Coffee With Jim

In the 1920s Tulsa was a modern, growing community. It was also a city with a bloody history, a city that served as a spawning ground for some of the most vicious criminal gangs in the United States. And as with many American communities in this era it was a simmering cauldron of prejudices that was one spark away from exploding.

Near midnight on August 28, 1920, masked men barged into the Tulsa County Courthouse and held Sheriff James Woolley and his deputies at gunpoint while removing prisoner Roy Belton, aka Tom Owens, from the jail. The crowd outside the courthouse grew in number as the vigilantes drove Belton to a rural location on Southwest Boulevard—Route 66 after 1926—and hanged him from a billboard.

In this episode of 5 Minutes With Jim, we share the story of one of the most violent racial incidents in American history. 

 

He was a legend. His exploits in mapping automobile roads in the west and southwest were nothing short of extraordinary. He was also a promoter and chronicled his adventures with articles, presentations and even motion pictures. And he helped lay the foundation for what would become an American icon; Route 66. He was A L Westgard. 

On this episode of 5 Minutes With Jim we meet daring pioneers and take a road trip through time. 

5 Minutes With Jim is sponsored in part by the City of Cuba, Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn and support our crowdfunding initiative on the Patreon platform.