Sasakwa, Oklahoma

You're driving through Holdenville, a town born from the railroad boom. It started as a small Creek settlement called Echo, meaning 'deer.' But when the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad pushed through in 1895, a new…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

You're driving through Hughes County, and you might be passing through a town that's had more name changes than a secret agent! This place started life as Buzzard Flop, a rest stop in the Choctaw Nation for travelers…

You're driving past Calvin, which started out as Riverview back in 1895. It got its current name that same year, named for Calvin Perry, a Choctaw landowner. This railroad town boomed between 1900 and 1930, becoming 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…

Pontotoc County is a community in Oklahoma.

You're driving through Hughes County, and right here is the site of one of two places once called Camp Holmes. Established in June 1834, this military outpost was a forward base for the Dodge-Leavenworth Expedition.…

You're driving through Hughes County, and right here, not far from Holdenville, was once a vital stop on the frontier: Edwards's Post. Established around 1835, it wasn't just a trading post, but a crucial hub for tribes…

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 Hughes County, past the tiny community of Yeager. It might seem quiet now, but back in 1917, this spot became an oil boomtown! The Yeager oil and gas field opened up, producing anywhere from…

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…

You're driving past Maud, Oklahoma, the birthplace of a true rockabilly queen, Wanda Jackson! Born in 1937, she was country music's first female rock and roll star. After getting her start on Oklahoma radio, she met…

Right here, straddling the line between Oklahoma and Indian Territories, you're passing through Maud. Back in 1890, a barbed-wire fence was strung right down what's now Broadway, meant to keep American Indians out of…