The Holiday season is a great time to celebrate our pioneering heritage. During December, the Friends of the Ferguson want to thank everyone for their support this past week. 

Plains Collective presentations

On Thursday (Dec. 4), the Plains Collective (Cheyenne and Arapaho) provided educational programs at the Ferguson Home.  The Fergusons often used the home for educational purposes.  James Black, a 1989 graduate of Watonga High School, demonstrated and discussed his art drawn on antique ledger paper. Cheyenne captives drew their stories on scrap ledger paper while detained at Ft. Marion, FL.  In addition, Wilber Bullcoming explained the significance of the detailed symbols in the Cheyenne-Arapaho legend or flag. 

Wilbur Bullcoming explains symbols of the Cheyenne/Arapaho Flag

James Black illustrates ledger art

Breakfast with Santa and Holiday Bazaar

Michelle Mendenhall reports a very good response to the breakfast with Santa held at the Noble House on Saturday morning Dec. 6.  We thank the Woodruffs for hosting and for Santa and his helpers for the unique experience www.facebook.com/fergusonhomemuseum.

On Friday Dec. 5, the Friends of the Ferguson Chapel ran a tractor-pulled trailer from Centennial Park to the Ferguson Chapel and on to the Ferguson Home. There a beautiful tree framed in the curved glass windows greeted visitors. To add cheer, One of the Friends passed out candy canes.

The Ferguson Mansion decorated and lit for holiday cheer

Also on Saturday, Dec. 6, the Ferguson Home Museum hosted a booth at the Holiday Bazaar, which is sponsored by the Home, Community, Education (HCE) clubs of Blaine County.  We appreciate all who voted (with currency) for one of the seven holiday trees on display at the Ferguson Home.  Teresa Bryan rehabilitated model of the Ferguson with beautiful holiday lights .

Teresa Bryan and Connie Burcham show the Friends of the Ferguson Booth at the Holiday Bazaar.

Edna Ferber and Cimarron

Perhaps you noticed the two DVDs on the pegboard at the Ferguson booth.  These are the 1931 and 1960 movies  “Cimarron” based on a book by Edna Ferber.  RKO studios released these movies at this time of the year, especially the 1960 version (December 1960).  Of these, Mrs. Ferguson writes in her Book “They Carried the Torch:…” “it will be remembered that some years ago when a noted New York author came to Oklahoma for material for a book and moving picture, the work of the pioneer weekly paper impressed her so deeply that the entire romance was woven about one of these papers.  She quoted many paragraphs from the early day files.” 

“The success of the book and picture is too well known to need any comment (Won the academy award for best picture in 1931).  Within the past four years I have seen copies of the book in many foreign countries, printed in many different languages.” https://fergusonhomemuseum.org/edna-ferber/

Persons in Foreign Countries are interested in pioneer Oklahoma

Thus we realize that not only in our own land but in far countries folks are interested in the romance of the pioneer newspaper” (The Watonga Republican). 

Originally published in The Watonga Republican Dec. 10, 2025