you cant get more rugged than a bur oak.....if it gets some shade it will grow tall and narrow

'Regal Prince' is upright but not incredibly thin and will eventually branch out to 15-20'. Also 'Beacon' is an upright Swamp White Oak that will eventually reach the same in width. These are both very adaptable so long as your soil is not super high pH. Regal Prince is my preference as the leaves are very dark and glossy with lighter undersides that show nicely whenever there is a slight breeze.

You could also choose 'Streetspire' or 'Crimson Spire', both English and White Oak hybrids. They have nice fall color but may end up a little thinner in the 12-15' range. Overall I would say they grow a little slower than the previous two I mention which could be good (or not) depending on what you are going for.

Keep in mind most options will look columnar for a few years before the side branching begins to increase.

Thank you for the suggestions. These will be a bit shaded placings. Though the one side I'm thinking of has overhang of weed trees, whatever they are, that can be thinned out to bring some light.

Hamburglar, I plan on an American Beech as well. I'm glad you mention it as shade tolarant. I'll put it at the front of the house though -- two big cedars in front and two mature trees on either side there (the oaks in other spots out back of property) So it will be an understory tree for many years. What it would be naturally in the forest, yes? The two side trees are getting on in age. And I want the cedars out at some point. They are just a wall of trees now and I don't care for them much. If the beech takes I'd much rather be looking at it in the center of the yard, thinking ahead 15yrs or so.

Sounds like a plan. Not a huge deal, but you might consider planting the oak in front and the beech in the shadier area out back.

Open-grown beeches prefer to keep their lower branches (I think to provide shade for the roots). So if you plant one in the middle of the front yard, it could eventually block the view of the house completely. And it can be tough to grow grass underneath them, and they don't like traffic.

An oak on the other hand can be limbed up for visibility, and coexists nicely with lawns.

Just some points to consider. Either way, you are talking about great trees. I love American beeches and wish I had the spot/room for one.

Thanks for the help guys. I think I'll take hamburglar's advice and switch the Oak and Beech placements.

These are all big trees, much bigger than distances like 20' will apply to.

How about a Pin Oak? I've not seen one in person, the descriptions say more upright than usual for oaks that aren't columnar cultivars.