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Bookplate Index by Library or Collector |
Woolaroc Lodge, University of Oklahoma The bookplate of Frank Phillips's Woolaroc Lodge in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, dates from the 1920s. Created for the private library of millionaire Oklahoma oilman Frank Phillips, co-founder of the Phillips Petroleum Company, this bookplate symbolizes the rich heritage of the land on which Phillips lived and made his fortune. The large 11 x 16 1/2 centimeters plate depicts an American Indian buffalo hunt scene, which represents the cultural foundation of many of the Plains Indian tribes of Oklahoma. The etched figures and bold text are complemented by simple scrolls in the form of the letter "W" and the Frank Phillips ranch brand, "FP." The unusual rustic styling of the bookplate reflects Phillips's affinity for the aesthetic charm of the American West.Frank Phillips (1873-1950) became known as the "king of the oilfield wildcatters" after founding the highly successful Phillips Petroleum Company in 1917. Woolaroc is the showy 3,600 acre ranch complex Phillips built in 1925 to serve as one of his private homes and as a ranch retreat for his business associates. The ranch is situated deep in the Osage Hills of northeastern Oklahoma and is named for the woods, lakes, and rocks which form its surrounding landscape. It includes the log cabin lodge, a forty thousand-square-foot art museum, the Y-Indian Guide Center, and a game preserve. The interior of the lodge is lavishly decorated with leather, iron, and wooden furniture, accented by many colorful Navajo rugs and blankets. The lodge also boasts an extensive animal head and horn collection, which includes zebras, camels, and a rhinoceros, as well as the longest recorded set of steer horns, at nine feet, ten inches in length. During the 1920s Oklahoma was still considered to be "the Wild West," and the New York bankers, business tycoons, and industrialists Phillips brought to Woolaroc were thrilled to experience the excitement of frontier life. Some of Woolaroc's more notable guests included Will Rogers, Harry Truman, E. I. Du Pont, Sir Thomas Lipton, and Herbert Hoover. The flamboyant Phillips endeavored to make his guests' visits as exciting as possible, often arranging events at which easterners could socialize with Indians, outlaws, and cowboys. One such event was the annual Cow Thieves and Outlaws Reunion at which hundreds of Osage Indians, cowboys, cow thieves, and western outlaws gathered for a celebration at the Frank Phillips Ranch. All guests were required to check their guns at the door, and local sheriffs agreed not to pursue any wanted outlaws until twenty-four hours after the party. Phillips also entertained his east coast guests with game hunts on his preserve of 750 wild animals, including buffalo, elk, and Sika deer. Phillips liked to impress the politicians, millionaires, and socialites who came to visit, not only because it aided in creating powerful business relationships, but also because Phillips also took great pride in showing off the colorful western culture of Oklahoma.
Frank Phillips's interest in preserving Oklahoma culture did not
end with Woolaroc. Phillips was in the process of building a large
collection of Oklahoma-related published works for the Woolaroc library
when in 1927 he was approached by Edward E. Dale, professor of history at
the University of Oklahoma. Like Phillips, Dale wished to create an
Oklahoma Collection. Dale solicited the aid of Frank Phillips, and
persuaded him that Phillips's collection should be housed at the
University of Oklahoma, where it could be readily accessed by students of
Oklahoma history. Phillips consented, and on 5 April 1927, entered into a
contract with University of Oklahoma President William B. Bizzell to
establish a western history collection at the university. Phillips's
funding of this collection was essential to its creation. Today this
library is known as the Western History Collections and has grown to
include over sixty thousand published volumes, more than four hundred
thousand photographic images, and approximately thirty-four million
historic manuscripts. The core collection of published works has retained
its title as the Frank Phillips Collection, and several hundred of these
works still bear the historic Woolaroc Lodge bookplate. Kristina L. Southwell Cherokee
Nation Papers Project The University of Oklahoma
[Originally published in Libraries & Culture, vol. 31, nos. 3 & 4 Summer/Fall 1996): 656-658.] |
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