Angie Debo - Stillwater, OK
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Max and 99
N 36° 06.569 W 097° 03.738
14S E 674408 N 3997829
Sculpture of Oklahoma native and historian Angie Debo
Waymark Code: WMA5R9
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 11/21/2010
Views: 11
This long-overdue statue of Angie Debo is located at the entrance to the Stillwater Public Library, at the southwest corner of the building. The plaque at the site explains her connection to Stillwater, and why this city chose to display a sculpture of her.
Angie is sitting on a large flat rock, with books at her side. She is wearing a skirt and blazer, and is looking to her right, with a slight smile on her face.
37 Tribal Seals are imbedded into the circular base around the sculpture. Each one of them is worth stopping to read and look at since they are all so unique.
Text on plaque:
Angie Debo
January 30, 1890/Beatie, Kansas
February 21, 1988/Enid, Oklahoma
B.A. (History) University of Oklahoma 1918
M.A. (International Relations) University of Oklahoma 1924
Ph.D. (History) University of Oklahoma 1933
Angie Elbertha Debo came to Oklahoma Territory in a covered wagon at age 9. Marshall, near Stillwater, was her home. From 1924-1933 Angie Debo taught at West Texas State Teachers College and from 1933-1934 she was Curator of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas.
After 1934 she devoted herself in a courageous search for truth, writing what became carefully documented, powerfully written influential histories of Native American tribal experiences in Oklahoma. Other important books celebrated and illuminated Oklahoma itself.
"Oklahoma is more than just another state. It is a lens in which the long rays of time are focused into the brightest of light. In its magnifying clarity, dim facets of the American character stand more clearly revealed." Oklahoma: Foot-Loose and Fancy-Free, 1949
From 1935 until her death in 1988 Angie Debo lived in Marshall with frequent visits to the A&M College Library in Stillwater. While occasionally teaching history at the College, her passion was for long, uninterrupted periods of research and writing. Oklahoma A&M College (1947-1955) provided her with a large quiet library office where her title was "Curator of Maps" and her duty was to write books.
After retirement from Oklahoma A&M College she continued coming to Stillwater to research and write. As a lecturer and advocate, Angie Debo fought for civil rights, civil liberties and the treaty rights of Native Americans.
Selected Books
The Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic, 1934.
And Still the Waters Run: The Betrayal of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1940.
Oklahoma: A Guide to the Sooner State, 1941 (Co-Editor).
The Road to Disappearance: A History of the Creek Indians, 1941.
Prairie City: The Story of an American Community, 1944.
Oklahoma: Foot-Loose and Fancy-Free, 1949.
A History of the Indians of the United States, 1970.
Geronimo: The Man, His Time, His Place, 1976.
Dedicated 2010
Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.