Creek County Ghosts: New Book Exposes Oklahoma’s Crimes Against Native Americans

(CREEK COUNTY, Okla.) The State of Oklahoma has a history rooted in greed, land theft, and unspeakable crimes–many of which the perpetrators have never been held accountable for.

Tulsa's fame as an oil city hides a darker side of history, one in which European-American settlers exploited Native Americans' land allotments for personal wealth. A new book by Russell Cobb sheds light on how Charles Page, a prominent historical figure in Oklahoma, built his fortune on the allotment of a Native American child–who never actually existed.

Cobb, a professor, journalist, and author, delves into the story in his new book, Ghosts of Crook County: An Oil Fortune, a Phantom Child, and the Fight for Indigenous Land. Focusing on a single case, Cobb reveals what life was like in northeastern Oklahoma during the oil boom.

“Northeastern Oklahoma, when oil was discovered, is like three worlds really colliding in a way that I don't think has really been accurately represented,” he said. “So, focusing on this one case was a way to tell the story of those three worlds colliding through characters that lived and breathed, were complicated, had interesting lives.”

The book was officially released on October 8th, the result of seven years of Cobbs’s research. He said he first became interested in the case of Tommy Atkins after discovering the child’s connection to Charles Page and his wealth.

“I went and got the biography of Charles Page, A Fools Enterprise,” said Cobb. “I turned to this page, and there's a whole chapter on Tommy Atkins–the Tommy Atkins case–and I read that, and I was like, ‘Interesting…so, Charles Page went and hunted [for] this woman who became really wealthy…’ She was the mother of Tommy Atkins, but it was really contested."

This discovery led Cobb to the National Archives, where he uncovered extensive records on the case.

"When it came to Tommy Atkins, there were boxes and boxes, carts and carts, just on this one case,” Cobb noted. “That really got me–I was like, ‘Wow, I'm really onto something here.’”

Charles Page has long been celebrated in Oklahoma, receiving honors like induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Historical Society Hall of Fame. He was also known for his philanthropy and economic development work in Sand Springs.

Cobb’s book paints a different picture of Page. 

Although Page had enemies in his lifetime and some were aware of his darker side, much of that history was buried after his death.

“Sometimes…we do good work on one side, and we do terrible things on the other,” explained Cobb. “Without giving away too much, I think that's Charles Page. The difference with Page is that side that had terrible consequences for people–that side that ruined lives, that side that manipulated and created falsehoods in court, in the legal system, in the government, for the Creek Nation–even in the federal government, that part has never been seen. It's never been discussed.”

Cobb’s book also touches on a painful chapter of history well-known to Indigenous people in Oklahoma.

“We know that white men built fortunes and empires on the backs [of] Indigenous land, but this is like they built an empire and wealth on the back of a fake Indigenous person,” he said. “He basically created an Indigenous person to do what he wanted to do and the federal government [and] the state government allowed him and encouraged him to do it.”

Cobb says his goal in writing the book was to present history in a relatable, factual way, telling a story that would interest readers both in and outside of Oklahoma.

“It's a national story,” he noted. “It involves the highest levels of government–the president, the FBI, the director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover. All of them were involved in this case at some point." 

Cobb will be promoting his book at various events across Oklahoma over the next week.

Upcoming Events:

October 17: Zarrow Regional Library, Tulsa - 6:00 PM

October 18: Heirloom Ales, Tulsa - 7:00 PM

October 19: Del City Library - 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

October 20: Oklahoma City Downtown Library - 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

October 21: Tulsa Historical Society - 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM