Scott Joplin in Indian Territory and Beyond, Summer 1904

Scott Joplin's only identified trip through Oklahoma occurred roughly three years and four months before Oklahoma became the 46th state. 

When I began this project, I intended to provide brief historic and ragtime context for Joplin's visit and to document the visit itself--a simple, straightforward project.  That remains a substantial portion of what appears below.

Eventually, I realized that the tour through territorial Oklahoma extended beyond the borders, altering the established Joplin timeline. For that reason, I expanded my scope.

As I pursued new ideas, I researched additional angles.  New findings led back to an unanswered question Ed Berlin asks in King of Ragtime:  Scott Joplin and His Era (2nd ed, 2016), and I will propose a possible answer to that question. Hopefully, the gradual evolution of this project has increased its significance.

Anyone wishing to read only the Joplin findings may do so by scrolling down to "The Joplins Travel Through Indian Territory."  Yes, Freddie Joplin must have accompanied her new husband on these travels.  However, the earlier material will provide a broader understanding of what the Joplins would have experienced during their travels, and I will occasionally allude to that cultural background when discussing the Joplins.

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The Context:  Territorial Oklahoma

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