Scroll down the page for links to articles in this section.
We look to the past to learn how we came to be city we are today.
Tulsa is still a young city, even by American standards, and the influence of our past is felt in our values, character, and culture. Our past is also visible in the iconic architectural landmarks of the city.
Our past is still present.
Along with important buildings from yesterday are many lesser structures, mostly ignored or abandoned, that give us clues to ways of life that have been lost ...ways of living that were based much more on connection to community and neighborhood than our lives today.
What lessons can we learn from our past?
In the articles in this section we look at factors that contributed to the formation of Tulsa's culture. We also examine how our patters of urban living have changed over the years. Lessons from the past can help us imagine the Tulsa we want for the future.
Low-rise apartment buildings were found throughout Tulsa's older neighborhood. Many still stand. In earlier days they were an essential element in allowing neighborhoods to be walkable communities.
The oil barons of early Tulsa left a deep mark in our character and culture as a city. This article looks at the heritage they left behind and how we are still influenced but it.
Tulsans have often been ambivalent about our city's relationship with the State of Oklahoma, but Oklahoma is the state we are in. To understand Tulsa, we also need to understand our state and our city's relation to it.
The most famous movie about Tulsa bears our city's name. The film won no Academy Awards, but it is a portrait of Tulsa at the height of the oil boom. Don't miss it! This is the complete movie as originally released.
The federal government made this 10 minute film for showing abroad as part of America's image campaign during the cold war. It was produced about 1950. Many of the scenes in the film are still recognizable today.
The Dust Bowl forms an enduring part of America's image of Oklahoma. Produced by the federal government in 1936, this film is a classic American documentary that tells the Dust Bowl story from a contemporary perspective.
