Women in Oklahoma History

Upcoming Events


“I Thought This Place Doomed: Emma Caroline Morley and Sterling Price’s Failed Raid of 1864” presentation by Dr. Michelle M. Martin at Honey Springs Battlefield
March 30, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
Dr. Michelle M. Martin, an assistant professor of history Northeastern State University, will present a program at Honey Springs Battlefield near Checotah. In the fall of 1864, Confederate General Sterling Price embarked upon a last-ditch effort to shore up support for the Confederacy in Missouri. Price sought to launch raids into Kansas and control the military road from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Scott into Indian Territory. Emma Caroline Morley, a young woman from Ohio, left the safety of her home and traveled to St. Louis to secure a position as a nurse at Benton Barracks. Her dream quashed because she was too young, Emma pushed westward to join her brother in Fort Scott, Kansas. When Emma arrived, Price’s forces were not far behind, and she and other townsfolk evacuated to the Kansas prairie. Emma kept a diary that provides a unique perspective on the war in the Western theater. Join Dr. Martin as she shares Emma’s story, how the war impacted civilians, and dive deeper into women’s roles during this period in American history. Learn more.

Two red ballgowns, one with short sleeves and a satin bodice and train, and a beaded skirt; the other a long-sleeved gown with ornate beading at the top

Inaugural Impressions: Oklahoma’s First Ladies Go to the Ball exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center
Opening June 7
This exhibit will open on Friday, June 7, at the Oklahoma History Center. An array of fashions worn by first ladies will be displayed, along with biographies that explore their contributions to the people of Oklahoma. Many of Oklahoma’s first ladies have taken a leading role in our state’s history as dedicated homemakers and mothers, political activists, or by raising money and awareness for social causes. The exhibit will encourage visitors to walk in the shoes of Oklahoma’s first ladies, from Lillian Haskell, to the first female governor, Mary Fallin, while learning more about the state’s history. Learn more about this event.

Everyday Oklahoma: “Harvey Girls and Harvey Houses in Oklahoma” webinar
August 22, 2 p.m.
On Thursday, August 22, at 2 p.m. Central Time, the State Historic Preservation Office will present a free webinar in its Everyday Oklahoma: Fascinating Stories about Familiar Places speaker series. “Harvey Girls and Harvey Houses in Oklahoma” is a free webinar that is open to the public. Find out more.




Visit Oklahoma Historical Society Museums and Historic Sites


A close up of the face of the Pioneer Woman statue
May Lillie was a sharpshooter, expert rider, and co-owner of a Wild West Show with her husband, Pawnee Bill. Learn more at the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum in Pawnee.
A close up of the face of the Pioneer Woman statue
Amanda (shown here) and Minerva Murrell were both mistresses of Hunter’s Home. Find out about their lives, and the lives of the plantation’s enslaved women at Hunter’s Home in Park Hill.
A close up of the face of the Pioneer Woman statue
The Pioneer Woman Museum and Statue in Ponca City is dedicated to the enduring spirit of women—past, present, and future—who see no boundaries. Learn more at the Pioneer Woman Museum.



Women’s Suffrage

Manuscript Guides
Use our manuscript guides to discover the collections and materials in the OHS Manuscript Archives.
Women's Suffrage (PDF)
Equal Rights Amendment (PDF)

Online Exhibits
Women’s Suffrage in Oklahoma: This e-exhibit includes the story of suffrage in Oklahoma, activities for students, a glossary, and bibliography.
Votes for Women: 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage: One of our popular traveling exhibits is now available online.

Traveling Exhibit from the Oklahoma History Center
Votes for Women: 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage

The Chronicles of Oklahoma
Volume 98, No. 2 (Summer 2020)
The summer 2020 issue includes “‘An Appeal to Reason’: Women’s Suffrage in Oklahoma and Indian Territories, 1890–1907” by Linda D. Wilson, “‘O. C. Woman Will Picket’: Kate C. Stafford and the National Woman’s Party” by Tally D. Fugate, “Women in Tribal Politics: The Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma” by Regina Slaughter Gordon, and Notes and Documents exploring resources about women’s suffrage and women in politics at the OHS Research Center.

Copies are available in the Oklahoma History Center Museum Store. You may also purchase a copy online.

Volume 61, No. 2 (Summer 1983)
“No Job for a Woman,” by Bernice Crockett




Civil Rights Leaders


“The Good Fight,” Crossroads online publication

Hear firsthand accounts of Oklahoma’s sit-in movement and its leader—Clara Luper—from two women who were there.


“The Gendered Politics of Civil Rights” (2020)

Find more about civil rights leaders and history
in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
Drusilla Dunjee Houston Clara Luper Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher

The Chronicles of Oklahoma
Volume 97, No. 3 (Fall 2019)
“An Unflinching Call for Freedom: Clara Luper’s Pedagogy at the Center of Sit-Ins,” by Rachel E. Watson

Volume 90, No. 4 (Winter 2012–13)
“Unforgotten Trailblazer: Nancy O. Randolph Davis,” by Gloria J. Pollard




Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places

historic photo of a large group of women staning at the entrance gate to the grounds. The seminary is visible in the background.

Listing in the National Register of Historic Places is an honorific designation that provides recognition, limited protection, and, in some cases, financial incentives for these important properties. The State Historic Preservation Office identifies, evaluates and nominates properties for this special designation.

Use the links below to view the National Register listing for these historic properties.


Historical Markers

  • Alice Robertson, Muskogee County - Alice Robertson, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, was Oklahoma's first female member of Congress, elected in 1920 from the Second Congressional District for one term. Located in Greenhill Cemetery in Muskogee (DAR).
  • Black Iron Fountain, Kay County - The first watering fountain in Ponca City once stood near the Marland Estate stables. Louise Fluke, the designer of the Oklahoma state flag, repainted the reliefs on the fountain. Located at the intersection of Fourth Street and Grand Avenue in Ponca City (DAR).
  • Bloomfield Academy, Bryan County - Bloomfield Academy, a seminary for Chickasaw girls, was established in 1853 by authority of the Methodist Missionary Board. Located on OK-299, one and a half miles south of Achille.
  • Carry A. Nation, Dewey County - Carry Nation and her husband David lived in a log cabin on this site after the opening of the Cheyenne-Arapaho lands in 1892. After moving to Medicine Lodge, Kansas, in 1899, Nation began her famous crusade against liquor, including using a hatchet to smash saloons. Located on US-183 south of the intersection with US-60.
  • Drummond Home, Osage County - Frederick Drummond immigrated to the United States from Scotland in the 1880s. After moving to the Osage Reservation, he established the Hominy Trading Company in 1904 and expanded his operations into the cattle business and buying and leasing American Indian lands, eventually building one of the state's largest ranches. Drummond and his wife, Addie, constructed this substantial Victorian home in 1905. Most of the original fine furnishings, as well as family records, photographs, and other personal items are still in the house. Located at 305 North Price in Hominy.
  • Emahaka Mission, Seminole County - A school for Seminole girls was established in 1894. Alice Brown Davis, who later became first female chief of the Seminole, was the superintendent in 1908. The school was abandoned in 1914. Located five miles south of Wewoka at the intersection of US-270 and State-56.
  • Emet, Johnston County - One of the first towns established in Johnston County, Emet originated when the Chickasaw Council House was moved from Boggy Depot to this area, two miles east of the Pleasant Grove Mission in the early 1850s. The Pleasant Grove Mission School was established by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1844 to serve the children of the Chickasaws. Located Chickasaw White House.
  • Fairfield Mission, Adair County - The mission building was completed in 1829 by Dr. Marcus Palmer, a missionary to the Cherokees. The mission stood in a grove of large trees a few hundred feet east of the cemetery now known as McLemore Cemetery. Noted missionaries and teachers at the mission included Elizur Butler, Charles C. Torrey, Clarissa Palmer, Lucy Butler, and Esther Smith. A circulation library, possibly the state's first, was established at the mission in 1832. Located at the junction of OK-100 and US-59 on the south edge of Stilwell.
  • Garland Cemetery, McCurtain County - This cemetery was the family burying ground for prominent Choctaws. Chief Samuel Garland established a plantation here after his arrival on the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. Buried here are Chief Garland and his mother-in-law, Sophia Pitchlynn, who was the mother of Choctaw Chief Peter Pitchlynn. Located on OK-3, three miles west of the Oklahoma–Arkansas border.
  • Kunc Family Homestead/Bradbury Corner Historical Marker, Oklahoma County - James and Katherine Kunc and son William made the run and homesteaded a quarter section on the southwest corner of Second and Sooner on April 22, 1889. In 1923 Everett Bradbury purchased one acre of land on the northeast corner of the homestead and established a campground and filling station. This intersection was the junction of US Highway 66 and US Highway 77 and became known as Bradbury Corner. Located on Second Street at the entrance to Holiday Inn Express.
  • Louise Fluke Memorial, Pottawatomie County - Louise Funk Fluke (1900–1986), designer of the state flag of Oklahoma, was born in Arkansas and raised in Shawnee. She entered the winning flag design in a statewide contest in 1925 through the Wunagisa Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. Located at 614 East Main, Shawnee)
  • Millie Durgan, Kiowa County - Millie Durgan was 18 months old when she was captured by Kiowa Indians in the Elm Creek Raid in north Texas in 1864. She was adopted by the Kiowa tribe and later married a Kiowa man. Located at the intersection of OK-9 and OK-115, one mile east of Mountain View.
  • Nuyaka Mission, Okmulgee County - Through the efforts of educator Alice Robertson, who also served as Oklahoma’s first female member of Congress, the mission was established by the Presbyterian Board and the Creek Nation in 1882. Robertson also founded Henry Kendall College, which became the University of Tulsa. Located on OK-56, nine miles west of Okmulgee.
  • Oklahoma City DAR Chapter, Oklahoma County - The Oklahoma City Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was organized in 1904 in the home of Mrs. Robert Carpenter. Located at 212 Northwest 15th Street in Oklahoma City (DAR).
  • Pine Ridge Mission, Choctaw County - Presbyterian minister Reverend Cyrus Kingsbury established the Pine Ridge Mission in 1836. The Choctaw Council established a school for girls, Chuahla Female Seminary, at the mission in 1842, which Kingsbury supervised. The school was closed during the Civil War. Located on east side of Red Road 1/2 mile north of Doaksville/Fort Towson Cemetery.
  • Post Office at Loretta, Texas County - Texhoma was originally called Loretta after Loretta Cain, the first postmaster. The town’s name was changed in 1902. Located on US-54 on the east side of Texhoma.)
  • Red Wheat Allotment, Custer County - Prior to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Reservation land run of April 19, 1892, this quarter-section of land was allotted to a Cheyenne woman named Red Wheat. Mennonite emigrants from Russia introduced ‘Turkey red’ winter wheat to northwest Oklahoma. Located on OK-66 at the east edge of Clinton.
  • Sophia Folsom Pitchlynn, McCurtain County - In this cemetery is the grave of Sophia Folsom Pitchlynn, wife of Major John Pitchlynn, who served under General George Washington in the Revolutionary War. Located in Garland Cemetery near the town of Tom (DAR).
  • St. Louis School, Osage County - This Osage girls school was founded in 1887 by Mother Mary Katharine Drexel, a Philadelphia heiress who entered a convent as a young woman and used her fortune to support educational institutions across the southern US and the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions. The school’s original frame building burned in 1889 and was replaced by a four-story stone building. In 2000 Mother Katharine was named a saint by Pope John Paul II. Located just off US-60 south and west of Clear Creek Bridge in Pawhuska.
  • Stella Friends Academy, Alfalfa County - A group of Quakers settled this part of the Cherokee Outlet in 1893. A primary school opened in a sod house and was named for the first teacher, Stella Howard. Within four years a high school was built. The school closed in 1922 after railroad expansion brought new towns and free schools into the area. Located on OK-11, two miles east of the junction with US-64, north of Cherokee.
  • Tullahassee Mission, Wagoner County - Tullahassee was established as a Creek mission by Presbyterian Reverend R. M. Loughridge in 1848. Alice Robertson, later Oklahoma's first congresswoman, was born here. Located on US-69, 1/4 mile north of Arkansas River.
  • Tuskegee Baptist Church - McIntosh County - Annie Walker Armstrong was corresponding secretary of the Woman’s Missionary Union of the Southern Baptist Convention which sent missionaries to the area. The church was founded here in 1867. Nearby is another marker that notes the rock that Armstrong used to mount her horse during a visit to the church in 1900. Located at the intersection of OK-9 and NS-411 (OBHC))
  • Wheelock Academy, McCurtain County - This boarding school for Choctaw orphan girls was completed in 1884 northeast of the Wheelock Church. Five of the buildings survived and are being restored by the Choctaw Nation. Located on US-70, one and a half miles east of Millerton.
  • Wynona, Osage County - A post office was established in 1903 in Wynona. The name is a Sioux word meaning "first-born daughter." Located on OK-99, eight miles south of Pawhuska.



Resources for Educators, Parents, and Students

E-Exhibit
Women’s Suffrage in Oklahoma

Traveling Exhibits
Bring a traveling exhibit to your school, library, church, or local community center.
Votes for Women: 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage
Women of Oklahoma

Women of Oklahoma trunk
Learn about the notable women of Oklahoma through activities and items that bring to life not only the stories of Oklahoma women, but how they have shaped the state and the nation.
View trunk contents description.


History Alive! Outreach
Bring a virtual living history program to your classroom or organization. Visit the History Alive! page for more information. Living history presentations include:
Colonial Dance
1830s Beadwork Artist
Civil War Laundress
Pioneer Woman
Harvey Girl
Dust Bowl Housewife
World War II Nurse

Teacher Resource Guides correlating to US History Academic Standards
USH.2.1 Evaluate the transformation of American society, economy and politics during the American Industrial Revolution.
D. Analyze major social reform movements including the Women's Suffrage and Temperance Movement and the leadership of Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, and Jane Addams.

USH.3.2 Evaluate the long-term impact of America's entry into World War I on national politics, the economy, and society.
B. Analyze the impact of the war on the home front including the use of propaganda, women's increased role in industry...

USH.5.1 Describe the transformations in American society and government policy as the nation mobilized for entry into World War II.
C. Examine President Franklin Roosevelt's Day Which Will Live in Infamy speech and America's conduct of the war, including the role of women and minorities in the war effort...




Audio and Video

The Clara Luper Show
Listen to select episodes on YouTube

A Very OK Podcast
“Our Good Angel, Kate,” A Very OK Podcast
“Votes for Women!,” A Very OK Podcast
“Women in Broadcasting,” A Very OK Podcast

Pawnee Bill Ranch Podcast: “May Lillie”
Listen now | View transcript

This Land is Herland series


“The Gendered Politics of Civil Rights” (2020)


“Contested Notions of Equality” (2020)


“The Fluidity of Power” (2020)




The Chronicles of Oklahoma Online

Volume 97, No. 3 (Fall 2019)
“An Unflinching Call for Freedom: Clara Luper’s Pedagogy at the Center of Sit-Ins,” by Rachel E. Watson

Volume 96, No. 4 (Winter 2018–19)
“Cherokee National Female Seminary Principal Teacher Etta Jane Rider and Her Assistant Teachers, 1901–04,” by James G. McCullagh and James S. Davis

Volume 94, No. 1 (Spring 2016)
“The YWCA’s Y-Chapel of Song and the Central Plate” by Patrick H. Salkeld

Volume 93, No. 1 (Spring 2015)
“Rooted in the Plains: Oklahoma Women, Community, and the Dust Bowl,” by Shelly Lemons and Steven Knoche Kite

Volume 92, No. 4, (Winter 2014–15)
“Mary Alice Hearrell Murray: A Chickasaw Girl in Indian Territory,” by Linda Williams Reese

Volume 90, No. 4 (Winter 2012–13)
“Unforgotten Trailblazer: Nancy O. Randolph Davis,” by Gloria J. Pollard

Volume 90, No. 2 (Summer 2012)
“Communists, Poetry, and Oklahoma History: The Life of Zoe Agnes Stratton Tilghman,” by Mallory Newell

Volume 90, No. 1 (Spring 2012)
“Vilona P. Cutler: Humanitarian, Activist, and Educator,” by Gregory N. Pierson

Volume 88, No. 4, (Winter 2010–11)
“Planting the ‘Long-Rooted Grass’: The Eufaula Boarding School for Girls, 1910–1962,” by Linda Ford Wendel

Volume 88, No. 3 (Fall 2010)
“Preaching in the ‘Open Air’: The Ministries of Early Pentecostal Women Preachers in Oklahoma,” by Kristen D. Welch

Volume 81, No. 3 (Fall 2003)
“‘She Would Raise Hens to Aid War’: The Contributions of Oklahoma Women during World War I,” by Melanie Rich

Volume 78, No. 2 (Summer 2000)
“Kate Barnard: The Story of a Woman Politician,” by Linda Edmondson and Margaret Larason

Volume 77, No. 4 (Winter 1999–2000)
“‘Dear Miss Debo’: The Correspondence of E. E. Dale and Angie Debo,” by Richard Lowitt

Volume 77, No. 2 (Summer 1999)
“Mrs. Oliver O. “Mamie” Hammonds: The ‘She-svengali’ of Oklahoma,” by Janel A. Mattingly

Volume 75, No. 1 (Spring 1997)
“‘Fortunate Enough and Plucky Enough’: The Unattached Women of the Cherokee Outlet,” by Debbie Kindt Michalke

Volume 75, No. 2 (Summer 1997)
“Mary Rice Greenfield,” by Joyce Waggoner

Volume 73, No. 3 (Fall 1995)
“Jerrie Cobb, Aviation Pioneer,” by Debbie Michalke

Volume 73, No. 2 (Summer 1995)
“Mollie Shepherd, Indian Columnist,” by Carol J. Woitchek

Volume 70, No. 3 (Fall 1992)
“Alice’s Restaurant: Expanding a Woman’s Sphere,” by Maitreyi Mazumdar

Volume 69, No. 4 (Winter 1991–92)
“Preparing Women for the National Crisis: The Role of Oklahoma A&M College,” by Susan L. Allen

Volume 69, No. 3 (Fall 1991)
“Emily Blanton Smith: Educator with Vision,” by Glyna Olson with Leo Kelley

Volume 69, No. 1 (Spring 1991)
“Wheelock Female Seminary, 1842–1861,” by Justin D. Murphy

Volume 67, No. 4 (Winter 1989–90)
“Ann Florence Wilson: Matriarch of the Cherokee Female Seminary,” by Devon Abbott

Volume 64, No. 2 (Summer 1986)
“Diana, Tiana or Talihina? The Myth and the Mystery of Sam Houston’s Cherokee Wife,” by Stan Hoig

Volume 63, No. 4 (Winter 1985–1986)
“Edith Force Kassing: Scientist With a Gift for Teaching,” by John S. Tomer

Volume 61, No. 3 (Fall 1983)
“Kate’s Quarter Section: A Woman in the Cherokee Strip,” by Henry Kilian Goetz

Volume 61, No. 2 (Summer 1983)
“No Job for a Woman,” by Bernice Crockett

Volume 60, No. 3 (Fall 1982)
 “Myrtle Archer McDougal: Leader of Oklahoma’s ‘Timid Sisters,’” by Marilyn Hoder-Salmon

Volume 60, No. 2 (Summer 1982)
Twin Territories: The Indian Magazine and Its Editor, Ora Eddleman Reed,” by Daryl Morrison

Volume 60, No. 1 (Spring 1982)
“Miss Edith Johnson: Pioneer Newspaper Woman,” by Naomi Taylor Casey

Volume 59, No. 2 (Summer 1981)
“‘Woman with a Hatchet’: Carry Nation Comes to Oklahoma Territory,” by Mary Ann Blochowiak

Volume 57, No. 2 (Summer 1979) 
“A Civil War Experience of Some Arkansas Women in Indian Territory,” edited by LeRoy H. Fischer

Volume 57, No. 1 (Spring 1979)
“Girl Scouting in Stillwater, Oklahoma: A Case Study in Local History,” by Lynda M. Sturdevant