OSU celebrates 125 years with historical timeline

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Oklahoma State University is celebrating its rise from a patch of prairie to a leading land-grant institution of higher education with a historical timeline marking its 125th anniversary. The responsive online feature, at timeline.okstate.edu, offers historical photos, videos and complete access to digital collections from OSU’s Edmon Low Library.

“This is a wonderful way for our alumni, students, employees, fans and anyone interested in the history of Oklahoma State to relive its rich past,” said OSU President Burns Hargis.  “I hope after people scroll through the timeline they understand the significant advances the university has contributed to the state, nation and world through its teaching, research and outreach for 125 years." 

More than 600 photos on the timeline capture several university “firsts” and include action shots of early students, campus celebrations, building projects, agricultural and academic achievements, and athletic events from OSU’s earliest days as Oklahoma Agricultural & Mechanical College.

By scrolling from year to year, the user will see the OSU campus grow from three buildings to the major land-grant university it is today. The timeline includes photos of rowdy early traditions like the annual class fight or the tug-of-wars across Theta pond. Users can also find a topic of interest by utilizing the timeline’s search feature.

“We’re excited to utilize the timeline to share photographs from our institution’s early days and give everyone a glimpse at the university’s colorful past as well as an appreciation for how far we’ve come,” said David Peters, head of Special Collections and University Archives at OSU. “Because many of the timeline captions are linked to more information, this is also a great opportunity to connect individuals with resources available through the Edmon Low Library and other university contacts.”

Brief explanations accompany the timeline photos along with links to videos, audio interviews, online documents as well as complete digital collections, such as 81 years of college yearbooks, a multi-volume centennial series and an archive of OSU’s student newspaper The Daily O’Collegian. All the videos and publications can be viewed or read online.

The interactive timeline is intended to be a ‘living archive’ for the university. Alums and others are invited to provide photos and feedback by emailing contactus@okstate.edu or calling (405) 744-6260.