OCHS Unveils Oklahoma Conservation History Photography Exhibit

OCHS President Ben Pollard inspects the conservation history exhibit on display at the Oklahoma state agriculture building, January 18, 2024.

The Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society (OCHS) is proud to unveil a photographic exhibit of the history of soil and water conservation in Oklahoma told through images from the OCHS Photography Collection.

From 2018 to 2023, OCHS partnered with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Oklahoma conservation districts to preserve historic photographs kept in file cabinets, back offices, and storage rooms across the state.

Through an agreement with the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS), the original prints are now archived at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. Digital versions are available online through the Gateway to Oklahoma History website.

The collection contains approximately 12,000 unique images from all 77 counties that document the work of Oklahoma's conservation professionals protecting the state's soil and water resources over six decades.

This exhibit features ten panels pairing selected photographs with explanatory text placing each image in its historical context. It covers the period from the 1920s to the 1970s — spanning the origins of soil conservation in Oklahoma, the establishment of the conservation partnership in the 1930s, the growth of the small watershed program in the 1940s, the widespread adoption of conservation practices on the Great Plains in the 1950s, the benefits of conservation seen in the 1960s, and the changing role of conservation in the community during the 1970s.

Part of the OCHS conservation history photography exhibit on display at the Oklahoma state agriculture building, January 18, 2024.