Konawa, Oklahoma

You're driving through Seminole County, and right here, you're passing through the heart of Seminole Nation history, thanks to Chief John Jumper. Born in Florida around 1820, Jumper fought against the U.S. in the Second…

Ada, Oklahoma, nestled at a slightly higher elevation than the surrounding plains, feels like the kind of town where everyone knows everyone. The railroad's arrival long ago set the stage for its growth, and its…

Ada, Oklahoma, nestled in the rolling hills of the Cross Timbers ecoregion within Pontotoc County, owes its name to Ada Reed, the daughter of early settler, William Jefferson Reed. Local lore suggests Reed, seeking a…

You're driving through Seminole County, near the junction of highways 59 and 377. This area, once a sleepy village, exploded into a boomtown in 1926 when the first oil well came in. Suddenly, Bowlegs was home to an…

Right here in Ada, Oklahoma, you're driving through a town that saw the symbolic end of the Old West. In the early 1900s, Ada had a reputation for violence, with thirty-six murders reported in a single year, 1908. But…

Right here near Ada, Oklahoma, you're driving past the stomping grounds of blues legend Lowell Fulson. Born in 1921, Fulson grew up around Ada, learning to play guitar from his uncles and performing in local clubs.…

You're driving near Ada, Oklahoma, where one of America's most powerful politicians got his start. Robert Samuel Kerr was born in a log cabin right here in 1896, the son of tenant farmers. He rose from humble…

You're driving past Ada, the birthplace of a company that literally changed the way we drill for oil. Right here in 1929, the Anderson and Kerr Drilling Company was founded. This was the start of Kerr-McGee, a name that…

Right here in Ada, Oklahoma, you're passing through the hometown of Thomas Welborn Hope, a man who called himself 'Oklahoma's Tramp Poet.' Born in 1903, Hope was a pharmacist who also penned poetry, even publishing his…

Right here in Ada, you're driving past the site of East Central University. It started in 1909 as one of three normal schools in eastern Oklahoma, tasked with training the next generation of teachers. Local boosters,…

You're driving through Pontotoc County, near Ada, the hometown of Thomas Deitz McKeown. Born in South Carolina, McKeown moved his law practice to Ada in 1901, then Indian Territory. He was a member of Oklahoma's first…

Pontotoc County, nestled in the rolling hills of the Cross Timbers, has seen its share of change. The mostly wooded landscape, part of the larger Sequoyah region, has always offered a sense of quiet resilience. However,…

Right here in Pottawatomie County, you're passing through Wanette, a town with roots stretching back to the 1800s. But what makes this place interesting? It was a known hangout for notorious outlaws! Imagine Belle Starr…

You're driving through Stratford, Oklahoma, right now. This town owes its very existence to a railroad that bypassed its predecessor. Back in 1906, the Oklahoma Central Railway decided to build its line two miles south…

You're driving through Pontotoc County, and right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1872</say-as>, Oklahoma's very first petroleum company was formed: the Chickasaw Oil Company. It was the brainchild of…

You're driving through Pontotoc County, an area that was once known as "Scalp Alley." This rough territory was part of the Chickasaw Nation after the Civil War, but it was also a frequent hunting ground for Plains…

Pontotoc County unfolds as classic Cross Timbers country, a place where prairie grasses meet the scraggly embrace of post oak and blackjack oak forests. This is the Sequoyah region, where the rolling hills speak of…

You're driving through McClain County, not far from Byars. Right here, in 1850, was the site of the most important Camp Arbuckle. It was built by Captain Randolph Marcy's Fifth Infantry to protect the California Road, a…

Right here, near Byars, Oklahoma, you're driving past a place where history was made on the trail west. In 1850, Captain Randolph Barnes Marcy established Camp Arbuckle, a crucial outpost for protecting emigrants…

You're driving through McClain County, and right here is Byars. This town owes its existence to a railroad and a local rancher's family. In 1903, railroad interests laid out this community on land donated by Nathan H.…

You're driving near Spaulding, a community that owes its existence to a railroad. Back in 1900, the St. Louis, Oklahoma and Southern Railway pushed a line through this area, connecting Sapulpa to the Red River. Right…

Pontotoc County is a community in Oklahoma.

Seminole, Oklahoma, a town nestled among the state's rolling hills at an elevation of 961 feet, carries a history deeper than the oil wells that once defined it. Founded in the early 20th century and named for the…

Right here in Wewoka, you're passing through the heart of Seminole history. Alice Brown Davis, born in 1852, wasn't just a rancher or a postmistress—she became the first woman chief of the Seminole Nation in 1922. She…

Right here, you're driving through the heart of what was once the Greater Seminole Field, Oklahoma's last hurrah for wildcat oil production. Before 1923, Seminole County wasn't much of an oil player. Then, boom! The R.…

Right here, near present-day Wewoka, you're driving past the legacy of Seminole education in Indian Territory. Back in 1848, Oak Ridge mission school was founded, one of the first. Later, in 1894, the Seminole Nation…

You're driving through Wewoka, a town with a name that means 'barking water.' But this place has a darker history than its pretty name suggests. Right here, the Seminole Nation once had its capitol. And next to it? A…

You're driving through Hughes County, and right here is the area where John Frippo Brown lived and worked. He was the last principal chief of the Seminole Nation before Oklahoma became a state. Born in 1842, Brown was a…

You're driving through Seminole County, and right here, you're passing through the heart of Seminole Nation history. This was home to John Chupco, a towering figure, literally standing six-foot-seven! Nicknamed 'Long…

You're driving through Seminole County, not far from Wewoka. Right here is where John Horse, a Black Seminole leader, helped found a settlement in 1849. Born around 1812, Horse was a key figure in the Second Seminole…

You're driving through Seminole County, near Wewoka, where William S. Key built his early businesses. But this Oklahoma entrepreneur’s story goes way beyond local commerce. Key served in the military from the Mexican…

Right here in Wewoka, Oklahoma, Gil Morgan was born on September 25, 1946. He wasn't offered a college golf scholarship, but he eventually played for East Central University, earning All-American honors. After getting…

Right here in Wewoka, you're passing by the historic site of the Wewoka Trading Company. Established in 1891 by Courtland L. Long, this general store was more than just a place to buy clothes or wagons. It was a vital…

Right here in Wewoka, Oklahoma, you're driving past the hometown of Labron Harris, Sr., a golf legend you might not know but should! Born in Arkansas, he moved here at age eight and became a high school sports star in…

You're driving through Macomb, Oklahoma, a town with a name change that tells a story. It started as McComb in 1903, named after a railroad engineer. But there was a spelling error, and the town officially became Macomb…

You're driving through Seminole County right now, the historic homeland of the Seminole Nation. These resilient people, originally part of the Creek Confederacy, moved south into Florida centuries ago, earning their…

You're driving through Seminole, Oklahoma, and right here is the hometown of David Lyle Boren, a guy who became the nation's youngest governor at just 33 years old! In 1974, his campaign used a unique symbol: the 'Boren…

You're driving through Seminole right now, and you might be surprised to learn this town was once a mud-pit boomtown! Back in 1926, the Fixico Number One well blew in, kicking off the Greater Seminole Oil Field.…

You're driving through Seminole County, and right here, in the early 1920s, this area exploded with oil! After years of searching, the Betsy Foster Number One well blew in near Wewoka in 1923, kicking off a massive oil…

You're driving through Seminole, Oklahoma, and right here is the birthplace of Frenchy "Stoney" Edwards, a country music star who broke barriers in the 1970s. As an African American in a predominantly white industry,…

Right here in Seminole, Oklahoma, a statewide voice for cattle ranchers was born. Back in 1950, local ranchers pooled five dollars each to form the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association. They were facing tough times, with…