Tulsa historical maps and aerial photos

Plus what Tulsans did for fun in 1923, where and when to get a picture with Santa, Confucius classrooms, school board filing period, and Michael DelGiorno's return

Just posted on BatesLine: An encyclopedic article on where to find aerial photographs and maps to help reconstruct Tulsa and Oklahoma’s past, covering 12 different types of resources, including interactive maps that make it easy to find aerial photos from the 1930s through the 1960s, property ownership maps from 1936, and topographical maps dating back to 1901. There are gas-station city maps of Tulsa, Sanborn fire insurance maps (now in color!), census tract maps, and much more, all with links and instructions.

There are a couple of other recent articles that I have failed to notify you dear readers about: I finally finished a long-deferred piece identifying where Tulsans had fun in the summer of 1923. It took a bit of detective work to locate Katy Lake and Sunset Plunge. I never did find Hominy Falls. And in the middle of November, Congressman Kevin Hern got an amendment on the education appropriations bill forbidding use of federal funds for Chinese Communist Party-backed Confucius Classrooms in K-12 schools, an issue we’ve been watching since last year’s TPS board vote.

It’s nearly December, and that means it’s time for a visit with Santa. A real-bearded Santa whom I’ve known all my life is holding court on Friday nights (and one Saturday) all December at Philbrook Museum. Click the link for all the details.

The start of December also means that next Monday through Wednesday is filing period for school board elections across Oklahoma. Three Tulsa seats will be on the ballot: The unexpired term in District 2 (near north Tulsa), and the regularly scheduled elections for District 5 (midtown west of Yale) and District 6 (midtown east of Yale). My post from the 2019 filing period explains the process, why participation is so low, and why you can’t take it for granted that the school board, even in red-state Oklahoma, reflects your conservative values. I’ve met one candidate each in Districts 2 and 5 who made a good first impression, but so far no conservative has stepped up to run in District 6; incumbent Gerry Griffin is not running for re-election.

A reminder: Michael DelGiorno will be back on the Tulsa airwaves starting this coming Monday, December 4, 2023, from 5 am - 8 am, on KAKC AM 1300 The Patriot. It’s called “Your Morning Show,” it’s already airing on WLAC Nashville; KTOK 1000 in Oklahoma City will join the network on January 8, followed by more cities.

From the archives: Occasionally I go back to an ancient entry, update dead links, and add new information. In 2003, I wrote a paean to a new (and short-lived) local sketch comedy show called Beef Baloney. Someone has posted video of one of the sketches I mentioned — a how-to for politicians extricating themselves from awkward conversations.

Sadly, the station that inspired my 2003 post on the decline of locally-produced television content is becoming even less local. But more on that another time.