Lula Brannon Briscoe, ca. 1903. Courtesy of the Brannon/Briscoe family
It’s time for Episode 11 of “Voices from the West,” our blog series featuring audio recordings of historical documents from the Museum’s Dickinson Research Center.
Our goal is to show that history is more than a timeline. At its core, it’s about people. And not just the famous and infamous, but the everyday and ordinary. If you missed previous episodes, you can start here.
About Lula
The oldest of six children, Lula had moved with her family from Texas to the Chickasaw Nation in 1898. They settled in Sugden, a small community near today’s Texas border that consisted primarily of farmers. She married Robert Willis Briscoe and together they had five children.
Listen Now
[audio mp3="https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/11-11071903.mp3"][/audio]
The Chickasha Daily Express (May 28, 1904).
The Lawton News (August 20, 1903).
Flowing Oil on Miller Bros. 101 Ranch, Okla, ca. 1920. Mrs. Elmer Jestes Collection. Dickinson Research Center. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. 1969.164.06.
The Greatest Oil Field, Seminole, Okla, ca. 1920. Photographic Study Collection. Dickinson Research Center. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. 2005.157.
Fun Facts
The early 1900s saw discoveries of major oil fields in present-day Oklahoma and generated enormous wealth. Prospectors and landowners tried their luck and hoped to find the next Red Fork or Glenn Pool and by 1907 the state produced more oil than any other. Today, the oil and gas industry remains a critical component of the state’s economy
