Inola, Oklahoma

You're driving through northeastern Oklahoma, and right here in Rogers County, you're passing through a place that was once the site of a fierce battle. In 1817, the Osage and Cherokee tribes clashed violently at what…

You're driving through Claremore, Oklahoma, home of astronaut Stuart Roosa! Roosa was the command module pilot for Apollo 14, the third mission to land on the moon. While his crewmates walked on the lunar surface in…

Claremore sits on a gentle rise, a subtle shift in elevation that sets it apart from the surrounding prairie. At just under 700 feet above sea level, the town gains a slightly broader view of the rolling landscape of…

Stand here, and you're standing on the very edge of a new era for Oklahoma. In 1820, this spot became home to Union Mission, the first Protestant mission in what was then called Indian Territory. A year later, a school…

You're driving past Claremore, Oklahoma, where renowned Delaware-Shawnee-Peoria artist Ruthe Blalock Jones was born in 1939. She started painting at age ten, and by thirteen, she was winning awards at the Philbrook…

You're driving through Claremore, Oklahoma, and right here, the Oklahoma Military Academy, once known as 'the West Point of the Southwest,' stood as a testament to national pride after World War I. Established in 1919,…

You're driving past Claremore, and right here is the site of what used to be the Oklahoma Military Academy. Established in 1919, the academy was born from a post-World War I desire to instill discipline in young men.…

You're driving through Claremore, Oklahoma, and right here is a place connected to a legend of Western swing music: Leon McAuliffe. Born in Texas, McAuliffe found his musical home in Oklahoma, joining Bob Wills and His…

Right here in Rogers County, you're passing through the land of Emmet Starr, a Cherokee physician and historian who dedicated his life to preserving his people's story. Born in 1870 in what was then the Cherokee Nation,…

You're driving through northeastern Oklahoma, passing through Claremore, home of Brad Carson. Carson, a member of the Cherokee Nation, served as Oklahoma's Second District U.S. representative from 2000 to 2004. He was a…

Just east of Catoosa at 2680 N OK-66, a grinning concrete blue whale lounges at the edge of a spring-fed pond. Hugh Davis, a Tulsa Zoo director, built it as an anniversary surprise for his wife Zelta, who collected…

A giant blue concrete whale built by Hugh Davis in 1972 as an anniversary gift for his wife, now one of the most photographed Route 66 landmarks.

Right here, near Catoosa, is the Port of Catoosa, the northernmost point of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. Dedicated in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1971</say-as> by President Nixon, this…

You're driving past Catoosa, Oklahoma, and right here, in 1971, this town became the northern anchor of a massive waterway project. President Richard Nixon himself came to dedicate the Port of Catoosa, part of the…

Right here in Wagoner County, you're driving past the legacy of Dr. Belle Cobb, the very first woman physician in Indian Territory! Born in Tennessee, she came to the Cherokee Nation with her family and eventually…

You're driving through Wagoner, Oklahoma, a town that owes its very existence to railroads. It all started in 1887 when a railroad fireman built a hotel here. Soon, other businesses popped up, and the town grew around a…

A smiling blue whale sculpture you can climb built by a man for his wife. Route 66 classic.

You're driving through Pryor Creek, a town that boomed thanks to World War II. Right here, during the war, the federal government built the massive Oklahoma Ordnance Works munitions plant. At its peak, this plant…

Right here in Coweta, you're driving through a place with a history stretching back to a Creek Nation mission school. In 1843, Presbyterian minister Robert M. Loughridge opened Koweta, named after a town in Georgia.…

You're driving through Wagoner County, not far from Coweta. Right here, in 1843, Robert McGill Loughridge established the Kowetah Mission and school for the Creek Nation. Loughridge wasn't just a missionary; he became…

Right here, in Coweta, was born George Milburn, a writer who captured the essence of Oklahoma, even if some folks back home didn't always like what he had to say. Milburn’s stories, like those in his famous book…

You're driving through Wagoner County, and right here, in the mid-1800s, this area was a hub for Native American education. In 1843, the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions established Koweta Mission, just east of…

You're driving through Rogers County, not far from Sageeyah, where a brutal battle unfolded in October of 1817. This was the Battle of Claremore Mound. Western Cherokee warriors, allied with other tribes and even some…

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, sits squarely in what was once Indian Territory, a place deliberately set aside for the forced relocation of Native American tribes in the 19th century. While many tribes were affected, the…

You're driving through Oklahoma, but did you know this land might be hiding secrets of America's most infamous outlaws? While historians doubt it, local legends say the James brothers, Frank and Jesse, actually hid out…

Right here in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, is where Ralph Blane, born Ralph Hunsecker, got his start. You might know his work, even if you don't know his name. Blane was the lyricist behind some of Hollywood's most beloved…

You're driving past Broken Arrow, a town that owes its existence to a railroad and a creek. The Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railway, the Katy, reached this spot on April 13, 1903. The townsite was laid out by William S.…

Right here in Pryor, Oklahoma, you're driving past the birthplace of Admiral Joseph James Clark, the U.S. Navy's first American Indian graduate of the Naval Academy! Born in 1893, Clark went on to a distinguished…

Right here in Mayes County, you're driving through a place that holds some of Oklahoma's earliest 'firsts.' Back in 1820, Union Mission was established near present-day Chouteau. This wasn't just any mission; it was the…

You're driving through Mayes County, right past the site of a massive World War II industrial powerhouse: the Oklahoma Ordnance Works. Back in 1941, as war loomed in Europe, the U.S. government needed to ramp up…

You're driving through Mayes County, Oklahoma, and right here, back in 1820, was the site of Union Mission. It was the first organized missionary effort in the region, established by Reverend Epaphras Chapman for the…

You're driving through eastern Oklahoma right now, likely on Highway 69, and you're following the path of the legendary Texas Road. Back in the 1800s, this was the main highway connecting the northern states to Texas,…

You're driving through Mayes County, near the Grand River, and right here is the Packard Site. Back in the 1960s, archaeologists digging before the Lake Hudson reservoir was built, found something amazing. Two…

You're driving through Oklahoma, and right here, you're passing through the hometown of a national sports legend! In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1928</say-as>, Andy Payne, a Cherokee runner from near Foyil,…

You're driving through northeastern Oklahoma, and right here is the incredible Totem Pole Park near Foyil. This place is the lifelong work of Ed Galloway, a self-taught artist who moved to Oklahoma in 1914. After…

You're driving through Mayes County, and right here, you're passing through Locust Grove. This town's name comes from a Civil War battle fought right in these locust thickets back in 1862. Federal troops surprised a…

Right here in Oklahoma, you're driving past a testament to artistic vision that defied convention! We're talking about folk art, the creative spirit of everyday Oklahomans. Think unique paintings, handmade toys, even…

You're driving past Locust Grove, Oklahoma, in Mayes County. Right here, on July 3rd, 1862, a surprise Union attack shattered Confederate hopes in the Cherokee Nation. Union troops under Colonel William Weer overwhelmed…

You're driving past Foyil, Oklahoma, right on historic Route 66. This town owes its start to Alfred Foyil, who became postmaster in 1890. His farmland became the townsite, and he owned the general store. By 1911, Foyil…

Folk art environment near Foyil featuring the world's largest concrete totem pole at 90 feet, hand-built by retired art teacher Ed Galloway.

You're driving through Porter, Oklahoma, a town that owes its very existence to the railroad. Back in 1903, the Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad needed to build three towns spaced out along a new line. Porter was…