LibGuides: Primary Sources: Oklahoma History

Archives & Special Collections

Visit Special Collections & University Archives, located on the 2nd floor of the library. In the Archives you can find primary and secondary source materials on UCO, Edmond, and other Oklahoma communities. The collections include books, photographs, manuscripts, and historical records of UCO.

Make sure to look at our valuable and informative digital collections that are freely available on the web:

Schools at War Scrapbooks (The Bray Collection) -- This is an online collection of scrapbooks from 1942-1943, which were made by Oklahoma school children to document their schools' metal scrap drives in aid of World War II armory and ammunition. Images in the scrapbooks include school buildings, students, towns and cities where schools are located. Short school histories, compositions and drawings by students and newspaper clippings are also found between the pages of these scrapbooks.
The Oklahoma Townsite Case Files -- This is an ongoing project that will add 100,000 records from legal proceedings following the historic land openings, beginning in 1889. The original documents townsite maps, hearing transcripts, deeds, land office records, photographs, receipts, city council meeting minutes, letters, ledgers, and depositions.

Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated newspaper, which began in 1842 and was published weekly until 1971 and less regularly before ceasing in 2003. The illustrations provided a vivid pictorial commentary on domestic and world affairs, giving a fascinating social history particularly of the Victorian era before photography became widely used.
Herland Voice Newsletter Archive
Herland Sister Resources has been serving the women's community since 1983. They provide resources to strengthen, enrich, and support women, and to promote a world free of prejudice, oppression and exploitation.

Finding Books & Journals on Oklahoma History

Browse the Oklahoma Archives: Search Oklahoma on the library catalog, then limit to Oklahoma Archives.

Search the catalog using some of the subjects below to find books and other materials:

Search on a particular city:

Search by Native Americans tribes:

Creek Indians-History

Journals and Databases:

Gateway to Oklahoma History - A digital portal sharing Oklahoma's rich history and cultural heritage
Oklahoman Archives (available through Metropolitan Library) - every issue of the Oklahoman, including articles, photos, and advertisements. Complete full-text content of local and regional news, including community events, schools, politics, government policies, cultural activities, local companies, state industries, and people in the community.
Oklahoma Crossroads- selected digital collections from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, spanning more than 100 years and including documents, photographs, newspapers, reports, pamphlets, posters, maps, and an author database ranging in date from the late 1800s to present.
Oklahoma Today Magazine (full-text 1956-present)- OSU Library digitized the first 50 years of "Oklahoma Today" magazine which includes Oklahoma people, places, travel, culture, food, and outdoors. The magazine is published bimonthly in January, March, May, July, September and November.
Digital Prairie Resources Digital Prairie provides open access to Oklahoma’s documents, images, forms, publications, and historical archives. It brings together Oklahoma’s own collection of unique digital content spanning more than 100 years of rich, vibrant history from the 46th State. The resource areas found in the Digital Collection include documents, photographs, newspapers, reports, pamphlets, posters, maps, audio/visual and more. Content ranges from the late 1800s to the present day.