MUST SEE, MUST READ
GERONIMO: THE MAN, HIS TIME, HIS PLACE
(1976, by Angie Debo): Debo reveals the man behind the legend in this classic book. The legendary Oklahoma historian even interviewed some of the last living Fort Sill Apaches who personally knew Geronimo.
BOOKS
The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 (1984, by Stan Hoig): Hoig’s account of Oklahoma’s first and most famous land run remains the standard on this iconic event. The book delivers a sweeping narrative quilted together by a variety of primary sources, including some that remain largely untapped.
Washita: The U.S. Army and the Southern Cheyennes, 1867–1869 (2004, by Jerome A. Greene): This book delivers the most compelling narrative to date on Custer’s 1868 attack on Black Kettle’s village. Greene’s knowledge of this episode is simply unsurpassed.
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History (2010, by S.C. Gwynne): Empire of the Summer Moon is a masterfully researched and thrilling tale of Quanah Parker, the mixed-blood son of captive Cynthia Ann Parker who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanche Nation. Gwynne writes the definitive story of Parker and the wax and wane of an American Indian empire.
True Grit (1968, by Charles Portis): True Grit is simply a classic among classics. Portis captures the spirit of a wild Indian Territory through the eyes of Mattie Ross, a spirited and stubborn 14-year-old who seeks retribution for her father’s murder. This page-turner is filled with witty, memorable dialogue.