I found “Hidden History of Tulsa” at our local Barnes and Noble. The author, Steve Gerkin, was having a book signing and I grabbed a copy and talked with him a little bit about the book. I mean I love hidden things, history, and Tulsa so it was like the holy trinity.

The book is a compilation of several articles that Mr. Gerkin wrote for “This Land” magazine. I thought I knew a lot about Tulsa history but the author brought a lot of new information to me. He writes a lot about Tulsa’s racial history, in particular the prominent role the Ku Klux Klan played in the early 20th century including the participation in the Klan by several of our prominent civic citizens at the time. He also provides new (to me) information about the Tulsa Race Riot. I found all that fascinating. Personally I think the scars from that era affect Tulsa today.

He covers a lot more including a 1929 dirigible flyover by the US Navy’s USS Los Angeles including pictures of downtown with office workers crowding the rooftops of the highrises downtown watching the spectacle. He also gets into some of Tulsa Oilman Harry Sinclair’s participation in the Teapot Dome Scandal.

Anyway, I loved this book and give it a five star rating.