RoadyGoat plays music like this when you drive through Hugo. It's free on iPhone, and full songs play through Apple Music.
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Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Hugo.
Powderly is located on a low ridge, draining west to Pat Mayse Lake and east to Pine Creek, a tributary of the Red River. Pat Mayse Lake, a 6,000-acre reservoir built and maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers, offers campgrounds with 200 sites providing water and electricity. The lake is a popular recreational facility with activities such as swimming, boating, fishing, and camping.
Powderly, Texas, has a rich history that dates back to the Civil War era when it was first settled and known as 'Lenoir'. The town's name was changed to honor Terence V. Powderly, a labor leader and commissioner of immigration, when the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway was built through the area in the 1880s. Over the years, Powderly has seen its share of ups and downs. In 1890, it was a small town with a general store, cotton gins, and a gristmill, but by the 1920s, the community had declined. However, the population began to increase again in the mid-20th century, and in 1964, the Powderly Volunteer Fire Department was established, which continues to serve the community today. In 2022, Powderly was hit by a violent EF4 tornado, a tragic event in its recent history.
Powderly, Texas, was originally known as 'Lenoir'. However, when the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway was built through the area in the 1880s, the community was renamed 'Powderly' in honor of Terence V. Powderly, a labor leader and later a commissioner of immigration in the McKinley administration.
Legend tells of French and Spanish forts before the families of J. W. G. Pierson, Luke and John Roberts, and the Mason brothers settled here in 1820. Within a year, in the absence of the men, women, children and slaves were victims of an Indian raid. Five of the men pursued, but outnumbered, they too were killed. Be silent, friend! Here heroes died to blaze a trail for other men. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Recognizing in 1940 that hosting peacetime draftees might revive the county's economy, the city of Paris sent a request for the army to build a training camp here. The local American Legion acquired land options. Delegations from the Chamber of Commerce of Lamar County received initial support, but Congressman Lyndon Johnson moved the planned camp to his district at Bastrop. In response U. S. Senator Tom Connally and army officials ensured a camp for Paris, confirmed in July 1941. The 70,000 acre site was being surveyed when the U. S. entered World War II in December. Camp Maxey, named for C. S. A. General and U. S. Senator Sam Bell Maxey from paris, was activated on July 15, 1942. Its main entrance was "Gate 5" marked by stone portals at this site. Two infantry divisions, the 102nd "Ozark" and 99th "Checkerboard," trained here with the 250th Field Artillery and other army units. A regional hospital and a prisoner of war camp hosting 7,000 Germans were part of the reservation. Local women formed the "Maxey Command" to host dances for the total of 194,800 soldiers stationed here. Area residents housed thousands of dependents and filled 10,300 civilian jobs on base. The camp was closed when the P. O. W. stockade was vacated in early 1946.
Paris Texas built a sixty-five-foot Eiffel Tower in 1993 to match its name. Then Paris Tennessee built one taller. So Paris Texas topped theirs with a giant…
A 65-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower wearing a red cowboy hat.
26 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
You're rolling through Hugo, Oklahoma, and you might just hear the echoes of the oldest bluegrass festival west of the Mississippi! Right here, the Bill Grant Bluegrass Festival kicked off in August 1969. It started…
Right here in Hugo, you're driving through the winter home of the circus! Since 1942, this town has been the chosen spot for circuses to escape the cold and prep for the spring season. Fifteen different circuses have…
You're driving through Choctaw County, and right here, in what's now Hugo, was once the heart of the Choctaw Nation's most important trading center: Doaksville. Established in 1824, Fort Towson was the second oldest…
You're driving through southeastern Oklahoma, maybe not far from Hugo. Right here, in the mid-1800s, lived Robert M. Jones, a powerful Choctaw leader, planter, and entrepreneur. He owned thousands of acres and was the…
You're driving through what was once the heart of the Choctaw Nation, and right here is where Cyrus Kingsbury spent the last decades of his life. Known as the 'Father of the Missions,' Kingsbury dedicated over six…
You're driving through Oklahoma, and right here, the ground beneath your feet has been a source of wealth for centuries! Long before settlers arrived, Native Americans quarried flint and dug for minerals like hematite.…
Pull over here for a moment and let's reflect on the complex history beneath our feet. This is Rose Hill Plantation, a place that speaks to both the prosperity and the profound injustices of the pre-Civil War South.…
You're driving past Grant, Oklahoma, right in Choctaw County. This town has roots going back to around 1885 when Basil Gooding opened a store here. But what's really interesting is what happened in 1904. Right here, on…
You're driving past Sawyer, Oklahoma, a town with a name that changed more than once! It started as Gilbert in 1902, named by its first postmaster after his son. But by 1903, it was renamed Sawyer, honoring an attorney…
You're driving through Soper, Oklahoma, a town born from a railroad line in 1902. It was named for Pliny L. Soper, an attorney for the Arkansas and Choctaw Railway. Right here, the Snippee Store building became the…
You're driving through Choctaw County, and right here is the site of Fort Towson. Established in 1824, this wasn't just any old army post. It was a crucial fortification on the border with Mexico, meant to keep the…
You're driving through Choctaw County, and right here is the site of Doaksville, once the principal town of the Choctaw Nation. Founded between 1824 and 1831 by Josiah Doak and his brother, this settlement quickly grew…
You're driving through what was once the heart of Chickasaw territory, near Fort Towson. Right here, George Colbert, a mixed-blood Chickasaw leader, wielded immense power. He was a colonel who fought alongside George…
You're driving through Choctaw County, and right here is Fort Towson. This town owes its existence to a railroad and a good spring. Back in 1902, a group of men wanted a new townsite near the old fort. They found the…
Powderly is located on a low ridge, draining west to Pat Mayse Lake and east to Pine Creek, a tributary of the Red River. Pat Mayse Lake, a 6,000-acre reservoir built and maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers,…
Right here in Rattan, Oklahoma, a story of history came alive thanks to some bright elementary school students. Back in 1997, their class project focused on four Royal Air Force cadets who tragically died in training…
Imagine life on the edge of civilization. That's exactly what Fort Towson was: a crucial outpost on the Permanent Indian Frontier. Established in 1824, Fort Towson served multiple purposes. It was a military post, a…
U.S. Highway Two Seventy One, from Loop Two Eighty Six north to the Oklahoma line, is the Sergeant Jay M. Hoskins Memorial Highway. Jay Hoskins graduated from North Lamar High School in two thousand three and joined the…
Legend tells of French and Spanish forts before the families of J. W. G. Pierson, Luke and John Roberts, and the Mason brothers settled here in 1820. Within a year, in the absence of the men, women, children and slaves…
Recognizing in 1940 that hosting peacetime draftees might revive the county's economy, the city of Paris sent a request for the army to build a training camp here. The local American Legion acquired land options.…
During World War II, the U.S. government built a massive training camp in the red clay hills outside Paris, Texas, and then filled part of it with the enemy. Camp Maxey opened in 1942 and at its peak housed over 45,000…
Pull over here for a sec. This is where Antlers came alive, thanks to the railroad and a reliable water source. In 1902, the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, nicknamed the Frisco, built a depot right here. The adjacent…
You're driving through Antlers, Oklahoma, right now. This town has a story that's both tragic and easily overlooked. On April 12th, 1945, the same day President Roosevelt died, a massive tornado ripped through Antlers.…
You're driving through Pushmataha County, and right here, in the early 1900s, dreams of oil wealth turned to tragedy. Near Jumbo, a mine produced asphalt, but in 1910, an explosion there killed fourteen men. The mine…
You're driving past Swink, Oklahoma, and right here, beneath your wheels, lies the forgotten wreck of the steamboat Heroine. Built in 1832, the Heroine was one of the first steamboats to brave the newly cleared Red…
You're driving through Choctaw County, and right here is the story of Swink. Founded by David Randall Swink, who married into the Choctaw Nation, the town's first site had a problem: the land belonged to his young son,…
Longer stories, research notes, photos, videos, and where the road goes next. Free, and no iPhone needed.
