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Why did the Cherokee Tribe seem to move around so much?

Tulsa Beacon

[Why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] Where have all the Cherokees gone? For several articles we have looked at the almost constant movement of Native Americans before their forced settlement to Indian Territory about 1838. When looking through the telescope of history, we tend to think the world and people were…

What kind of last comments did atheists make at death?

Tulsa Beacon

As America and the world experiences the suffering and death from the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, some of the saddest quotes you could ever read are historic last words of infamous atheists. Some are defiant as they shake their fist at God one final time and some are distraught, realizing that they are about to face…

In a storm, we march in the middle to rescue the perishing

Tulsa Beacon

I was sitting in my chair as the message scrolled across the bottom of our television screen. A major storm was moving into Tulsa. Accompanying this storm were torrential rains and winds up to 60 mph.  The meteorologist began giving minute by minute updates, warning that in approximately 15 minutes, the storm would hit the…

What caused the first Old Settlers to escape to the West?

Tulsa Beacon

[Why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] In 1788, Chief Torquo (Turkey) moved a large contingent of southeastern Native Americans to Spanish Louisiana. After that, many Cherokee had left or were amalgamating, so the influence center of the traditional Cherokee shifted near Chickamauga River (Creek). The Chickamauga/Lower Cherokee towns were in an…

George Campbell with his grandson Brian Biggs at the National Senior Olympics in Syracuse, New York.

The Rev. George Campbell was the best father-in-law ever

Tulsa Beacon

The Rev. George Campbell was the best father-in-law a guy could ever have. He passed away September 28. He was 89. In the fall of 1981, I fell in love with his daughter Susan. I was determined to marry this sweet young lady. For Christmas, Susan planned to go home to her folks in Concord,…

My hometown had a Ku-Ku, a Dog n Suds and my church

Tulsa Beacon

I spent my teenage years in Chillicothe, Missouri. I lived there during the “Happy Days” era of our culture. The town was perfect for teenagers. On the north end of town was the Ku-Ku hamburger joint. There were over 200 of them during the ’60s. Most of these restaurants were in the shape of a…

‘Gifts from the government’ stripped dignity, brought poverty

Tulsa Beacon

[Looking at why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] What is history? History is not a sequential event, but a confluence of numerous parallel ventures. The North Carolina Indians continued to migrate from the southeastern colonies and states under duress. Consequentially, the culture and people developed in multiple locations, having different leadership,…

Living in a house means tackling project after project

Tulsa Beacon

We bought our home in 1997 when our kids were mostly little and when house prices were a lot lower than today. It was a fixer-upper. An elderly couple had previously owned our house, which was built in 1967. They had taken pretty good care of it but they really had not updated anything. The…

Jesus is proud of a church who is busy doing the Lord’s work

Tulsa Beacon

I know of a church. I know of a church whose membership is small, with very little in its coffers, but what this church does well is reflect Jesus to its community. It is an eclectic group that consists of people from those who are homeless to businessmen and educators, some single and others married…

A Bill of Rights is supposed to defend small populations

Tulsa Beacon

[Looking at why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] How does a nation balance the needs of the many against the needs of the individual or smaller populations like the Native Americans? Our Constitutional Bill of Rights is the greatest document for accomplishing that august goal. Unfortunately, the tendency of politicians and…