OKLAHOMA CITY — In January, the Oklahoma Historical Society celebrated the centennial of one of its cornerstone programs: The Chronicles of Oklahoma, a quarterly journal that includes scholarly articles on Oklahoma’s history and culture, book reviews, notes and documents, and minutes of OHS Board meetings.
The OHS board of directors established The Chronicles on May 6, 1920, and appointed a committee to arrange for its publication, the OHS said in a recent news release. The committee named J.S. Buchanan and E.E. Dale of the University of Oklahoma as managing and associated editors, respectively, and they began production of the first issue. That issue was released 100 years ago.
The OHS Publications Division has planned several ways to commemorate this momentous anniversary. Most significantly, The Chronicles of Oklahoma is now available on The Gateway to Oklahoma History.
The Gateway is an online repository of Oklahoma history through which visitors can search and view thousands of historic newspapers and other documents. OHS web and visual communications manager Jennifer Towry was integral in scanning and preparing the journal, which was uploaded onto The Gateway through a partnership with the University of North Texas Libraries. The process is ongoing and will be completed in the coming months. Available issues can be found at www.okhistory. org/chronicles100.
The history of The Chronicles of Oklahoma will be featured in the “Notes and
Documents” section of an upcoming issue of the journal. Dr. Elizabeth Bass, editor of The Chronicles and director of publications for the OHS, will speak to graduate students at universities in the state to inform them of the possibilities available for research and publication. Finally, to wrap up a year of celebration, an exhibit about the importance of The Chronicles and its past editors will be featured at the Oklahoma History Center in late 2021.
The works published in The Chronicles cover the depth and breadth of Oklahoma’s rich history, and the OHS invites people to join the organization in celebrating its centennial. One way to commemorate the anniversary is by supporting the journal’s scholarly work by becoming a member of the OHS.
To learn more, visit www. okhistory.org/membership.