Blackwell, Oklahoma

You're driving through Noble County, right near where Oklahoma's first Republican governor, Henry Bellmon, was born. He grew up on a farm near Tonkawa, served as a tank commander in World War II on islands like Iwo…

You're driving through Oklahoma, but right here, in the late 1870s, this land was a place of exile. The Nez Perce, forced from their homeland in the Pacific Northwest, arrived as prisoners of war. Promises were broken,…

You're driving through Kay County, and right here is the land of the Tonkawa people. Once numbering in the thousands, their story is one of survival against incredible odds. In October of 1862, they suffered a…

You're driving through northern Oklahoma, right past where the Tonkawa-Three Sands Field made history. It took nine dry holes and a lot of convincing, but in 1921, oil finally gushed from the J. H. Smith School Land…

Right here in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, you're driving past a place that hosted the largest radio project in the entire United States during World War II. These weren't just any workshops; they were War Production Training…

You're driving through Kay County, and right here is Tonkawa. This town has roots stretching back to the Nez Perce tribe, who lived here between 1879 and 1885. But when the land opened up in 1893, two Kansas farmers,…

You're driving through Grant County, heading east of Medford on State Highway 11. Right here is Deer Creek, a town that sprung up thanks to the railroad. Established in 1898 by a railroad president, it quickly got its…

Lost his fortune then won the governorship. Died nearly broke in the mansion he could no longer afford.

In 1877 the government force-marched 700 Ponca from Nebraska to Indian Territory. A third died.

Ponca City sits nestled in the Oklahoma prairie, a place where the land stretches out and the sky feels impossibly large. Founded in 1893 and named for the Ponca tribe, it’s a town built on boom and bust. The discovery…

Continental Oil Company was headquartered here from 1875 to 2002.

Marland adopted two children then married his adopted daughter Lydie. She became a recluse.

Right here, near you, is Kildare. It started with a railroad depot in 1892, but the real boom happened in 1893 with the Cherokee Outlet Opening. Imagine this: the Santa Fe Railway sold EIGHT THOUSAND tickets to Kildare…

You're driving through Oklahoma right now, likely along a route that once echoed with the thunder of hooves. For decades, this land was a highway for one of America's most iconic events: the cattle drive. Starting in…

Right here, near Ponca City, is where a legend was born – William 'Bill' Pickett. You're driving through the stomping grounds of the man who invented steer wrestling, or bulldogging! Pickett, a Black cowboy known as the…

You're driving past the site of the Chilocco Indian Agricultural School, just south of the Kansas border. Established in 1883, this federal boarding school was designed to 'civilize' Native American youth, transforming…

You're driving through Kay County, near Ponca City, where oilman and former Oklahoma governor E.W. Marland made his fortune. Born in Pennsylvania, Marland came to Oklahoma in 1908 after losing his first fortune in oil…

Right here in Oklahoma, you're driving past the legacy of Ernest Marland, a true oil tycoon. He arrived in 1908 and, by 1911, struck it big, forming the Marland Oil Company. Headquartered in Ponca City, this company…

Right here in Ponca City, you're passing a monument to grit and determination: the Pioneer Woman statue. Imagine this: in the late 1920s, wealthy oilman Ernest Marland launched a nationwide contest for this sculpture.…

Right here, in what was once Indian Territory, you're driving past the birthplace of the intertribal powwow in Oklahoma. It all started around 1879 with the Ponca Powwow. Imagine this: sixty-seven tribes, many of them…

Right here in Ponca City, you're passing through the birthplace of Joyce Carol Thomas, a celebrated novelist, poet, and playwright. Born in 1938, she grew up to explore the African American experience in her powerful…

Right here in Ponca City, Oklahoma, you're passing through the birthplace of Clyde Warrior, a firebrand leader of the 1960s Indian youth movement. He grew up steeped in Ponca tradition, but by his late teens, he was a…

You're driving through Oklahoma, and right here, you're passing through a piece of history made by some of the bravest pioneers: women. They weren't just bystanders; they were active participants in the Oklahoma Land…

Right here in Ponca City, you're driving past the hometown of Donald Nickles, a man who rose from running a janitorial service to become Oklahoma's longest-serving U.S. Senator! Born in 1948, Nickles didn't just join…

You're driving through Ponca City, Oklahoma, a place that became home to one of the richest men in America, Louis "Lew" Wentz. He came here in 1911, planning to stay just six months, but ended up staying for life,…

You're driving through Oklahoma, and the Pioneer Woman statue in Ponca City stands as a symbol of the sunbonnet heroines who homesteaded this land after 1889. But the story of Oklahoma women is so much richer than that!…

You're rolling through Ponca City, Oklahoma, a town born from a land run and a bit of railroad hustle. It was founded way back on September 16, 1893, during the massive Cherokee Outlet Opening. But the real story? The…

55-room oil baron palace built 1928. E.W. Marland went from richest man in Oklahoma to broke.

Prepare to be amazed, because right here is proof that Oklahoma once rivaled the glitz of the Great Gatsby! This is the E.W. Marland Mansion, built in Ponca City during the roaring twenties by oil baron E.W. Marland. He…

Bryant Baker won a 12-sculptor competition in 1930. Will Rogers helped pick the winner.

This spot stands as a powerful reminder of the women who shaped the American West. In 1930, Oklahoma dedicated the Pioneer Woman statue, a gift from oilman E.W. Marland. He sought public opinion, commissioning twelve…

In 1905 Geronimo shot his last buffalo at the 101 Ranch for a crowd of 65000.

You're driving through Newkirk, Oklahoma, a town born from a land run and a bit of sass! When settlers arrived for the Cherokee Outlet land run in 1893, they landed in a place called Lamoureux. Not exactly inspiring,…

You're driving through Newkirk, Oklahoma, and right here, you're passing by the place where Ada Garside, a pioneering woman photographer, set up her studio back in 1899. In an era when most women stayed home, Ada…

In 1879 Judge Dundy ruled Standing Bear was a person under law. First civil rights victory for Native Americans.

You're driving through Oklahoma, maybe near Lamont, and you're passing by the birthplace of a true aviation pioneer: Apollo Soucek. Born in 1897, Soucek wasn't just a pilot; he was a record-setter! On May 8, 1929, he…

You're driving through Grant County, and right here is Lamont, a town born from the Cherokee Outlet Opening back in 1893. W. F. Shamleffer and W. W. Dunaway, folks from Kansas, picked this spot and named it after…

You're driving through Kay County, and right here is the community of White Eagle, named for a remarkable Ponca leader. In 1879, when some of his people returned north to their ancestral lands, White Eagle chose to stay…

This seemingly quiet spot holds a complex and often painful history. From 1884 to 1980, this was the location of the Chilocco Indian Agricultural School, a boarding school for Native American children. The goal of…

You're driving through Marland, Oklahoma, a town that's been around the block a few times. Originally known as Bliss, this community started as a shipping point for the famous Miller Brothers 101 Ranch. Imagine cowboys…

You're driving through Noble County, and right here is the town of Billings. It didn't start here, though. In 1893, it began as White Rock, three miles east and two miles south. But when the railroad came through in…