Article depicts the life of territorial stonemason Henry Vogel through examination of his accounts of various building projects. Brad Agnew discusses the man's upbringing, family, and the struggles he faced in Indian Territory.

Article explores the life of a frontier marshal in Oklahoma Territory through the inclusion of a log by U.S. Deputy Marshal Wiley G. Haines. Joe D. Haines, Jr. compares the actual daily life of a frontier marshal with the romantic accounts of the west that have been popularized by film and literature.

Notes and Documents column including an amended version of Oklahoma Historical Society constitution that was adopted on March 13, 1981.

Article describes the history of Cherokee settlement in the Cherokee Outlet, the subsequent selling of those lands, and the process of land allotment that occurred afterwards.

Quarterly publication containing articles, book reviews, photographs, illustrations, and other works documenting Oklahoma history and preservation. Index to volume 59 starts on page 496.

Article explores the discourse about the existence of black universities in Oklahoma after desegregation, and examines the history of one of the most prominent institutions in Oklahoma, Langston University.

Article explores the extent of historical archaeology in Oklahoma through the materials recovered from the excavation of key historic sites. Many of these Euro-American sites were trading posts and military forts.

For the Record section including the minutes of the quarterly board meeting of the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Historical Society that was held on July 29, 1981. It also includes a list honoring the donors who gave gifts to the OHS in the second quarter of 1981 and lists of new annual and new life members of the OHS from April 30 to July 29 of 1981.

Article explores the historic sites located on the Cherokee Strip as well as their origins. C. E. Metcalf describes the key landmarks on the lucrative land run, as well as they key figures who tried to settle or acquire it.

Notes and Documents column including a document listing the awards and prizes given to the best articles published by the journals of Southwest historical societies, including the Oklahoma Historical Society, the Texas State Historical Association, and the Kansas State Historical Society.

Article illustrates the construction of the Oklahoma Central Railroad, providing details about the towns it connected and the reasons why railroad company officials designed it the way they did.

Article details the old trails that traversed Osage County, providing historical context and physical description of the trails and the towns they connected. A map of these trails is included.