Twentieth-Century Oklahoma: Reflections on the Forty-Sixth State by Richard Lowitt (review)

In Twentieth-Century Oklahoma, Richard Lowitt presents a collection of eleven articles on a variety of Oklahoma topics. Despite focusing on Oklahoma, Lowitt's articles address themes important to the study of the Great Plains and the West: regionalism, Native American self-determination, water rights, race, farm crisis, and public-land usage. Lowitt's researchis informative and engaging as he tackles important larger issues from an Oklahoma perspective.

The first three chapters address topics of interest to historians of Oklahoma. The first chapter discusses the emergence of the University of Oklahoma as a repository for regional culture. The second chapter examines the relationship between two of Oklahoma's most important historians—E. E. Dale and Angie Debo. The third chapter, "Environment and Cultural Ecology," is an encyclopedic introduction meant for a general audience. These chapters, though fascinating, appeal mostly to an audience focused on Oklahoma.

The second group of chapters covers topics of interest to a wider audience because of the connections to larger historical questions. In these chapters, Lowitt examines the failed expansion of Fort Sill in the 1950s, self-determination in Indian health, the Kaw Dam project, the Grand River Authority, the Oklahoma City garbage strike, and the farm crisis of the 1970s and 1980s. The most prevalent theme in these chapters is the growth of the federal bureaucracy in Oklahoma after World War II.

The last two chapters are political biographies of Senator Mike Monroney and Representative Mike Synar. Lowitt portrays Monroney as a conservative self-described Wilsonian-Democrat overshadowed by contemporary politicians Senator Robert Kerr and Governor Henry Bellmon. Monroney's major accomplishments were the expansion of the aviation industry in Oklahoma and the International Development Association. The chapter on Congressman Mike Synar discusses the battle over grazing leases on public lands in the 1980s and 1990s. Synar attacked "welfare cowboys"—large ranches owned by oil companies, insurance companies, doctors, and lawyers—that took advantage of taxpayers by paying significantly less than fair market price to graze their herds on public domain. Though Synar lost his reelection bid before the fight concluded, he brought national attention to the issue, prompting the Department of the Interior to raise fees in 2000.

The variety in topics is the book's biggest strength and weakness. Lowitt navigates different topics with deft analysis and quality research. For example, the chapters on the farm crisis and grazing rights have wide appeal to scholars of the Great Plains as these articles illuminate larger issues from an Oklahoma perspective. The first three articles, however, have limited appeal to anyone not interested specifically in Oklahoma history. Twentieth-Century Oklahoma will serve as an excellent auxiliary reader for an Oklahoma history course. The book also has merit for any reader looking to learn about important questions using Oklahoma as a test case.