Where the Trail Begins--Right Here

Standing Bear Park is the official starting point of the Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail, honoring Chief Standing Bear's landmark 1879 case that first established Native Americans as "persons" under U.S. law. 
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Trail Start: Standing Bear Museum & Park
Ponca City, Oklahoma — designated by Senate Bill 509

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The Civil Rights Trail

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A new plaza has been constructed here at Standing Bear Park as part of the Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail project. The plaza features permanent interpretive elements designed to tell the story of Chief Standing Bear's enduring legacy in American civil rights history.

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​Concrete Gathering Pad
​12-foot concrete pad providing a welcoming gathering space at the trail's starting point.

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​Interpretive Panel Frame
​8-foot tall frame housing a two-sided fiberglass graphic panel with artwork and historical text.

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​Audio Post
Dedicated audio post with graphic panel featuring two audio recordings and push-button playback.

Interpretive Graphic Panels

The plaza features three graphic panels — one on each side of the main interpretive frame, plus the audio post panel.

A ceremony held on August 19, 2025, marked the placement of an Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail plaque at the Standing Bear Museum in Ponca City, officially recognizing the museum as the starting point of the statewide trail. The Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail was created through Senate Bill 509 by Senator Bill Coleman and former Senator Kevin Matthews, with support from Representative Jason Lowe and Representative Ken Luttrell. The trail highlights important civil rights locations across Oklahoma and honors the shared history of African American and Native American civil rights. Chief Standing Bear is remembered as a major civil rights figure whose historic court case helped establish that Native Americans are recognized as “persons” under U.S. law. From Ponca City, the trail continues through historic all-Black towns and other significant civil rights sites across the state before concluding at the Clara Luper Center in Oklahoma City.

Audio Post Recordings

The audio post features two recordings, accessible via push-button at the plaza and here online.
​These recordings bring Standing Bear's story to life in voice and music.

​Chris LittleCook opens with Standing Bear's iconic words spoken in the Ponca language, followed by the story of his landmark 1879 trial set to original music.​

​T.L Walker reads a moving excerpt from Joe Starita's celebrated biography I Am a Man, with Carl Renfro providing the opening and closing passages.

"My hand is not the color of yours, but if I pierce it, I shall feel pain. If you pierce your hand, you also feel pain. The blood that will flow from mine will be of the same color as yours. I am a man. The same God made us both."​
— Chief Standing Bear, 1879

The Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail Route​

From this starting point in Ponca City, the trail travels through Oklahoma's all-Black towns and historic civil rights sites, ending at the Clara Luper Center in Oklahoma City.

Senate Bill 509 — Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail

The Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail was established through Senate Bill 509, co-authored by former Senator Kevin Matthews (D-Tulsa) and Senator Bill Coleman (R-Ponca City), along with House authors Rep. Jason Lowe (D-Oklahoma City) and Rep. Ken Luttrell (R-Ponca City).
The Civil Rights Trail plaque ceremony was held August 19, 2025. Chief Standing Bear's 1879 trial is recognized as a landmark civil rights case, establishing Native Americans as "persons" under U.S. law and paving the way for future advancements in Native American rights.
Article used by permission from the Ponca City News.

​Funding for this project has been provided by the Oklahoma Historical Society through the Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail Grant Program.