
search of a dream, each new gusher would set off another “stampede” to the
new site. Many efforts were made
by the government to protect Indian rights.
Fortunately, in 1871, the Osage Nation bought back their land from the
Cherokees. As perpetual owners of
the mineral rights, the Osage became the richest people per capita in the
world during the 1920’s “oil boom”.
Around
1905, Tulsa changed from a small Creek Indian settlement to a lively
“boom-town”, when oil was found near there.
Almost instantly, many dirt-poor farmers were turned into
millionaires. The second
surge of oil discoveries, which occurred from 1915 to 1930, propelled
Tulsa into the “Oil Capital of the World”.
Affluent families poured their oil fortunes into new construction
all over the city, bringing many “art deco” style buildings to Tulsa. The Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa is located in the
1920’s Italian-style villa of Waite Phillips.
The Phillips Oil Co. Museum in Bartlesville, the Phillips Mansion,
along with the 3,700 acre, Woolaroc wildlife preserve are the bequest of
Frank Phillips, founder of the Phillips Oil Company.
Phillips was not the only affluent oil man to leave a cultural
endowment. The Thomas
Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa contains the world’s largest collection of
American Western art.
This
year, 2007, Oklahoma celebrates the 100th anniversary of becoming
the 46th United State.