Baja Oklahoma (1955)

Sat Mar 10 14:43:47 UTC 2007

"Baja Oklahmoa" used not to be very common. HDAS omits it because the only cite I could find in those pre-net days were from Dan Jenkins's novel.

  JL

Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Wilson Gray
Subject: Re: Baja Oklahoma (1955)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm aware of this attempt at insulting the Lone Star State. However, I
think that "Texan: wetback on his way to Oklahoma" is funnier.

-Wilson

On 3/9/07, Bapopik at aol.com wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Bapopik at AOL.COM
> Subject: Baja Oklahoma (1955)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Any of you Texans out there heard of "Baja Oklahoma"? (Not in HDAS.) Rio =20
> Grande roulette?
> ...
> ...
> ...
> _http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/baja_oklahoma/_=20
> (http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/baja_oklahoma/)=20
> =20
> Baja Oklahoma
> =20
> "Baja Oklahoma=E2=80=9D (lower Oklahoma) is an Oklahoma nickname for the sta=
> te of =20
> Texas. The term is similar to Baja California. =E2=80=9CBaja Oklahoma=E2=80=
> =9D is a gentle =20
> insult and is not normally used by Texans, although it was the title of a Da=
> n =20
> Jenkins novel and film (1988).=20
>
>
> _Wikipedia: Baja California_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baja_California)=
> =20
> Baja California (literally =E2=80=9Clower California=E2=80=9D in Spanish) i=
> s the=20
> northernmost state of Mexico. It is considered territory of Northern Americ=
> a. It is=20
> sometimes informally referred to as Baja California Norte, to distinguish i=
> t=20
> from both the Baja California peninsula, of which it forms the northern hal=
> f,=20
> and Baja California Sur, the adjacent state that covers the southern half o=
> f=20
> the peninsula. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the N=
> orth=20
> Territory of Baja California. It has an area of 71,576 km=C2=B2 (about 27,6=
> 00=20
> mi=C2=B2, or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico. The state is bordered on the=
> west by=20
> the Pacific Ocean, on the east by Sonora, the U.S. State of Arizona, and th=
> e=20
> Sea of Cortez or Gulf of California, and on the south by Baja California Su=
> r.=20
> Its northern limit is the U.S.-Mexico border, adjacent to the U.S. state of=
> =20
> California. =20
>
> _http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094704/plotsummary_ (
> http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php?URL=3Dhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt009470=
> 4/plotsummary) =20
> Plot summary for=20
> Baja Oklahoma (1988) (TV)=20
> Dan Jenkins co-wrote the screenplay based on his novel of the same name=20
> about Juanita, a barmaid in Ft. Worth, Texas, who wants to be a country-wes=
> tern=20
> songwriter.=20
>
> 16 December 1955, Long Beach (CA) , pg. 2, col. 1:=20
> A red-haired congressman from Baja Oklahoma=E2=80=94sometimes known as Texa=
> s=E2=80=94was=20
> about ready Thursday to challenge Sen. Arthur V. Watkins (R-Utah) to a game=
> of=20
> Rio Grande roulette=E2=80=94Colt .45 Peacemakers at six paces.=20
>
> 20 September 1956, Oakland (CA) Tribune, =E2=80=9CSooners =E2=80=98Raid=E2=
> =80=99 Texas Schools,=E2=80=9D=20
> pg. 38, col. 1: =20
> When it comes to football the new name for the great state of Texas is Baja=20=
> =20
> Oklahoma.=20
>
> 14 December 1958, Long Beach (CA) Independent-Press-Telegram, pg. B12:=20
> The real lift to the morale of the citizens of the former Lone Star State=20
> (if subdivided=E2=80=94ed.) would come from a more equitable distribution o=
> f the=20
> inferior weather, which has been pretty well monopolized by that section po=
> pularly=20
> known as =E2=80=9CBaja Oklahoma.=E2=80=9D=20
>
> 4 January 1960, Pasadena (CA) Star-News, comics:=20
> TELL ME, MY LITTLE =E2=80=9CYELLAH ROSE,=E2=80=9D IS IT TRUE, NOW THAT IT I=
> SN=E2=80=99T THE BIGGEST=20
> STATE, THAT TEXAS IS KNOWN AS BAJA OKLAHOMA?=20
>
> 21 October 1972, Dallas Morning News, Tolbert=E2=80=99s Texas by Frank X. T=
> olbert,=20
> section A, pg. 23: =20
> =E2=80=9CWe=E2=80=99ll make Texas a kind of sub-state or junior province,=
> =E2=80=9D said my Okie =20
> friend, =E2=80=9Cand we=E2=80=99ll call it Baja Oklahoma.=E2=80=9D=20
>
> 13 January 1974, Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette, pg. D1, col. 1:=20
> This will be the first Super Bowl in the state of Texas, and maybe that=20
> helps even the National Football league think big. We=E2=80=99ve been needl=
> ing our Texas=20
> hosts a bit. You know, calling Texas =E2=80=9CBaja Oklahoma=E2=80=9D and su=
> ggesting that old=20
> gag that there wouldn=E2=80=99t even be a Texas if there had been a back do=
> or at the=20
> Alamo.=20
>
> 30 March 1979, Placerville (CA) Mountain Democrat, pg. A5, col. 1:=20
> Sheriff run =E2=80=98em outta Arkansas in the 1800s; and, the Rangers run=20=
> =E2=80=98em outta=20
> Baja Oklahoma (that there=E2=80=99s North Texas) long about the turn of the=
> century.=20
>
> 12 April 1991, Placerville (CA) Mountain Democrat, pg. A13, col. 1:=20
> It runs from the outskirts of Oklahoma City to the border of Baja, Oklahoma=
> =20
> (as Oklahomans call Texas).=20
>
>

**************************************
AOL now offers free=20
> email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at=20
> http://www.aol.com.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
-Sam'l Clemens

Dope wil get you through times of no money better than money will get
you through times of no dope.
-----
-Free-Wheeling Franklin

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

---------------------------------
The fish are biting.
 Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search Marketing.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org