Chilocco Indian Agricultural School Bands

The National Archives Record Group 75 school guide identifies Chilocco Indian School records spanning 1884-1980 among the Oklahoma holdings.

The Chilocco Indian School brass band had begun a tour of the territory by June 1902.

The Oklahoma Historical Society catalog describes a Chilocco Indian School band photograph associated with the band’s 1904 World’s Fair trip; the image capture date itself is not established.

The Chilocco Indian Band was listed for music, procession, and march on the Oklahoma Day program at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.

The February 1911 Indian School Journal's News at Chilocco section names A. M. Venne as band master, says he is bringing his group of musicians along, and says the usual summer concerts in the open will again be a feature of Chilocco summer life.

The October 1911 Indian School Journal's News at Chilocco section states that the new Chilocco bandstand was completed and ready to be christened and dedicated.

The October 1911 Indian School Journal reports that the Chilocco choir had 32 members and made excellent music at services; the same passage notes continuing music activity and improving sing-jog practice.

The February 1911 Indian School Journal identifies A. M. Venne as Chilocco band master and says he was bringing his group of musicians for the school’s summer concerts.

The May 1913 Indian School Journal states that instrumental music was taught to Chilocco students with talent.

The May 1913 Indian School Journal reports that the 1913 Chilocco cross-country race consisted of seven troops of ten boys each and was won by the band boys.

A public Chilocco finding aid reportedly lists a 1936 band-concert program in the school-event-programs material, Folder 3.

The 1937–1938 Chilocco employee roster identifies Aagot Marie Knudsen as Band Leader and Josephine White as a school music teacher.

The Chilocco band was invited to Arkansas City, Kansas, to participate in a May 1937 parade honoring the Kansas governor alongside school, municipal, military, and veterans’ bands.

The 1938 senior-achievement pages preserve bounded student affiliations with Band and Orchestra, Dance Orchestra, Choir, Glee Club, and Sextette, including Joseph Bruner, Harlan D. Bushyhead, Joe Fish, Joe Fleming, N. C. Gladd, Joe Grayson, Clem Griffin, George Gritts, Houston Hair, John D. Isaac, Void Jenkins, Calvin Jones, Alfred LeClaire, Edward Phillips, George Reed, DeRoy Skinner, John Tommaney, Luchan West, Perry Woolridge, Audie Curtis, Florita Fleming, Maxine Manatowa, Leola McGilbra, Hazel Palmer, Charlotte Peacore, Nina Mae Sealy, Lucille Smith, and Ula Mae Taylor.

The 1938 annual's class reflection explicitly includes music among the social activities remembered by the senior class, alongside parties, sports, and clubs.

The 1939 Chilocco employee roster identifies Hermann A. Kunkel as Band Leader and Frances Mengel as Assistant (Indian) Music Teacher.

The 1939 senior pages preserve bounded music affiliations and activities, including Band, Band and Orchestra, Orchestra, Choir, Boys' Quartette, Girls' Trio, piano, guitar, saxophone, trap-drum, and singing references for named students such as Lewis Berryhill, Gerald Burnette, Elliott Howe, Jack Riddle, Clifford Sands, Leo Skinner, Joseph Williams, David Wright, Lola Burgess, Frances McIntosh, Margaret Lonewolfe, and Virginia Scritchfield.

The 1939 annual states that Elliott Howe represented Chilocco in an NBC broadcast from Kansas City, Missouri, and describes him as a radio performer.

The visible NARA extraction for the 1940 Chiloccan identifies Webster Alford, Robert Anderson, John Howe, Richard Griffin, Isaiah Williams, and Thomas Miller with Band and Orchestra affiliations.

The 1944 Chiloccoan dedication describes Miss Flodelle Dyer as a teacher of vocal music at Chilocco since 1940, a Southeastern Teacher's College graduate, and a professional pianist who performed as accompanist and soloist; it credits her with training students of vocal music for campus activities.

The 1942 Chiloccoan employee roster identifies Mr. Henry S. Williston as Band Leader. The annual's education section says music had become more meaningful for maintaining morale and providing relaxation and recreation during wartime.

The 1942 Chiloccoan senior directory visibly records students in music organizations, including Evelyn Jean Anderson (Orchestra), Faye Brown (Orchestra, Glee Club, Choir), Christine Jefferson (Orchestra), Nadine Lewis (Choir, Orchestra, and Band), Elizabeth Scott (Band and Orchestra), Ethleen Smith (Orchestra), and George Thomas (Band and Orchestra).

The 1942 Chiloccoan transcription states that Girls' Council and the Girls' Chorus, assisted by Miss Dyer, presented the story of the Nativity for Christmas Vespers; it also says many seniors appeared in the patriotic pageant `America The Beautiful`, directed by their music teacher Miss Dyer.

The 1943 Chiloccoan senior profiles identify Bernice Bearbow, Andrew J. Griffin, Jack Le Clair, Clifford Ott, and Lucy Wade in Band and Orchestra.

The 1943 Chiloccoan employee roster identifies Robert M. Hollowell as Band Leader.

The conclusion of the 1943 Chiloccoan describes photographs of the Chilocco Band at practice.

The 1944 Chiloccoan states that the Chilocco Band, under Mr. Henry Williston, made appearances at athletic events, programs, and assemblies. It says the Concert Orchestra included many of the same members and others, played for special programs and worship services, and combined with the band for the annual Spring Concert.

The 1944 Chiloccoan extraction lists instrumental-group officers Don Robertson as president, Harold Chatkey as vice president, Iomagene Plunkett as secretary, and Watie Pickens as reporter.

The 1944 Chiloccoan states that the Chilocco Choir was under Miss Flodelle Dyer, vocal music instructor; was a composite of the Church Choir, A Cappella Choir, and Mixed Chorus; appeared at regular Sunday Vesper Services, Christmas Pageants, Easter Services, and the annual Spring Concert; and awarded a music-appreciation pin after three years of choir membership.

The 1945 Chiloccoan states that Chilocco maintained a school band and orchestra. Its extracted band-section text says membership in Band and Orchestra was open to students according to talent, and that the organizations provided special numbers for programs, gave concerts, and played for special occasions.

The 1945 Chiloccoan extracted band-section text names Mr. Henry Williston as director and presents a Chilocco band roster. The same annual's senior-class profiles identify students with Band or Band and Orchestra affiliations, including Fannie Ben, Annie Ben, Sallie Bruner, Ben Colbert, Nancy McMillan, Florence Perkins, Don Robertson, Bernice Sockey, Joseph Villerreal, Nathaniel Wildcat, and Philip Thorpe.

The 1945 Chiloccoan extraction separately identifies Chilocco Choir, Girls' Sextet, and Chilocco Orchestra alongside the Chilocco Band, and lists band/orchestra participation in student profiles. These are related school ensembles and are not merged into a single canonical band identity.

The 1946 Chiloccoan states that music courses were open to freshmen and identifies Miss Flodelle Dyer as director of the Chilocco Choir. The visible extraction describes the choir as the largest choral group on campus and gives a bounded composition of 34 sopranos, 20 altos, and 25 baritones; it also refers to musical numbers by the choir and Girls' Chorus.

The 1946 annual preserves a bounded Chilocco Choir caption with numerous named students, including Leola Butts, Charlene Mintz, Bonnie Folsom, Tommy Bluford, Wilhelmina Crye, Virginia Feathers, Ruth James, Lucille Green, Margaret Nelson, Betty Cooper, Ada Cerre, Frances Cheadle, Geraldine Smith, William Bean, Nathaniel Davis, and other pictured participants.

The 1946 senior-class pages preserve bounded affiliations across Band and Orchestra, Choir, Girls' Chorus, Boys' Chorus, Boys' Glee Club, and Sextet, including entries for Zelma Collins, Lucille Green, Nathaniel Davis, Ruth James, James Milam, James Porter, Billy Quinn, Allie Rhea, Geraldine Smith, Lois Ruth Vale, Leona Williford, and Trent Tilley.

The 1947 Chiloccoan identifies the Chilocco Choir as a vocal-music organization furnishing special music for Sunday Vesper Services and other programs. It describes the choir as part of a 150-voice mixed chorus from which the girls' chorus, boys' chorus, girls' sextet, and boys' quartet were formed, all directed by Miss Flodelle Dyer. The groups also supported community programs, presented a radio program over KSOK of Arkansas City, and presented an American-history pageant and the spring operetta `And It Rained` during Commencement Week.

The 1947 Chiloccoan identifies the Chilocco Orchestra as an extracurricular activity for students able or willing to learn instruments. It records appearances at special parties, regular assemblies, plays, amateur programs, and Commencement Week events; a separate dance group; and a bounded instrumental roster: saxophones by Benny Arkeketa, Edward Chotkey, Lavona Burgess, and Emerydean Eades; trumpets by Richard Whitehorn, Dyton Goad, and Elmer Taylor; trombones by Bill King and Nathaniel Wildcat; drums by Joyce Nelson; guitar by Josephine Pittman; piano by Sue Ann Bear; bass violin by Carmen Switch and Rayson Going; and violin by director Mr. Frank Whitetree.

The 1947 Chiloccoan states that the `Clodhoppers` string band had four sophomore members—Andie Studie, Neil Gourd, Aaron Crittenden, and Tommy Johnson—and that they appeared in a number of broadcasts over WBBZ. It also notes freshman students Jess Foreman and Aaron Grigsby appearing over WBBZ with the Chilocco Clodhoppers string band.

The 1947 senior and class passages visibly associate students with Chilocco music groups, including named students in Choir, Girls' Chorus, Band, Band and Orchestra, the Triple Trio, or school orchestra; the sophomore passage specifically names Jo Ann McMillan, Sue Ann Bean, Alvin Jackson, Lindy Jackson, and Dyton Goad as members of the school orchestra and Wilda Tahmahkera, Joyce Nelson, and Amelia Ross in the Triple Trio.

The 1948 Chiloccan music page identifies Dee L. Gregory as instructor in instrumental music for Band and Orchestra and Flodelle Dyer as instructor in vocal music for Choir, Chorus, and Special Groups. It states that regular instrumental and vocal music classes were held and that the Girls' Senior and Junior Sextettes, Orchestra, Boys Chorus, Girls' Chorus, Band, Mixed Chorus, Choir, Swing Band, and other groups supplied entertainment throughout the year.

The 1948 senior-class pages preserve bounded music-related affiliations, including Benjamin Arkeketo and Charles LeClair with Band and Orchestra; Ada Mae Cerre with Choir, Girls' Chorus, and Sextette; Jerry Elizabeth Cox with Sextette, Chorus, and Choir; Henryetta Beaver with Orchestra; and numerous additional Choir, Chorus, and Sextette entries.

The 1948 music page includes a bounded pictured group caption naming Lindy Jackson, John Vole, Henry Hendrickson, Lou Burgess, Esther Wano, Mr. Gregory, Ottis Wesley, and Betsy Washington.

A later student-activities page associates Dee L. Gregory with Band and Orchestra and refers to the Chilocco Music Makers.

The 1950 Chiloccoan identifies music as part of the total educational program, providing programs throughout the year. It names Mr. Dee Gregory as Band Director and Miss Flodelle Dyer as Teacher of Vocal Music. The instrumental-music passage says the school provided music theory and instrumental instruction and that students could become part of the band or orchestra group; the vocal-music passage identifies active choir, mixed chorus, girls' sextet, and boys' quartet organizations with campus and community participation.

The 1950 vocal-music section captions the Girls Sextet as Deedee Barker, Lucille Charles, Esther James, Frances Choate, Claudine Williford, and Betty Jo Smith. The Mixed Chorus caption names Deedee Barker, Alvene Wilson, Claudine Williford, Esther James, Elizabeth Betsey, Marjorie Lasley, Betty Francis, Lucille Charles, Frances Choate, Naomi Leadingfox, Morris Dyer, Bill Jessie, Charles Underwood, John Davis, Ben Deere, Cowena Bruner, and Betty Jo Smith.

The 1950 Chiloccoan captions a Chilocco Band image with named participants including John Guoladdle, William Yazzie, Tom Senjikenny, Otti Wesley, James Cook, Cowena Bruner, Julia Pryor, Daniel Gray, Ona Mae Shawnee, Barbara Waldon, Beulah Connell, Athena Fuson, Mildred Ross, Leah Bear, Fannie Mae Harjo, Jo Martha Hair, Quanah Kay Topetchy, Wilene Galey, Catherine Cunningham, Lorene Cotanny, Samuel White, Henry Hendrickson, David Neal, Naomi Leadingfox, Janie Schell, Lucille Thompson, DeWah Allen, Emerydean Eades, Raymond Rodgers, Lewis Otipoby, Brian LeClair, Linnie Mae Fuson, Phyllis Jeunesse, Virginia Snell, Victor Childers, and Lillie Morrell as drum major. The separate Chilocco Choir caption names a larger pictured group including Lucille Charles, Deedee Barker, Esther James, Claudine Williford, Betty Jo Smith, Frances Choate, Annie Ruth Ripley, Cheneya Berryhill, Kyle Carterby, Ben Deere, Janie Samuels, Paula Jo Cedar, Alvene Wilson, Olivia Warrior, Kathryn McLemore, Eleanor Whitestar, Emerydean Eades, Henry Walker, Lewis Otipoby, Naomi Leadingfox, Cowena Sue Bruner, Elizabeth Betsey, Betty Mae Francis, Edna Williams, Marjorie Lasley, William Jessie, Raymond Rodgers, Jerry McGilbra, Morris Dyer, Charles Underwood, Rowena Riddles, Blanche Howe, Lena Porter, Bonnie Kate Bell, Rosamond Wano, Vivian Thompson, Edna Porter, Lorene Pittman, Mollie Vann, and John Davis.

The 1953 annual calendar records Band to the Oklahoma City State Fair on September 20, 1952; Bacone Mixed Chorus at Chilocco on November 11, 1952; Christmas Vesper Services on December 14, 1952; a Special Band Concert on March 26, 1953; a Good Friday Choir Concert on April 3, 1953; the operetta Jerry of Jericho Road on May 22, 1953; and a Band Concert on May 24, 1953.

The 1953 Chiloccan identifies Mr. Wilfred G. Stocks as Band Director and lists Omega July as drum majorette, Thomas Harjo as president, Marion Cunningham as secretary-treasurer, Emma Jean Hendricks as historian, George England as reporter, and Juanita Bean as librarian. It describes a Stocks-directed Dance Band that practiced weekly, experimented with Hit Parade selections, and played swing and jazz for school parties and socials; Annie Ruth Ripley and Dee L. Gregory are listed as members not pictured.

The 1953 annual preserves a bounded band photograph caption and states that the school band had more than 57 activities during the year, including references to the American Indian Exposition in Anadarko, clinics at Tulsa and Stillwater, a Pawnee band contest, the Guthrie 89'ers celebration, the Oklahoma City State Fair, and other school or regional appearances.

The 1953 Chilocco Choir page identifies Miss Flodelle Dyer as Director of Vocal Music and describes the choir as 44 girls and boys from grades 10 through 12, with occasional ninth-grade members. It identifies the choir as the nucleus of campus vocal groups and associates it with campus, off-campus, and local-church programs, an Easter sacred concert, an alternating-year operetta, Christmas/Vesper activity, and commencement-time music.

The 1953 choir page lists Dan Williams as president, Emmitt Bean as vice president, Leonard Ross as librarian, and Annie Ruth Ripley as accompanist. The Girls' Sextet caption names Clara Pittman, Teresa Wahpepah, Zelma Warrior, Edith Wesley, Charlotte Warrior, and Martha Tims, with Ella Collier and Mary Grimmet as alternates not pictured.

An alumni recollection in the 1953 annual remembers Charley Chewey and the Clodhoppers' Band as a hillbilly-music group and says the band later replaced Leon McAuliffe on KVOO in Tulsa, with Mary Ann Cochran and Carol Grigsby as soloists.

The 1954 Chiloccan identifies Mr. Wilfred Guy Stocks as Instructor of Instrumental Music and Director of Marching and Dance Bands.

The 1954 annual preserves a bounded band photograph caption with numerous named participants and a separate Dance Band caption naming Maurine McCarty, Vinola Cerre, Juanita Bean, Velma Faw Faw, Robert Hughes, John Vice, Jeff Creekkiller, Harley Terrell, Johnny Bruner, Omega July, Thelma McDonald, and Alice Jo Bacon.

The 1954 annual identifies Miss Flodelle Dyer as Instructor of Vocal Music and Director of Choir, Girls' Double Quartet, and other choral groups. It preserves a large choir caption and a Girls' Double Quartet caption naming Teresa Wahpepah, Gayle Foster, Martha Jean Tims, Mary Grimmett, Heawatha Mary Jo Collier, Donna Jones, Loretta Fife, and Maxine Little.

The 1954 annual includes bounded student music affiliations, including Mary Etta Jones as a Band member, Martha Jane Fixico as an active Band member, and Heawatha Mary Jo Collier in the Choir and Girls' Double Quartet.

The visible 1967 Chiloccan OCR presents separate CHILOCCO CHOIR, CHILOCCO BAND, and ORCHESTRA sections. The band-officer passage names Margey Bell as president, Arthur Dale as vice-president, Eva Carroll as secretary, Daisy Etsitty as reporter, Joe Goudy as reporter, Owen Sapulpa as property manager, and Herbert Benally as property manager; the choir-officer passage names Martha Lee as president, Rose Reed as secretary, Loretta Preacher as librarian, Freida Homeratha as reporter, Bill Carson as co-robe chairman, and Darrell Cline as vice-president.

The visible 1967 OCR includes a pictured Chilocco Band with a large named student group and a separate Orchestra section with pictured students and Mr. William Standifer. The orchestra caption visibly includes Helen Yazzie, Johnny Descheny, Karen Haymond, Valerie Sollars, Betty Hart, Diane Carr, Shirley Bruce, Verdie Willis, Simon Eagle, Roger Pierre, Alfred Stewart, Martha Choo, Marlene Bedoni, Virginia Ives, Joyce Whitely, Minnie Emerson, Ruth Maryboy, Harry Whitehouse, Francis Haskan, Tony Shorty, and Clifford Marceau, with additional OCR-unclear text in the caption.

The 1967 Chiloccan senior pages visibly associate named students with Musicians Club, Band, and Choir, including Minnie Emerson (Musicians Club), Daisy Etsitty (Band), Mae Alice Luna (Choir), and Lorraine Claw (Choir).

The 1971 Chiloccoan extraction states that the choir performed in concert with the band at Riverside School and that the orchestra also toured with the choir and band.

The 1971 Chiloccoan extraction says students played violins, cellos, and bass in the orchestra/string section and that several guitars had been added to the strings section that year.

The 1971 Chiloccoan extraction reports that Louis Bollard held a four-day workshop at Chilocco, introduced Indian songs that were added to the choir repertoire, and gave soloists individual help before a Christmas Concert.

The 1973 Chiloccoan documents the Chilocco band during a winter Pops concert.

Miss Gwen Johnson conducts the band during the winter Pops concert and teaches strings, including guitar, at Chilocco.

Floyd Marshall is identified as a band president and guest conductor in the 1973 Chiloccoan.

Joe Vasquez is identified as drum major and Andy Vasquez as drummer in the 1973 Chiloccoan.

The 1973 Chiloccoan roster lists Debbie Deony, Phyllis Henry, Naomi Savage, John Bennett, Kenton Wheeler, Jon Batten, Sonny Ortiz, Lena Beard, Sandy Olguin, Edwina Olguin, Darrell Bell, Tammy McGlashin, Andy Vasquez, Walter Fields, Charles Shanta, Russell Cooper, Henry Rhodd, and Floyd Marshall.

Phyllis Henry is identified as a band member and saxophone soloist in the 1973 Chiloccoan.

The 1980 Chiloccoan identifies itself as the final copy of the Chilocco Indian School yearbook and states that the Chilocco school light would be extinguished in June 1980. This supplies an institutional endpoint for the annual sequence, not a claim that all music activity ended on that date.

The 1980 Chiloccoan OCR includes a CHORUS page with the school song `O Chilocco, School of Beauty`, describing Chilocco as a school standing on the broad prairies and looking toward the future. The page preserves a late-period school-song/choral reference associated with the annual.

The 1980 Chiloccoan OCR includes a page caption titled THE NAVAJO QUARTET. The caption does not provide a readable member list in the visible extraction, so the entry is retained only as a bounded related-ensemble reference.