20 minute read

Oklahoma Land Run

from LIFE's Vintage Newsmagazine - March 2020

from LIFE's Vintage Newsmagazine - March 2020, page 41

Classifieds

Mary Brett Remembers a Grandmother with Grit

Women’s History Month celebrates the significant impact that women have collectively made over the years. One such woman was Bessie Mae (Sammons) Garrison. Her granddaughter, Montereau resident Mary Brett, recalls many stories about Bessie Mae who came to Oklahoma in a covered wagon and lived to see men walk on the moon on her color television.

By Nancy A. Moore

Growing up, Mary listened to her grandmother tell mesmerizing stories about traveling with her family to Indian Territory in a covered wagon following the Civil War. The allure of claiming free land in the Oklahoma Land Run was significant enough for her family to uproot and head to what is now known as Oklahoma with the hope of finding a better life. According to Mary, Bessie Mae was only 12 years old when she watched from “the line” as her father took off running with the hope of securing a piece of land.

Unfortunately, participation in two land runs fell short.

“In the Run of 1889, Bessie’s father was met by some men who had come from another direction and threatened violence. In the Run of the Cherokee Outlet in 1893, her father claimed school land, which was reserved to support schools and was not available. It was unmarked, but anyone claiming it was left with nothing,” Mary said.

“My great-grandfather participated in two land runs and failed to get free land in either. This is the point when the story takes an interesting twist. Occasionally, when seriously bad luck turns into good fortune, one realizes what was previously thought to be a small tragedy is actually a blessing,” she said.

What was so lucky in this predicament? Failure to secure land resulted in the family living in Indian territory on the top bank of Cottonwood Creek, an area now known as Stillwater. And while on that land, her father found work with the Cherokee Indians.

"Occasionally, when seriously bad luck turns into good fortune, one realizes what was previously thought to be a small tragedy is actually a blessing.”

To make ends meet, Bessie had to help her father earn the family’s income. She was only five years old when she accompanied her father to Mulhall, Oklahoma to collect items dropped off by the train. Bessie and her father would collect lumber, groceries, mail and other goods people had ordered. They earned a decent living transporting those items. Bessie would take the smaller items like groceries and mail, and her father would haul the lumber – delivering goods to surrounding areas including Mulhall, Stillwater and Guthrie.

The transportation and delivery business boomed during that time, and the family was able to save some money. With the money, Bessie’s father drilled water wells for people on their land, for which he was compensated. Several years later, a drought hit the Stillwater area, and the farmers who had crops watched them wither away.

Mary explains, “A catastrophic drought occurred in 1890 and left the farmers who had gotten land in the land run without food or income from the lack of crops. It was known as the ‘year of the turnip’ because that’s all they had to eat during the winter.”

Since Bessie’s family was not in the farming business, they had cash and a cow that provided milk. Her family had to build a fence around their cow to deter hungry children from eating its food. Bessie’s mother would milk the cow and pass around cups of milk to ease their hunger.

In recent years, Mary has spoken to children in local schools about her family’s history and the important role her grandmother had in her life. She recalls Bessie being strong in many ways, including physically and emotionally. Bessie's confidence instilled a sense of purpose and prosperity in her daughter (Mary’s mother) that was very impactful.

Mary appreciates the sheer grit and strength it took for her grandmother to surrender her childhood to help the family, including her four younger siblings. It was what she had to do to survive and eventually thrive during that time.

In later years, Mary was fortunate enough to record her grandmother’s voice as she told hours of stories. One such story was about Mary’s mother. Shortly after giving birth at the age of 16 to Mary’s mother, Bessie and her new baby embarked out on their own. The journey led her to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis where she quickly gained employment. Because she had a baby in tow, she found an orphanage in which Mary’s mother could stay briefly while she worked and saved money. It was also during that time that Bessie saw Will Rogers perform, an event she recalled with great enthusiasm!

Recalling these stories, Mary wonders why she didn’t ask her grandparents more questions about their early lives. The answer might have been because she was busy – with her own career and raising children. She holds the recordings close as they are a sweet memory of how her past influenced her future.

Bessie Mae was strong-minded and physically active throughout her life – living well into her late 80s. She is a shining example of a woman who worked hard and embraced life – the hardships and the victories – with grace and perseverance.

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Where the Wind Comes Sweeping Down the Plain

By Julie Wenger Watson

If you’ve spent any time in our great state, you know those Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II lyrics weren’t an exaggeration. The wind truly does come “sweeping down the plain.” Fortunately for Oklahomans, those persistent gales are also an excellent source of clean, affordable and renewable energy.

Harnessing the power of wind isn’t a new idea. Mariners have used it to fill their sails and propel their ships for thousands of years, and generations of farmers have relied on windmills to provide the energy needed to grind grain and pump water. Modern technology and a need for alternative sources of energy have pushed wind power to the forefront in today’s world. Here in Oklahoma, wind power provides 22% of the energy mix AEPPSO (Public Service Company of Oklahoma) uses to provide electricity to its customer base.

Advantages of Wind Power As with any energy source, there are some challenges that come along with utilizing wind as a power resource. Wind turbines are large. They can be as tall as a 20-story building with

A wind turbine blade on display at the Oklahoma Windy Energy Center. Photo courtesy of www.tritpadvisor.org

three 200-foot-long blades. Wind farms can have tens and sometimes hundreds of turbines lined up together. Although wind power plants have little impact on the environment when compared to conventional power plants, a field of wind turbines isn’t a particularly pleasing view, and concerns exist over the noise the blades produce. Although the problem has been mitigated through changes in technology, turbine blades can also damage local wildlife, killing birds that fly through the blades.

On the positive side, wind power, especially in a state like Oklahoma, is cost effective. It’s sold at fixed price over a long period of time, which helps with cost stability.

“One of the terrific things about Oklahoma wind energy is that the price now is very good,” said Stan Whiteford, region communications manager for AEP-PSO. “It’s very competitive.” Whiteford notes that the majority of PSO’s wind energy contracts are for a 20-year term.

“With wind energy, you enter into a contract to pay a certain amount, and it stays that amount,” he explained. “There is no additional cost for wind. There is no fuel cost associated with wind energy. You’re not having to burn natural gas or coal to generate it. You just let the wind blow. You’re really not having to pay for the fuel portion of the generation. You’re just paying for the infrastructure, basically. It really tends to lend itself to add long-term stability to our prices.” The wind industry also creates jobs – “wind turbine technician” is one of the fastest-growing American jobs of the last decade – and it’s a renewable, domestic source of energy.

“When you survey Oklahomans, they like wind energy,” Whiteford said. “They love the notion of its being renewable, of being low cost, and it’s ‘home grown.’ You don’t have to bring the fuel in.” In addition, wind is considered to be a clean fuel source that doesn’t pollute the air like power plants that utilize fossil fuels (such as coal), and wind turbines don’t produce damaging atmospheric emissions.

Wind Power in Oklahoma PSO is an electric utility company based in Tulsa that serves more than 554,000 customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma. The company has resources to generate close to 3,800 megawatts of energy from coal and natural gas-fired facilities.

According to Whiteford, PSO began acquiring wind power in 2005, contracting with a wind farm in Weatherford. That contract still provides wind energy to PSO customers, and the overall supply has continued to grow, with PSO customers now getting close to 25% of their energy from wind. Although PSO doesn’t currently own wind energy power plants, they have about 1,137 megawatts of wind energy provided through contracts with Oklahoma wind farms, the majority of which are located in the western part of the state. There are plans to grow those numbers even more.

“We have a proposal before the Corporation Commission right now for an additional 675 megawatts of wind energy, and we propose to actually own that,” Whiteford said. “If it’s approved, that would be the first time we would own a wind energy facility in Oklahoma.” PSO believes this proposal would increase wind capacity while lowering customer bills and boosting Oklahoma’s rural economy. Oklahoma also ranks favorably when compared to other states in energy costs.

“Compared to the nation, our prices are about 25% less,” Whiteford said. “If you look at the four-state region – Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas – we compare very favorably there, too. Oklahoma is a very low-cost state for electricity overall.”

The state is also a leader in wind energy production, although it trails behind neighboring Texas, which has plenty of wind sweeping down its plains, too.

A Balanced Energy Mix “We’re working toward a future in which we’re really trying to balance natural gas and renewable resources,” Whiteford said. “We own multiple power plants across the state. Almost all of them are fired by natural gas, except for one, which is coal fired.”

In accordance with an agreement between PSO, the state, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Sierra Club, PSO plans to phase out all coal generation by 2026.

“When I say renewables, we’ll be adding solar energy into the mix in the future, as well,” Whiteford noted.

The company hopes to add 300 megawatts of solar power by 2025. “All in all, our renewable future, between wind and solar, is very bright in Oklahoma,” he said.

Wind Choice Through PSO’s long-term wind contracts, customers automatically receive a portion of their energy through wind. PSO customers interested in receiving more, or all, of their electricity through wind energy can opt into the WindChoice program.

“Along with all of the wind energy that we just put on the grid for our customers, they also have the option to make a personal choice to have more of their energy come from a green resource: wind,” Whiteford explains. The voluntary program is available to both residential and business customers. A cost of about half a cent per kilowatt hour (kWh) is added to the bills of participating customers. For example, for a home that uses 1,200 kWh of electricity per month and is enrolled in 50% WindChoice, the monthly additional cost would be $1.62.

Whiteford is excited about the future of renewable energy in this state. “For all of those years, many of us cursed the wind. We now have a completely different outlook,” he laughed. “It’s providing plentiful and reliable wind energy at a low cost to Oklahoma.”

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Making Sense of the Census Dollars & Sense

2020 is the year of the Census! It’s that once in a decade time for everyone living in the United States to be counted, regardless of their citizenship status. By Kelsey Holder

As mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the United States government must count the country’s population every 10 years. For the last 60 years, the U.S. Census Bureau has diligently tallied up the numbers from the national processing center in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The head count serves as more than just a roll call. Responding is required by law, so it’s important to understand how it works and why it matters. WHO ANSWERS?

Every person living in the United States is required by law to answer the Census survey. The 2020 Census will be the 24th time since 1790 that the United States has taken a count of every person living in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories: Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Part of that includes a list of every residence, which means more than houses, apartments and condos. Consider the other special living situations the Census Bureau must include: senior living communities, dormitories and correctional facilities, even people experiencing homelessness on Census Day. Additionally, special instructions are included for babies born, individuals who die, people who move and displaced persons on the April 1 Census Day.

When answering the survey, be sure to count each person who lives or primarily sleeps at your home on April 1, 2020. This includes any parent or older relative you may be caring for in your home, as well as any children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren or foster children. Even if the person or child is not living with you permanently, if they are with you on April 1st and not just visiting, they should be included in your survey response. WHAT’S ASKED?

The survey asks a series of simple questions: • Number of people in your home • Whether you rent or own the home • Sex of each person in the home • Age of each person in your home • Race of each person in your home • Relationship of each person in your home

These particular questions stem from the list of questions submitted to Congress by the Census Bureau in 2018. Each query provides the government, businesses, communities and nonprofits with key statistics for decision-making. It’s important to note that there is not a question about citizenship status. WHY IS THE CENSUS IMPORTANT? The questions provide information to help pinpoint areas that may need additional community-based services. Information about age demographics shapes decisions about programming for children or seniors in specific areas, and can also be used by businesses when deciding where to open new stores.

Understanding the racial and ethnic composition of an area helps the federal government enforce laws prohibiting racial discrimination, like the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act. Creating a picture of family composition enables decisions to fund programs supporting families. Overall, the numbers obtained determine where to allocate services and support, including federal dollars to resources like schools, emergency services and roads. In addition to community resources, the Census helps lawmakers determine where to allocate disaster relief funds.

The Census also serves a purpose fundamental to the Constitutional mandate regarding adjustments to the dividing lines of electoral districts based on population. The numbers determine how many seats each state will have in the House of Representatives and the dividing lines for congressional and state legislative districts. TAKING THE CENSUS

During the week of March 12 – 20, households will receive official Census Bureau mail with instructions for responding to the Census online, by phone or by mail. April 1 is the official Census Day, and all answers should be based on people living in your home on that day. Ideally, individuals should respond to the Census before May 1. Regardless of when or how you answer the Census questions, your response will no doubt impact decisions made about your city and community for years to come. The short list of questions gives everyone a chance to shape communities by providing simple answers to questions with big impact.

In Oklahoma, each person counted in the census is worth an estimated $1,675 in federal dollars each year, which amounts to $16,750 per person counted over the next 10 years. At a time when the number of seniors is growing faster than ever, it is important for older adults to stand up and be counted. An accurate count ensures that the programs seniors rely upon are fairly funded.

LIFE Senior Services is here to help ! We all have a role to play in ensuring that Census 2020 engages not just some individuals, but everyone. If you would like to respond to the Census online but do not have access to the internet or a computer or digital device, call LIFE's SeniorLine at (918) 664-9000, ext. 1184, and we will make sure that you are counted. LIFE staff will help you answer the census questions and will submit information on your behalf to the Census Bureau online.

Timeline for the 2020 Census : Census Mailing - March 12 – 20: Households will receive an official invitation in the mail from the U.S. Census Bureau with detailed information about how to respond to the 2020 Census online, by phone or by mail. It is important to know that the Census Bureau will not send unsolicited emails to request your participation in the 2020 Census.

Census Day - April 1: Census Day is observed nationwide. By this date, every home will have received a 2020 Census invitation. All Oklahomans can respond by calling a toll-free phone number, by completing a traditional paper questionnaire or for the first time, online. When you respond to the census, you’ll tell the Census Bureau where you and those in your household live as of April 1, 2020.

Non-response follow-up - May – July 31: Beginning in May, census workers will begin visiting homes that have not responded to the 2020 Census.

If you receive a knock on your door, you can verify a worker’s identity by asking to see a valid ID badge, with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date. The Census Bureau will never ask for:

• Your Social Security number • Money or donations • Anything on behalf of a political party • Your bank or credit card account numbers

If you suspect fraud, call (800) 923-8282 to speak with a local Census Bureau representative.

If you have questions about the 2020 census or would like assistance completing it online, call LIFE's SeniorLine at (918) 664-9000, ext. 1184.

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