Books About Ponca City

by John Brooks Walton and Kathy Adams

Hardcover

More than a book about houses and architectural styles, this is a book about memories. The homes of Kay County, Oklahoma, tell lasting stories about the families who built them, the times they lived in, and the things they loved and preserved. 224 pages. Brimming with B/W photos.

By Kathy Adams

Paperback

In A Chronicle of Ponca City Mayors: 1873-2007 Kathy Adams wrote an individual biography of each person who has served as mayor in Ponca City since 1893. Each cameo includes a photograph of the mayor and reviews not only what happened in the community during that mayor's term, but also highlights their personal, business, and civic activities. Each section also contains a feature called "Centennial Countdown", which was a series of historic events in Ponca City that was published in the The News during 2007. "In presenting each of Ponca City's mayors in this book, I have actually identified how our city has been governed collectively for over 100 years," says Adams. "The people who chose to run for office, be it the mayor or the commissioners' seats, were all volunteers. They were not politicians, at least, not intentionally. Nor were they power mongers, hungry for the almighty dollar. Ponca City's elected officials were civic volunteers who gave their time, their intellect, and their opinions to help keep their local government strong and pointed in the right direction. "They were elected to a non-paying, and sometimes thankless, position, because, as citizens, they wanted Ponca City to continue as a very special community, drawing the greatest businesses and industries, and keeping the city distinctive and exceptional. "Each mayor faced challenges with a unique approach, and each enjoyed having influence and power, whether through closed-door meetings or outrageous boldness." The history of Ponca City has captured Kathy's interest and her passion, and now she loves sharing that passion. Adams and John Brooks Walton co-authored two books, Historic Homes of Ponca City in 2004, and More Historic Homes of Ponca City in 2005. The Mayors of Ponca City is Adams first venture, and adventure, as an author on her own.

By Russ Banham

Hardcover

This 276 page coffee table book covers the history of Conoco, Inc. from its earliest origins until its 125th anniversary in the year 2000. Profusely illustrated with B&W and color photographs.

The architecture of Kay County reflects the rich history of the communities of the county, from the early sustenance days of the land run to the mid1950s era of stability. The architecture of each era displays the economic climate of the times as well as showing how residents viewed themselves. The buildings included in this volume, beginning with a sampling of those at Chilocco Indian School and ending with those of the mid1950s, are tangible reminders of the lives of the people who built them, used them, and lived in them. The images were carefully selected from museums and personal collections across the county as well as from Bret A. Carters extensive personal collection.

Founded in 1893, the 101 Ranch was famous across the country for its touring Wild West shows, which featured countless cowboys and cowgirls, including Buffalo Bill, Geronimo, and Bill Picket. Playing to packed arenas from coast to coast, and even in Europe, the 101 Ranch show came to embody the spirit of the frontier for the entire nation. The Miller brothers, who owned the ranch, also found themselves involved in the formation of Hollywood and western movies, and the ranch produced many of the earliest western film stars, including Tom Mix and Buck Jones.
Ten years in the making, this epic story of the 101 Ranch is nothing less than a sweeping history of the West of myth and reality. Indeed, the history of the ranch begins in Kentucky in the early 1840s and continues through most of the first half of the twentieth century. Describing the legendary cattle drives from San Antonio along the fabled Chisholm Trail, as well as the hardscrabble life of cattlemen, Michael Wallis paints an indelible portrait of the frontier as it expanded westward in the middle of the nineteenth century.
We also have copies of the out-of-print hardcover of this book available for $35.

In what has been billed as the first complete account of Bill Pickett's life and work, this biography tells the story of the famous African-American rodeo star and the inventor of bulldogging. Pickett, who spent most of his career working with the 101 Ranch Wild West Show, is an American icon.

In the 1920s, oil production on the Osage reservation transformed the tribe into the wealthiest population in the world. Strangers descended upon the region, courting and wedding young Osage women. Many of these new brides died mysteriously. In this searing memoir, journalist Dennis McAuliffe researches the death of his grandmother and realizes that his own grandfather may have engineered her death.

Man's enduring search for quick riches and hidden wealth led directly to the rush for "black gold" in the Indian Territory at the turn of the twentieth century. By 1907, when the Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory joined to become the state of Oklahoma, the era of the big-money oil industry had been launched. During the first four decades of the twentieth century, Oklahoma produced four-billion barrels of crude valued at over $5 billion - more value than all minerals extracted from California or Colorado.
This massive rush also created a new generation of boom towns, attracting a myriad of honest merchants, gamblers, workers, thieves, millionaires, and prostitutes who competed side-by-side for their share of the riches. From this turmoil came both thriving communities and ghost towns. "Ponca City and Kay County Boom Towns" captures that exciting era in vintage photographs and anecdotes of the brothels and burning oil fields, the lawmen and outlaws, and the businesses and workers who made up these boom towns.

The Turbulent Story of a Forgotten Oklahoma Icon
by Kim Brumley

From the publisher we learn that this book "recounts the controversial true-life story of E.W. Marland and his family. Author Kim Brumley explores the unanswered questions surrounding his personal life, including his first wife's death, his second marriage to adopted daughter Lydie, the construction of their estate, the 'Palace on the Prairie,' Lydie's plunge into isolation after E.W.'s death, and the drama that ensued.

In addition, Marland Tragedy examines E.W. Marland's business and political career, most notably the hostile takeover of Marland Oil Company (now known as ConocoPhillips) by J.P. Morgan, and E.W.'s struggles as governor at the height of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl.

This fast paced biography takes an in-depth look at the life Marland lived, the family he loved, and the pioneer spirit he embodied, revealing the greatest triumphs and the most devastating tragedies that were experienced as one man worked to tame the Wild West."

188 pages

Paperback
Price: $12.99