Indian Territories In the years following the terrible “Trail of Tears,” and before Oklahoma gained statehood, the Indian Territories remained wild and rugged. In southeastern Oklahoma, in what was once the Choctaw Nation, there lived a man who would come to define what it meant to be victorious over an unforgiving frontier. Early Life of […]
Tag: outlaws
Buried treasure in Oklahoma: The Strange Tale of Standing Rock
The Tale of Standing Rock Treasure From buried Spanish gold to ill-gotten gains of outlaw loot, Oklahoma has a fantastic history of producing treasure tales. Some of these stories border on the absurd, while others are deeply rooted in historical fact. The tale of Standing Rock contains a bit of flavor from both. On one […]
The Myths and History of Robbers Cave and Jessie James
Somewhere in the wilderness of southeast Oklahoma, there is over a million dollars’ worth of hidden treasure. This is the story of that treasure, the outlaws who robbed it, and the cave system where they hid… Robbers Cave: The Outlaws’ Hideout In the years preceding Oklahoma statehood, the Ouachita Mountains remained as wild and rugged […]
Tulsa Cave House: Speakeasies, Secrets, and Specters
The Roaring Twenties: Before the Tulsa Cave House Got Its Name The Cave Garden was swarming with people. Cigar smoke filled the rooms as tall men in dark fedoras ordered whiskey under the code name of “horse liniment” or “coffin varnish.” They knew that at any time, the Tulsa police could raid the chicken restaurant […]
Pretty Boy Floyd: Robin Hood or Notorious Killer?
Pretty Boy Floyd: Friend of the Common Man The Roaring Twenties was a time of great celebration and independence, but in Oklahoma, it was also a time of bootleggers, outlaws, and gangsters. Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd was the quintessential gangster, as he embraced both the independence and the lawlessness of the 1920s. For nearly 15 […]