What I've learned

Jason Collington, a veteran Tulsa World journalist recently inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, gave me some homework. He asked me to reflect on what I’ve learned, writing about Tulsa. You can—and should—subscribe to his Collington Index newsletter.

I’ve been on the road for approximately 2,892 miles over the last two weeks, researching an archive in Wyoming, retracing my ancestor’s steps in Salt Lake, visiting family in California, and now back in Alberta, and my home institution. So, I had a lot of time to think and reflect. Here’s what I told Jason.

I never take stories at face value, especially if they are about Tulsa. I learned that the true story is often wilder and more interesting than the lore that gets circulated. My book about Charles Page and how he concocted a fictional child is a good example.