CONI
The Letters of an Oklahoma Rough Rider
By Joe L. Todd
Robert Bell Huston left his wife and young son behind when he answered
the call to arms after the United States declared war on Spain in 1898.
The Guthrie attorney fought in Cuba and the Philippines as captain of
Troop D of the First United States Volunteers. Using excerpts from the
poignant letters Huston and his family exchanged, Joe Todd describes
the wartime experience of the Oklahoma Rough Rider.             4
Cordell Christian College
By Michael W. Casey
During World War I Oklahoma was the scene for numerous attacks on
those who opposed the war. Nowhere was that more evident than in
Cordell, where the Washita County Council of Defense targeted the Cor-
dell Christian College for closure because of perceived dissension and
pacifist teachings. Michael Casey explores the events that in effect pro-
duced a "microcosm of American intolerance."                  20
The Execution of William Going
By Louis Coleman
Previous scholarship holds that the last Choctaw execution took place in
1894. That distinction, however, goes instead to that of William Going on
July 13, 1899, a case adjudicated in the waning days of Choctaw sover-
eignty. Louis Coleman explains the issues involved in the dispute be-
tween confident Choctaw officials and the United States government
which attempted to intervene.                                  38
First Indian Home Guard
By Gary Zellar
Free blacks and former slaves from the Creek and Seminole nations in
the Indian Territory were the first African Americans mustered into the
United States Army during the Civil War. They served as soldiers, inter-
preters, negotiators, clerks, orderlies, and scouts. Gary Zellar focuses on
the brave men who were essential elements and cultural bridges in the
tri-racial First Indian Home Guard Regiment.                   48
Learning from Oklahoma
By Fred Wiemer
In the early 1990s Fred Wiemer returned to his native state to "discover
the nineteenth century" in Oklahoma. Drawing on lessons learned from
two important books on architecture, Wiemer studied and photographed
the state's built environment. In this thoughtful essay Wiemer explains
why Oklahoma's architectural future must celebrate its earthly setting
and be linked to the best of the past.                        72