Jennie Harris Oliver

Class of
1935
Jennie Harris Oliver

Jennie Harris Oliver

“Oh do not seek this red land, unless it be for staying.”
Jennie Oliver

Biography

Popular early twentieth century writer-poet Jennie Harris Oliver was born in Michigan and became a school teacher at the age of sixteen. She moved to Kansas in 1891 and came to Fallis, Oklahoma, in 1892. Here she began to “peck out” her first story on a borrowed typewriter on ironed-out wrapping paper, and sold it to Munsey’s Magazine for $10. She sold The Music and the Dream for $175, which became part of the famous “Mokey Delano” series, later filmed by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. Mrs. Oliver was named Oklahoma’s Poet Laureate in 1939 and her book, Red Earth, was published by friends as a memorial to her life and work as one of Oklahoma’s finest early day authors and poets.

Fun fact

Jennie Harris Oliver enjoyed international acclaim and often received overwhelming numbers of fan mail and visitors who sought her out for advice and encouragement in the area of writing.

Oklahoma connections

Oliver moved to Fallis in Logan County, Oklahoma, as a teacher in 1892.

Hometown

Fallis

Profession

Author

Presenter

Born

1864

Died

1942
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