Maud, Oklahoma

Right here in Oklahoma, you're driving past a piece of history! Ella Ridley Mooney was the very first woman pharmacist in both Indian and Oklahoma territories. She passed her pharmacy board exam and got her license on…

You're driving through Pottawatomie County, and right here, you're passing the site of Oklahoma's first permanent Catholic missionaries. Father Isidore Robot arrived in 1875, fleeing religious persecution in France. He…

You're driving through Pottawatomie County, and right here is the former site of the UF Ranch. In 1883, German immigrant William Greiffenstein, known as 'Dutch Bill,' and his Potawatomi wife, Catherine Burnett, leased a…

You're driving through Pottawatomie County, near Tecumseh. Right here is Brooksville, one of Oklahoma's historic all-Black towns. It started in 1903 as Sewell, named after a white doctor. But in 1912, it was renamed…

You're driving through Seminole County, and right here is Konawa, the Oklahoma town that shaped a congressman who served longer than any other Oklahoman in the U.S. House of Representatives. Thomas Jefferson Steed, born…

You're driving through Konawa, a town with a name meaning 'string of beads.' Konawa itself is pretty young, really getting its start in 1904 when a Seminole man sold land for the townsite. But its story really begins a…

You're driving through eastern Oklahoma, a place where a unique musical tradition once thrived: shape-note singing. Developed in the 18th century, this method used different geometric shapes for musical notes, making it…

You're driving through Tecumseh right now, a town born from a massive land run back in 1891. Imagine this: Fifteen thousand people, all trying to claim homesteads in a single day. It was chaos, promoters and adventurers…

Right here near Tecumseh, Oklahoma, is where Ernest Spybuck was born in 1883. He was a Shawnee painter whose work captured the details of early 20th-century tribal life. Unlike many artists of his time, Spybuck’s…

You're driving through southern Pottawatomie County, and right here is Asher. This town got its start not with a bang, but with a post office move! In 1901, George McCurry moved his store and the post office from Avoca…

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…

Right here in Earlsboro, Oklahoma, you're passing through the birthplace of a baseball legend! Willie "Pops" Stargell, a proud member of the Seminole Nation, was born here on March 6, 1940. He went on to play his entire…

You're driving through Earlsboro, Oklahoma, a town that experienced two wild booms, fueled by very different liquids. First, it was whisky! Back when the town was near the border of Indian Territory, illegal liquor…

You're driving past Earlsboro, Oklahoma, and right here is where Ernest William McFarland was born in 1894. He'd go on to become a U.S. Senator from Arizona and even Senate Majority Leader. He also introduced the bill…

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…

Step back in time at what's considered the first home built in Shawnee, dating back to 1892. The Beard Cabin is a tangible link to the very beginning of this city. Built in 1892, the cabin was constructed by Etta Ray…

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…

Shawnee sits comfortably on the rolling prairie of central Oklahoma, just high enough to catch a good view of the horizon. The land here is a mix of gentle slopes and fertile plains, a landscape molded by eons of…

Imagine if this building had become the governor's mansion! Back in 1903, Shawnee was in the running to become the capital of the brand-new state of Oklahoma. Some folks were so sure of it, they built this grand house…

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 southern Pottawatomie County, and right here is Tribbey. It all started in 1891 when Alpheus M. Tribbey staked a claim on land that would become this town. He even gave land to the railroad in…

Right here in Oklahoma, in August of 1917, tenant farmers launched the Green Corn Rebellion. Fueled by anger over land control, falling prices, and the draft, hundreds of men—white, Black, and Native American—gathered…

You're driving through Sasakwa, a town whose name means 'wild goose' in Seminole. It started as a settlement with a trading post, but really took off during the 1920s oil boom, swelling to over 700 residents! But…

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…

You're driving past Byng, Oklahoma, a place that became a basketball powerhouse thanks to Bertha Frank Teague. She started coaching girls' basketball in 1927, even though she'd never played the game herself. Teague…

You're driving through Pontotoc County, and right here is Byng. This town popped up in 1917, not because of a railroad, but for a power plant and a post office. It was named after Sir Julian Byng, a British hero from…

Right here in Shawnee, Oklahoma, you're driving past the birthplace of Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr., one of America's original seven Mercury astronauts! His love for flight started young, taking his first airplane ride at…

You're driving through Shawnee, Oklahoma, and right here is where a young artist named Louise Funk got her start. She'd later be called the 'Betsy Ross of Oklahoma' because in 1925, she designed our state flag! Funk…

Right here in Shawnee, Oklahoma, is where it all began for one of Hollywood's biggest stars: Brad Pitt. Born William Bradley Pitt on December 18, 1963, he can trace his family's Oklahoma roots all the way back to the…

Right here, you're driving past the site of Oklahoma's oldest educational center in continuous operation: Sacred Heart Abbey. Founded way back in 1877 by Father Isidore Robot, this Benedictine monastery was built on…

Right here in Shawnee, Oklahoma, you're driving past the birthplace of an American icon: Sonic Drive-In. It all started in 1953 with Troy Smith and a little root beer stand called the Top Hat. Smith was inspired by a…

Right here in Shawnee, you're driving past the site of what was once Oklahoma's oldest institution of higher learning: St. Gregory's University. Its story starts way back in 1875 when monks arrived in Indian Territory…

Right here in Oklahoma, back in the early 1920s, farmers and factory workers decided they'd had enough. They were tired of falling prices, unemployment, and low wages. So, they banded together to form the Farmer-Labor…

You're driving through Pottawatomie County, maybe near Shawnee, and you're passing the legacy of an artist who painted for the Pope himself! Father Gregory Gerrer, a monk here in Oklahoma, was born in France but came to…

Right here, in what would become Oklahoma, farmers were fighting back against big business! In the years before statehood, the Indiahoma Farmers' Union, born from the Populist movement, was a force to be reckoned with.…

You're driving through Shawnee, Oklahoma, and right here is where a pivotal moment in state history took place. Back in 1906, labor leaders from across the territories gathered for the Twin-Territorial Federation of…

Right here, in Shawnee, in August of 1906, a pivotal moment in Oklahoma history unfolded. As Oklahoma and Indian Territories were gearing up for statehood, two powerful groups—the Twin Territorial Federation of Labor…

Right here, you're driving through Shawnee, a town born from a land run in 1891! Thousands raced to stake their claim, and four pioneers—Etta Ray, John and Henry Beard, and James Farrall—crossed a line that would become…

You're driving through Pottawatomie County, and right here, the story of Shawnee and Tecumseh is unfolding. It all kicked off with a land run on September 22nd, 1891. White settlement began in earnest, with tribes like…

You're driving through Shawnee, Oklahoma, the birthplace of Brad Henry, the state's twenty-sixth governor. Born in 1963, Henry's career path took him from running his family's oil company to serving as Shawnee's city…

Right here in Shawnee, you're driving past Oklahoma Baptist University, a school that got its start way back in 1906. It took a bit of time to get going – they actually had to suspend classes in 1912 due to a lack of…

You're driving through Oklahoma, heading towards statehood. Right here, in Shawnee, back in 1906, a crucial meeting took place. Representatives from farmers, laborers, and railroad workers gathered to hammer out a list…

You're driving through Shawnee, Oklahoma, and right here is the site of the Shawnee Milling Company, a testament to Oklahoma's agricultural roots. It started way back in 1891, north of town, but it was pulled by mules…

You're driving through Oklahoma, and right here, you're passing through the heart of the Absentee Shawnee people. These Shawnee, unlike others, were scattered, migrating from places like Ohio and Missouri, eventually…

You're driving through western Pottawatomie County, and right here is the town of Pink. It popped up after the surrounding lands opened in 1891. The post office here was a bit of a yo-yo, opening in 1894, closing in…

Right here in Pottawatomie County, you're driving through Bethel Acres, a community that fought to stay rural! Back in 1891, this land opened up to settlers. Soon after, pioneers established the Bethel school district,…