Voices of America

These pages are filled with memories and favorite tales that capture the essence of life in the Cherokee Nation. Ms. Duvall invites the reader to follow the tribe from its pre-historic days in the southeast, to early 20th century life in the Cookson Hills of Oklahoma. Learn about Pretty Woman, who had the power over life and death, or the mystical healing springs of Tahlequah. Spend some time with U.S. Deputy Marshals as they roam the old Cherokee Nation in pursuit of Indian Territory outlaws like Zeke Proctor and Charlie Wickliffe, or wander the famous haunted places where ghost horses still travel an ancient trail and the spirits of long-dead Spaniards still search for gold.

R.H. Wessel was the owner, editor, and publisher of the Frederick Enterprise / Frederick Press, and a leading citizen from the day he first came to Frederick, Oklahoma, in 1902 until his death in 1956. He is best known for his column "The Observer," for which this book is titled. He left behind a considerable legacy of his adventurous life through letters, photographs, documents, and historic files. His experiences in Lawton during the 1901 Land Lottery and the following homestead years in Frederick are covered in this book.

As a newspaperman, with a love for telling a story, his letters are an incredible documentation of life on the Oklahoma frontier, as well as his love story by mail with Margaret Scow, the bride he brought to Oklahoma after "proving up" on his homestead and obtaining his own newspaper.

While recounting the story of a childhood in San Antonio, Mary Linvingston also tells the story that exemplifies the opportunities and struggles faced by countless people growing up during this time of opportunity and change in America. The author's memories and reflections are illustrated by over 100 photographs, providing readers with an authentic view of life in San Antonio in the early twentieth century. From detailed accounts of canning fruits and vegetable during the Depression, watching movies at the Majestic Theater, and life on a "domestic zoo," to colorful antecdotes about makeing tamales, shopping for shoes using an X-ray machine, and visiting the San Antonio parks and missions, this entertaining and educational book will give older readers and younger readers a glimps of a way of life that is long gone, but not forgotten.