Stroud, Oklahoma

You're driving through Lincoln County, not far from Chandler, the birthplace of Roy Harris. Born in 1898, Harris grew up to become one of America's most significant classical composers. His Symphony Number Three,…

You're driving through Oklahoma, and right here, you're passing through the heart of a major battle for the soul of the state. In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1903</say-as>, Abbie B. Hillerman, known as the…

You're driving through Chandler, right on historic Route 66. This town's origin story is wild! It was supposed to open on September 22nd, 1891, the same day as a big land run. But guess what? Soldiers blocked the way…

You're driving through Chandler, Oklahoma, a town that was once a hub for a powerful socialist movement in the early 1900s. Right here, in 1904, Kate Richards O'Hare arrived with her husband. She wasn't just any…

You're driving through Lincoln County right now, passing near Chandler. This area is where Joseph Colburn Pringey homesteaded back in 1891 when the Sac and Fox lands opened. He wasn't just a farmer, though. Pringey…

1920s filling station near Warwick with 65+ vintage motorcycles. Free admission.

1935-37 WPA armory in red sandstone reopened 2007 with immersive Route 66 exhibits.

You're passing a piece of Oklahoma history, right here at the Chandler Armory! It's more than just a building; it's a tangible link to the New Deal and the legendary Route 66.Built between 1935 and 1937 by the Works…

One of the Three Guardsmen lawmen. Served as Lincoln County sheriff. Buried in Chandler.

One of only two OK towns with its own dedicated land run on Sep 28 1891.

A four-block-wide tornado killed 19 and leveled the town. They rebuilt in sandstone.

You're driving through what used to be the Kickapoo lands, the site of Oklahoma's fifth and final land run! It all happened at noon on May 23rd, 1895. Ten thousand people showed up to claim their piece of the nearly…

You're driving through Lincoln County, named for President Abraham Lincoln. This area was opened up by a massive land run on September 22, 1891, when twenty thousand people lined up for over six thousand homesteads. The…

Twin 1897 sandstone Mascho buildings on the National Register.

Six gins and a cottonseed oil mill. Cotton was king through the 1920s.

68 years of frontier journalism (1891-1959). Digitized at Library of Congress.

Four courthouses have stood on this hilltop since 1891.

You're driving through Lincoln County, past the town of Sparks. This place started on land that was once part of the Sac and Fox Reservation. After the reservation dissolved in 1890, the land opened up in a run in 1891.…

Imagine hitting the jackpot, then losing it all because people thought you couldn't handle the money. That's kind of what happened here. In 1916, the Gypsy Oil Company struck it big on Jackson Barnett's land with the…

You're driving past Bristow, and right here is where the Voice of Oklahoma, KVOO radio, got its start back in January of 1925. Originally KFRU, the owner dreamed it would be heard all across America. Just a year later,…

Right here in Bristow, Oklahoma, back in 1926, a young woman named Norma Smallwood was about to become a national sensation. At just eighteen years old, she was crowned Miss America! Picture it: long brunette hair…

You're passing through Bristow, the "Woodland Queen" of the Creek Nation. While this town started as a railroad stop, it hit a major boom around 1914. That's when oil and gas were discovered in the area, turning Bristow…

Right here in Bristow, Oklahoma, you're passing through the hometown of Tom Paxton, a legendary folk singer and songwriter. Born in Chicago in 1937, Paxton moved here as a boy and got his first guitar at sixteen. He…

You're driving north of Chandler on Highway 18, and right here is Agra. This town owes its existence to the railroad, specifically the Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma line that connected Oklahoma City to Kansas back in…

You're driving through Drumright, Oklahoma, a town born from the wild days of the oil boom. Right here, back in 1912, the first producing well in the Cushing-Drumright Field blew in. Suddenly, thousands of oil-field…

You're driving through Creek County, right near Cushing, and you're passing through the heart of what was once the most important oil field in Oklahoma: the Cushing-Drumright Field. Discovered in January 1912 by Thomas…

You're driving through Oklahoma, and right here, you're passing through a piece of its nuclear history. Back in the 1950s, Kerr-McGee, a company known for oil, dove headfirst into the atomic age. They bought a refinery…

You're driving through Cushing, Oklahoma, a town that became the 'Pipeline Crossroads of the World.' While it started as a railroad stop and agricultural center, Cushing hit the big time in 1912 when wildcatter Thomas…

You're driving through Oklahoma's oil country, and right here, the McMan Oil Company made history. Founded in 1912 by Robert McFarlin and James Chapman, McMan hit it big almost immediately in the newly discovered…

You're driving through Oklahoma, and you might be passing a place that helped build the modern retail landscape! Right here, in 1918, Charles Ross Anthony partnered in his first business in Cleveland. Just four years…

Right here is where Oklahoma's oil boom really took off! In 1912, Thomas Baker Slick, Sr., drilled the Wheeler No. 1 well. It was the first successful well in what became the massive Drumright-Cushing Oil Field. This…

Imagine this quiet spot once buzzing with the energy of Oklahoma's oil boom. This is where the Drumright Gasoline Plant No. 2 stood, a critical piece of the Cushing-Drumright Oil Field. Construction on the plant…

You're driving through Paden, Oklahoma, a town that sprung up thanks to the railroad. Back in 1903, the Fort Smith and Western Railroad pushed through this area, and Paden was born. It quickly became a bustling hub,…

Right here near Prague, Oklahoma, you're driving past the birthplace of arguably the greatest athlete of the 20th century: Jim Thorpe. Born Wa-tho-huck, or "Bright Path," on May 28, 1888, Thorpe was a Sac and Fox…

You're driving through Oklahoma, and right here, you're passing through a piece of history tied to the Land Run. Anton Caha was one of the very first Czech immigrants to settle here. In 1889, he snuck into the…

You're driving through Prague, Oklahoma, a town with roots stretching back to the land run of September 22, 1891. But what makes this place unique? It was settled primarily by Czech immigrants, who named it after their…

You're driving through Oklahoma, and right here, you're passing through the territory of a man known as the 'King of the Wildcatters,' Tom Slick. He started his oil career in Tryon back in 1904, a place that would…

You're driving through Lincoln County, and right here is Tryon, a town with a wild streak! Back in 1903, the Farmers and Merchants Bank opened its doors. It quickly became a legend for a different reason: robberies. In…

You're driving through Olive, Oklahoma, the birthplace of Jack Guthrie, the man who first made the song "Oklahoma Hills" famous. Born Leon Jerry Guthrie in 1915, he adopted the cowboy persona and name "Jack" because he…