A Very OK Podcast

Both the book and the movie The Grapes of Wrath are classics that portray a difficult period in American history. The story of the Joad family from Sallisaw, Oklahoma, caused some people to sympathize with the plight of migrant farmers while others saw it as a mischaracterization of reality. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss the history surrounding the circumstances depicted in the book and movie, their connection to Route 66, and the image they presented of Oklahomans. Their guest is film historian Elizabeth Anthony.

Almost every town along Route 66 in Oklahoma has a unique building or structure that tells the story of each community and the people who made Route 66 a special highway. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss a few of the theaters, gas stations, restaurants, bridges, and jails that have shaped our experience of The Mother Road through the decades. Their guests are Lynda Ozan, deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, and Michael Mayes, National Register of Historic Places coordinator.

Recorded live at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, this episode covers Will Rogers’ life and career from growing up on his family’s ranch in the Cherokee Nation to dining with kings and presidents. A born showman, he took his uncanny talent with a rope to greatest stages in the world and then translated that success to the silver screen in Hollywood. His homespun humor and political commentary captured the world’s attention and made him a beloved figure to all. Our guests on this episode are Tad Jones, director of the Will Rogers Memorial Museum, and Jennifer Rogers, Will’s great-granddaughter.

Paved roads were the exception instead of the norm in the early 20th century. As the Good Roads movement gained traction in the U.S., Tulsa resident Cyrus Avery advocated for a network of highways connecting major cities. In this episode, TraitThompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn explore Cyrus Avery’s work building roads in Oklahoma and his influence on the creation of the Main Street of America, Route 66. Their guests are author and co-founder of the Route 66 Alliance, Michael Wallis, and Ken Busby, founding chairman of the Tulsa Route 66 Commission and co-founder of the Route 66 Alliance.

After the US declared war on Spain in 1898, Secretary of War Russell Alger organized three volunteer cavalry regiments “to be composed exclusively of frontiersmen possessing special qualifications of horsemen and marksmen...” The First US Volunteer Cavalry regiment came to be known as the Rough Riders. Led by Colonel Leonard Wood and Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders played an important role in the American victories against the Spanish in Cuba. Residents of Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory volunteered in droves and, through their actions in battle, earned the respect of a future US president. In this latest episode of A Very OK Podcast, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn delve into the stories of the Spanish-American War and the men who fought in it. Their guest is Dr. Denise Neil, executive director of the Oklahoma National Guard Museum.

November 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the Oklahoma History Center. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn explore the political twists and turns in the 8-year journey to complete the OHS flagship building across from the state capitol. They also discuss the people along the way who helped the dream become a reality. Their guest is Don Beck, award-winning designer of the Oklahoma History Center.

Having dominated the political landscape since statehood, the Democratic Party in Oklahoma was upended by a Republican landslide in 1920. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn examine the conditions that led to the changing of the guard including a tepid response to the League of Nations proposal from President Wilson, the economy after World War I, and the first national election women for women to participate. Their guest is Dr. Sunu Kodumthara, history professor at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

Have you ever stopped to think about the history behind the names of rivers, streets, towns, and even state parks in Oklahoma? In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn take listeners on a journey to uncover some of the interesting and unusual stories behind places you may know or may have never heard of in the state. Their guests are Nicole Harvey, director of the Oklahoma History Center Museum, and Chantry Banks, director of museums and historic sites for the OHS.

From the earliest days of Indian Territory through the 1950s, Oklahoma had strict laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol, but they were usually lightly enforced. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Matthew Pearce trace Oklahoma’s history with alcohol regulation and the social and political forces that shaped the state’s relationship with booze. Their guest is Congresswoman Stephanie Bice, who authored new laws which modernized alcohol policies during her tenure in the state senate.

In 1833, Congress authorized a new regiment in the Army that would combine the skills of Regular Army soldiers with the frontier savvy of the Rangers. The First Dragoon Regiment was tasked with being the first U.S. envoy to make contact with the Plains Indian tribes to negotiate for peace. The 500-person strong Dragoon unit set out in June 1834 to fulfill their mission, but their journey was fraught with lack of water, sickness, and death. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss the hardships the Dragoons endured to establish relations with the Comanches, Wichitas, and Kiowas. Their guest is Correy Twilley, director of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Training Support Facility at Fort Sill.

In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss the origins of the Seminole Nation in Florida, how the Seminole Wars with the United States starting in 1817 led to their forcible removal to Indian Territory, and how the Civil War reduced the size of their reservation by over 1.7 million acres. They also delve into the impact of the discovery of the Greater Seminole Oilfield in 1923. Their guest is Jake Tiger, band chief of the Thomas Palmer Band and employee of the Seminole Nation's tribal preservation office.

Oklahoma's first state flag was a white star on a red field designed by Ruth Clement. The flag never gained favor and by the 1920s red flags held a negative connotation due to the nationwide Red Scare. In 1924, the Daughters of the American Revolution held a contest to design a new state flag and Louise Fluke's winning entry was adopted on April 2, 1925. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss the history of the Oklahoma state flag against the backdrop of historic events happening in Oklahoma during the 1920s. Their guest is OHS state historian, Dr. Matthew Pearce.

From the earliest days after the 1889 Land Run to the modern era, leaders in Oklahoma City have prioritized the sequestration of green space for recreation and rest. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss the push to create Oklahoma City's parks by people such as Daniel Stiles, G.G. "Gristmill" Jones, and Anton Classen. They also talk about how parks evolved from areas of passive activity to recreation centers for sports and games. Their guest is Brian Dougherty, former associate professor and department head at the John E. Kirkpatrick Horticulture Center.

One of Oklahoma’s first members of Congress, Dick T. Morgan, was a man of faith with a heart geared toward helping his fellow citizens, first in his native state of Indiana and later in Oklahoma. Through his law practice, he helped people navigate the complexities of land claims in the territorial era while planting churches and establishing Sunday schools. During his time in Congress, he advocated for business regulation, protection of bank deposits, and for farmers to have access to credit. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss Congressman Morgan’s life along with Morgan’s great-grandson, David Morgan, and Michael Hightower, author of “Justice For All: Dick T. Morgan, Frontier Lawyer and Common Man’s Congressman.”

Born in Virginia and raised by his mother in the Cherokee Nation, Robert Owen was a seminal figure in Oklahoma’s early history. He was elected as one of Oklahoma’s first U.S. senators in 1907 where he championed progressive and populist causes in the nation’s capital. Utilizing his background as a bank owner in Muskogee, he was the Senate author of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, which created the financial system still in use today. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Blackburn talk to Dr. Ken Brown, a former professor at the University of Central Oklahoma and an expert on Owen, about his life and his work creating the Federal Reserve.

During his career, guitarist Jesse Ed Davis played with over 100 major artists, including Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers, John Lennon, and Rod Stewart. His first brush with notoriety was playing with Conway Twitty in Oklahoma City, and he honed his chops with Taj Mahal after moving to Los Angeles. Jackson Browne credits Davis’s guitar solo on “Doctor, My Eyes” with helping that song to become a Billboard Top 10 hit in 1972. In this latest episode of A Very OK Podcast, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss Davis’s Oklahoma roots, influences, and illustrious career. Their guests are Dr. Douglas Miller, author of Washita Love Child: The Rise of Indigenous Rock Star Jesse Ed Davis (2024), and Jake Krumwiede, director of the OKPOP Museum in Tulsa.

During World War I, it was common for the German military to tap Allied communications lines along the western front. Seeking to find a way to communicate that could not be interpreted by the enemy, the commander of the 36th Infantry’s 142nd Regiment enlisted Choctaw soldiers to send messages in their native language. The result led to successful operations in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which ultimately pushed the Germans out of France and ended the war. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss the history and legacy of the Choctaw Code Talkers. Their guest is Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer, author of the book, “Anumpa Warrior: Choctaw Code Talkers of World War I.”

After gold was discovered in California in 1848, Americans flocked to the west coast to make their fortunes. In 1849, Congress instructed Captain Randolph Marcy to find a suitable passage from Fort Smith to Santa Fe by traveling south of the Canadian River. Guided by Delaware scout Black Beaver, Marcy and the first wagon train reached their destination in June 1849. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss the people on the journey, conditions encountered along the way, and some of the interesting geographical features the group discovered. Their guest is Art Peters, curator at the Hinton Historical Museum and author of three books about the California Road in Caddo County.

Since statehood, numerous elected officials have found themselves on the wrong side of the Oklahoma Legislature’s good graces, which resulted in impeachment charges being filed. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss Oklahoma’s constitutional requirements for impeachment, some of the officials who have been impeached in the state over the years, and the charges leveled against them. Their guest is former Oklahoma Senator Cal Hobson, who served in the legislature from 1978–2005 and was president pro tempore during the impeachment of Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher in 2004.

From 1953 to 1957, University of Oklahoma football coach Bud Wilkinson and his Sooners won 47 games in a row, an NCAA record. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss Coach Wilkinson and his leadership skills, the players who made the winning streak possible, and a few of the significant games along the way. Their guest is Berry Tramel, a 46-year veteran sports journalist who has written for The Norman Transcript and The Oklahoman. He now writes for the Tulsa World.