Cherokee Romeo & Puritan Juliet – Podcast
Our epic new OKLAHOMA GOLD! podcast introduces you to two of Oklahoma’s greatest heroes and founding “grandparents,” the Cherokee Romeo and Puritan Juliet, Elias Boudinot and Harriett Gold. He barely saw Oklahoma and she never did, yet their mark on us endures today, not least through the towering love they shared that overcame dangerous and powerful obstacles.
Join John and KTOK/iHeartRadio star Gwin Faulconer-Lippert for a story of love, loss, and unvanquishable faith. It’s the 52nd original episode of our weekly OKLAHOMA GOLD! radio program and podcast. Go HERE to listen to them all! Future episodes explore more great heroes, events, and movements of Oklahoma History.
The mighty Elias Boudinot. His legacy, co-crafted by his first wife Harriett Ruggles Gold, the great love of his life, demonstrates how in the long view of history, one person, though imperfect and fraught with conflict, did and can shape the destiny of Oklahoma for the better in a comprehensive fashion affecting every part of an individual’s and a people’s life.
Harriett Gold. “We have vowed, and our vows are heard in heaven,” she declared. “Color is nothing to me; his soul is as white as mine; he is a Christian, and ever since I embraced religion I have been praying that God would open a door for me to be a missionary, and this is the way.” Though she never set foot in Oklahoma, her stainless Christian testimony and the deeds of her surviving family members helped shape the state even into the 21st Century.
To Marry an Indian: The Marriage of Harriett Gold and Elias Boudinot in Letters, 1823-1839, edited by Theresa Strouth. It contains the letters of Harriett Gold and Elias Boudinot during their dramatic interracial courtship.
Son of Elias and Harriet Gold Boudinot, who became a leader among the Cherokees, a soldier and their delegate to the Confederate Congress during the War Between the States, and the pioneer whose eloquent voice birthed the nationwide Boomer movement that led to Oklahoma statehood.
Many thanks to Atwoods Ranch and Home, a farm and ranch supply company based in Enid, Oklahoma, for their support of the Red River Institute of History and OKLAHOMA GOLD! Please support them as you are able! Wherever you are, you can order online from thousands of quality products on their terrific website HERE. Atwoods also has 66 stores in 5 states: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. In addition to farm and ranch supplies, Atwoods stores sell clothing, lawn and garden items, tools, hardware, automotive supplies, sporting goods, pet supplies, firearms, and seasonal items.
