What changed?

[PonderInc]

So here's my Friday contribution from the Beryl Ford collection.  This photo got me thinking...



What changed?  The above photo shows George Perryman with "early Tulsa citizens."  It appears to be a diverse bunch.

By the 1950's something must have changed.

The local and inter-city transportation committee...


The public health committee...


The civic improvements committee...


The dairy development committee...


The New Industry Committee...


The Aviation Committee...


The Low Water Dam Committee...


The Metropolitan Planning Committee...


There's more, but you get the picture...

[TheArtist]

White folk snagged the land, mineral rights, etc. from the indians.  There were far more white folk moving in and breeding, and the then minority got sidelined.  Plus, those who have the money time and connections can then volunteer to be on committees.  White folk just overwhelmed the early native populations of "Mexican farmers" and Indians (not that there is any difference other than a line on a map between a Mexican indian and a US indian other than which group of Europeans they mixed with, they are all Native American Indians).

But, what comes around often goes around....

Tulsa was lilly white.
1990 , "About" ......White 80%, Black 13%, Native American 4.5%, hispanic 2.5%.

Projected 2013.....White 67%, Black 14%, Native American 2%, Hispanic 14.5%

Wonder what the demographics were back when that photo was taken?  Wonder what its gonna be 20 years from now? My guess is that Tulsa will not be all that white.  


One disturbing thing though looking at the Tulsa Chambers new 2009 stats,,, Tulsas population between 2008 to 2013 is expected to continue declining, with vacant housing going up to 15% of the total units. Though oddly they have the population density going up?  

Less people, more density?  We losing some land somewhere?

But some good news is that it looks like our average incomes will also continue to rise. According to their stats that is.

http://ww3.tulsachamber.com/upload/file/Economic%20Development/Tulsa%20Demographics%202009.pdf

[patric]

There's more, but you get the picture...

That's an abomination!

What are those two fe-males doing on the The Aviation Committee?

[TheArtist]

That's an abomination!

What are those two fe-males doing on the The Aviation Committee?

Crazy womens rights thing sneaking into society apparently.  Either that or the husband has a LOT of money.

[Steve]

The land where my house is (Lortondale, 26th & Yale) was originally Creek tribal lands, alloted in 1904 to 9 year old Creek citizen Frances Perryman.  Changed hands to the Lorton family, the newspaper family, and hence my subdivision name Lortondale.  The land was sold by the Lortons to become the original site of Meadowbrook Country Club, a country club founded by prominent Tulsa Jewish citizens because they were blackballed and descriminated against by other Tulsa country clubs such as Southern Hills and the Tulsa CC.   The property was eventually sold by Meadowbrook CC when they moved out south to Tulsa homebuilder Howard Grubb, the developer that built my wonderful mid-century-modern home in 1954.

[waterboy]

One big difference- the Perryman group had hair. Also big hats.

The Dairy development committee? I'm guessing they failed.

[PonderInc]

That's an abomination!

What are those two fe-males doing on the The Aviation Committee?

Presumably some groups decided it was ok to include their secretaries in the official photos.

Does anybody recognize anyone from the old Planning Committee photo?

[RecycleMichael]

I speak as one of the pale, male (and stale) Tulsans.

I think it is unfair to compare a random picture of people to a picture of official boards or committees to show diversity. I feel pretty sure the official committees of the first decade of the century were very similar in makeup as those in the 1950s.

Remember that women didn't have the right to vote in the first picture and we hadn't had the civil rights movement yet in the second.

What I got out of the comparison was the fashion. In the first picture, everybody wore hats and vests. They both should make a comeback.

[GG]

Crazy womens rights thing sneaking into society apparently.  Either that or the husband has a LOT of money.

Someone had to make the coffee for the meetings. 

[PonderInc]

I speak as one of the pale, male (and stale) Tulsans.

I think it is unfair to compare a random picture of people to a picture of official boards or committees to show diversity. I feel pretty sure the official committees of the first decade of the century were very similar in makeup as those in the 1950s.

Remember that women didn't have the right to vote in the first picture and we hadn't had the civil rights movement yet in the second.

What I got out of the comparison was the fashion. In the first picture, everybody wore hats and vests. They both should make a comeback.

Also...bushy mustaches and neckerchiefs...

[Conan71]

Until William just had to wax all ethnic  I figured it was just grooming, fashion, and probabaly only one in ten in the newer photos were packing heat as opposed to eleven in eleven in the first pic.

Anyone notice the uncanny resemblance to Stanley Glanz to the chap in the middle row, 2nd from the right in the top photo?

Oh, since Steve brought it up, my little slice of Perryman/Lorton/Sanditen/Grubb bliss is a late '55 model.  My neighbor has a giant American Elm which I imagine was there well back when it was the Lorton ranch still.  Next time you drive down Yale, glance east between 27th Pl. and 27th St.  There are some brick columns which look totally out of place.  My understanding is that was the entrance to the Lorton ranch.

[Vision 2025]

My Dad was City attorney in the late 50's and Utility Board attorney for many years afterwards...I'll see who he recognizes and get back.

[waterboy]

Conan, the pillars may be the entrance to the ranch, but the aerial photos I have seen of the development in its early stages show nary a tree. You could cut it down and count the rings to be sure.

[Hoss]

Until William just had to wax all ethnic   I figured it was just grooming, fashion, and probabaly only one in ten in the newer photos were packing heat as opposed to eleven in eleven in the first pic.

Anyone notice the uncanny resemblance to Stanley Glanz to the chap in the middle row, 2nd from the right in the top photo?

Oh, since Steve brought it up, my little slice of Perryman/Lorton/Sanditen/Grubb bliss is a late '55 model.  My neighbor has a giant American Elm which I imagine was there well back when it was the Lorton ranch still.  Next time you drive down Yale, glance east between 27th Pl. and 27th St.  There are some brick columns which look totally out of place.  My understanding is that was the entrance to the Lorton ranch.

These?

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&ll=36.122186,-95.920241&spn=0,359.991744&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=36.122607,-95.922432&panoid=QVPeYka_pP3LmfFTT638_w&cbp=12,85.55,,0,6.64

[Conan71]

These?

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&ll=36.122186,-95.920241&spn=0,359.991744&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=36.122607,-95.922432&panoid=QVPeYka_pP3LmfFTT638_w&cbp=12,85.55,,0,6.64

That's the ones.  They look curiously out of place because they aren't equidistant between the two blocks and there's nothing there connecting them, no sign, plaque, etc.  I'm amazed they were never knocked down at some point in the development nor after since they really don't tie into anything.  If anything, I think they helped contribute to the shabby and run-down image Lortondale had achieved by the early 1990's.  Some of the corner houses along Yale are still sketchy.