Nowata, Oklahoma
I admit it was one of the "drive-thru" towns on our trip. But if anyone who knows me, no place is just a driveby. There is always history of place. Always.
So what was and what is Nowata? It was another of the boom towns that came about from the discovery of oil in the territory. North of Tulsa, and close to Kansas, it sit in the Northeast corner of the state. The area originated with the Osage of the area (even before the Osage, Archaeologists believe prehistoric Indian peoples, starting approx. 600 years ago) lived in the area.
After Osage, the area belonged to the Cherokee Nation, but was then purchased by a registered Delaware person by the name of Chief Charles Journeycake (the Delawares or "Lenni/Lenape" were originally from Eastern areas of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania), and was set up as a trading post. The name is believed to be from the Delaware "no-we-ta," which means "welcome."
This condensed version of the history of the area leaves out the many, many beefs and battles, treaties and alliances that were made amongst and within the Indigenous groups on the land as well as the overall Westward movement of White folk immigrants that had come, conquered, set up a federal government and made purchases (Louisiana-1803), viciously fought one another (Civil War- 1861-1865) over enslavement of Black folks, and the Jim Crow statutes/laws the state created to enforce racial segregation.
By 1889 the trading post had evolved into a town with a post office and a railway running through town. The population was about 500 and now included white folks who came from other territories (Louisiana, Nova Scotia) and even other countries like Ireland. The first interracial marriage mentioned for the area was that of Chief Journeycake's daughter to one of the successful Irish implant family Campbell's son in 1878. So Nowata was now known as Nowata, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory. Statehood didn't come until 1907.
The original depot went up 1889...
...and the current one was built in 1912. It was used as a passenger line until 1960.
By 1920 Nowata had about 4,300 people, which is more than it has currently (approx. 3,700). Of this number of people, the "colored" population was said to be 15% (approx. 600 Black folk). The Indian folk often weren't counted in the pop. statistics b/c they were considered a part of the Cherokee Nation. I was mighty curious to know how these 3 different groups got along.
The town now has developed a "mixed" population of Indigenous, Black, and White folks. It still resides within the government jurisdiction of the Cherokee Nation and 15% of the population claim dual citizenship with the Cherokee Nation.
This small plains town that became filled with white inhabitants also brought along racism and segregation. When the town was set up in the early 1900's, there were separate schools for blacks and whites. There were separate cemeteries as well.
Interested in education (I am indeed an educator), I was surprised to learn that when the first school was built it included both white and Indigenous populations, but that black folk had to have a separate school. The Nowata schoolhouse was built in 1892, with separation inside the building of the white students and the Indian students.
More on Indian schools in the Cherokee Nation: Before the advent of public schools, there were a variety of small church or "subscription" schools where parents paid the teachers directly. Tuition was typically 50¢ to $1 per month per student, which could be reduced by in-kind payments in food or lodgings. Indian children were not charged, for the Cherokee Nation paid the salaries of their teachers. These schools often met in homes or in buildings donated by civic-minded residents. Some teachers had simply earned a high school diploma, while others had college degrees. Schools were often seasonal to allow students to work in the fields, so terms were seldom more than three or four months long. School materials were scarce: a slate board, slate pencil, and lead pencil were the norm while paper and textbooks were rare.
There really isn't much written or accounted for in a quick search on consolidation of schools. Nowata being the county seat, I thought it would be easy to find. What were the relations of the Indigenous people in the community and the new "pioneers" or settlers? I did learn some ugly news about segregation and share the links to the story here instead re-telling it.
Also included is a piece about a the switch from segregation to integration in 1956. Can't even imagine what it would have felt like to be a brown-skinned student entering integrated public school for the first in 1956.
I have read many, many stories about the "mixed bloods" or interracial marriages of Indigenous to Whites in this area, but little to no accountings of any "mixing" with blacks. Hell, my mind is still reeling with the knowledge that even Indigenous folks had black slaves. Many of the black residents in the area were "freedman" from Indigenous enslavement. What sort of relationship did these folk have with their former enslavers? Communities are very complex.
The saddest story I have read in a long while is about this town and the sad state of race relations there in the 1970's (long after the Civil War, Jim Crow, and forced integration). Cushioned in a larger story of sad events, the first article/link tells the true story of a courageous and righteous man from Nowata who paid for doing "the right thing."
Nowata news in contemporaneous times to my time in public schools:
Documentary to examine Nowata basketball coach Ken Zacher's stand against racism
I had to let all this stuff go and go back to the bricks. It was really triggering and upsetting, and disgustingly still going on as the country has turned its lens to the multitude of incidents that involved black folks and there was/is a "Black Lives Matter" movement going on. By the way, I saw not one "Black Lives Matter" sign in Nowata.
The Bricks
The bricks were what made me stop. Seeing so many of these little prairie towns with brick downtowns. Knowing that they all were late 1800's/early 1900's I could almost smell marked bricks as we drove by.
YES! I scored one. We had to stop and scrounge around in a totally deserted downtown Nowata, Ok to find this beauty.
The Brick was found here. The once illustrious Savoy Hotel. Built in 1909, it had 62 rooms, a telegraph office, billiards, dining room, and a kitchen.
Radium water was discovered from a well drilled in town, and folks of that time (1915) believed it had health benefits including anti-ageing so a radium water bath house was built in the basement. The bath house had the latest and most modern amenities, including bathing experts.
The Savoy served for years as the county hospital, music was made in the ballroom, and golden glove boxers trained in the basement.
Sadly, in the end the hotel was used as apartments for itinerant workers in the 1980's and it was left in bad shape after. Renovations began in the 1990's, but by 2013 the roof had begun leaking. Tragedy struck when a worker fell from the roof onto the sidewalk and died.
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