Finished reading: Ghosts of Crook County by Russell Cobb 📚
When this came out it seemed to always get compared to Killers of the Flower Moon, which really is a disservice because while both deal with shady dealings to claim oil rights and payouts within Oklahoma during the early 20th century boom, Ghosts is a much different subject. The thing that makes this book frustrating and rewarding at the same time is the simple fact that when it comes to oil rights in the state much of the crookery came through legal means that don’t make as gripping a story as the sensational murders and violence that allowed Scorsese to make a 3 hour movie.
Ghosts deals with the legal maneuvers to secure access to allotment land for Tommy Atkins, who never existed. Yet by the end of the book numerous parties have made various claims to the allotment in an attempt to profit off the generous earnings it provided. The most prominent of those was Charles Page, the founder and benefactor of Sand Springs. While Page had the money and fame to attract attention, smaller drillers and family members also sought to stake their claim to the allotment. The Atkins case was a sensational story that attracted national attention as it touched on issues of class and race and had far too many twists and turns for anyone to keep straight, including readers of the book.