The National Guard Arrives
Around 9:15 on the morning of June 1, a special train pulled into Tulsa carrying 109 troops of the Oklahoma National Guard. Until then, all the Guard troops in Tulsa had been from the Tulsa Armory and had been deployed to protect white areas which abutted Greenwood, though some were actively involved in the shooting in Greenwood while others were taking black residents to detention areas. Upon arrival the Guard commander, adjutant General Barrett reviewed the situation and got reports from Mayor Evans. He also called for additional troops. Most of the troops under his command were from Oklahoma City.
Just before noon, Barrett declared martial law. By that time the hospital which treated black patients in Greenwood had been burned, and many injured blacks were treated at the detention centers which had been established. What was then known as Convention Hall (today it is a theater), a baseball stadium and the Fairgrounds were established as detention centers. Under martial law, all black residents were ordered to the detention center. Several thousand had fled from the city during the violence. Several prominent community leaders had been killed, including Dr. Jackson.
By early afternoon the National Guard had brought the situation under control, at least as far as the violence was concerned. Some guardsmen reported being fired upon by whites as well. Guardsmen took custody of black prisoners and escorted them to detention centers or turned them over to the police of sheriff’s deputies. They also established protective cordons for firefighters, but most of the riot area had burned itself out. Blacks taken to detention areas were disarmed. So were any whites encountered by the troops.
Several deaths of blacks injured in the rioting occurred in the detention areas. The remaining hospitals in Tulsa were segregated, and it is unlikely that they treated injured blacks, or at least many of them, because of their segregation policies and their distance from the riot area. Under martial law, blacks would not have been able to travel across the city without escort. At least 800 people were treated for various injuries by Tulsa’s hospitals and doctors.
As the National Guard worked to bring the city under control Governor James Robertson demanded an investigation of city offices and the County Sheriff’s department. By June 9 a Grand Jury was ready to hear the testimony of what had transpired. Prior to the seating of the Grand Jury local businessmen established a committee for the purpose of creating a financial structure to rebuild the destroyed neighborhood of Greenwood, but little in the way of funds were forthcoming.