Historical evidence ·
Wagoner Merchants' Band
Wagoner newspapers document a merchant-supported band under L. F. Katzmyer, also printed Katzmeyer, with a 15-member wind, brass and percussion roster. A December 18, 1917 concert, its program and audience are reported after the event. Further 1918 reporting covers concerts, park and Auto Show music, subscriptions for the instructor and a roughly $94–$95 bandstand in Majestic Park. Relative-day dates and later continuity remain qualified.
- Community
- Wagoner
- Historical setting
- Oklahoma
- Ensemble
- merchant-supported civic/community wind-brass-percussion band
- Earliest reviewed evidence
- 1917-10-27 — performed conscript-depot escort
- Later reviewed evidence
- 1918-06-13 — weekly Sunday concerts and continuation appeal
- People named in the sources
- Prof. L. F. Katzmyer / Katzmeyer (director/instructor, 1917–18); Philetus LaBelle; Glenn LaBelle; Moro Hatfield; Joel Blake; Vernon Ellington; Guy Crouse; Leo Raines; Raymond Friman; Warren Stockton; A. M. Morrison; Walter Odom; George A. Mather; Darrel Moss; William Ward
What remains uncertain
Relation to any earlier or later Wagoner band is unresolved; 'Wagoner Band' is treated as a qualified alias within the continuous Katzmyer sequence.
High for name, Wagoner residency, director, full 15-member instrumental roster and multiple performed activities from contemporary local newspapers. Medium for October 27 and February dates inferred from relative-day wording; post-June continuity unresolved.
Sources and access
- Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History — Wagoner County Record, 1917-12-13, p. 5 — free concert announcement and instrumental roster
- Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History — Wagoner County Record, 1917-12-20, p. 1 — A Fine Concert
- Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History — Wagoner County Record, 1917-11-01, p. 3 — Colored Boys Go / New Band Master
- Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History — Wagoner County Record, 1917-11-08, p. 2 — new bandmaster follow-up
- Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History — Wagoner County Record, 1917-12-13, p. 4 — Wagoner Merchants Band concert program
- Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History — Wagoner Democrat, 1918-02-14, p. 1 — band concert review
- Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History — Wagoner Democrat, 1918-02-21, p. 2 — Our Band
- Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History — Wagoner Democrat, 1918-03-07, p. 6 — Porter local report
- Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History — Wagoner Democrat, 1918-03-28, p. 7 — bandstand construction
- Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History — Wagoner Democrat, 1918-05-16, p. 6 — race music in Muskogee and Claremore
- Oklahoma Historical Society / The Gateway to Oklahoma History — Wagoner Democrat, 1918-06-13, p. 2 — Katzmyer contract statement
- Wagoner Democrat, June 13, 1918, page 3 — weekly concerts, bandstand and continuation account (source review)
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