Vingie E. Roe Collection - Edmon Low Library

About the Collection

Vingie E. Roe (1879-1958) was a prolific novelist whose life and career were closely tied to early Oklahoma. Born in Oxford, Kansas, she moved with her family to Guthrie during the 1889 Land Run and later lived in several Oklahoma communities, including Wellston, Carney, and Fallis. Largely self-taught beyond the sixth grade, Roe developed her literary voice through extensive reading and by publishing poems and short pieces in regional newspapers. Her work drew the attention of Oklahoma A&M College President A. C. Scott and Kansas Congressman Victor Murdock, whose support enabled her to attend OAMC briefly in 1902.

Roe published more than thirty novels, beginning with Maid of the Whispering Hills in 1912, and several of her works were adapted into silent films.

The Vingie E. Roe Collection features seven of her pre-1924 novels along with photographs and a scrapbook. The physical collection additionally includes correspondence, a diary, photographs, and other personal papers, offering insight into Roe’s writing career and her life in early Oklahoma.

Access the Physical Collection

Materials from this collection are available in Special Collections and University Archives. For assistance or to request archival materials, contact (405) 744-6311 or libscua@okstate.edu.