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R.H. Wessel was the owner, editor, and publisher of the Frederick Enterprise / Frederick Press, and a leading citizen from the day he first came to Frederick, Oklahoma, in 1902 until his death in 1956. He is best known for his column "The Observer," for which this book is titled. He left behind a considerable legacy of his adventurous life through letters, photographs, documents, and historic files. His experiences in Lawton during the 1901 Land Lottery and the following homestead years in Frederick are covered in this book.
As a newspaperman, with a love for telling a story, his letters are an incredible documentation of life on the Oklahoma frontier, as well as his love story by mail with Margaret Scow, the bride he brought to Oklahoma after "proving up" on his homestead and obtaining his own newspaper.
About the author
R.H.'s dedication to his work brought him into contact with such figures as Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, Quanah Parker, Frank James, Helen Keller, and many more. He kept extensive records of his life because of his dream of writing a book on the early days in Oklahoma. He was busy right up until his death at age 82, and never got around to writing his book. Author Kenneth J. Peek, his great-grandson, has finally carried out R.H.'s dream.
