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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 eight-year journey to complete the Oklahoma...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...