It's TVLSE TIME on the Muscogee Pod! In Episode 2 of our Storyteller Series, we are joined by associate professor at the University of Alberta Dr. Russell Cobb. Cobb discusses his upbringing in Tulsa and how he uncovered the true history of the "Oil Capital of the World." We talk Tulsa's origins, land swindles, the struggle to tell Oklahoma's true history and how a Creek Town became an Oil Town in this "Conversation from our Reservation!"

More from Russell Cobb:

The Great Oklahoma Swindle: Race, Religion, and Lies in America's Weirdest State

In The Great Oklahoma Swindle Russell Cobb tells the story of a state rich in natural resources and artistic talent, yet near the bottom in education and social welfare. Raised in Tulsa, Cobb engages Oklahomans across race and class to elucidate their contradictory and often stridently independent attitudes. Interweaving memoir, social commentary, and sometimes surprising research around race, religion, and politics, Cobb presents an insightful portrait that will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about the American Heartland. 

Purchase HERE.

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History X: What they didn't teach you in school. 

History X amplifies true stories from history that have been repressed, suppressed, or simply forgotten. Host Russell Cobb discusses how our understanding of history is shifting in popular culture and what to make of the falling statues and renaming of places. History X explores the forgotten corners of dusty archives and talks to people with intimate knowledge of events outside the mainstream.

Listen HERE.

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“The Ghosts of Creek County: Revisiting Oil and Indigenous Sovereignty” 

This story concerns the legalized theft and swindles of land allotments granted to citizens of the Five Tribes. This presentation will examine two cases that exemplify the crosscurrents of Indigenous sovereignty, oil production, and cultural relations between American Indians, African Americans, and white settlers between 1907 and 1922. Speaker Russell Cobb will tell the stories of two Muscogee (Creek) women: Millie Neharkey and Minnie Atkins.

Watch HERE.

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Keep an eye out for Russell's new book "The Ghosts of Crook County: Bloodlines and Pipelines in Indian Country" coming in 2023!

Find Russell on Twitter @RussellSCobb!

Find out more about the Council Oak tree, dubbed "Tulsa's first city hall," and Council Oak Park HERE.