Just south of Drumright, Oklahoma lies an almost abandoned ghost town bathed in Irish heritage. The town could have been named Ardmore, or Prairie View, but the few early settlers that lived there settled on Shamrock, Oklahoma. This wasn’t the first time the town founder established a town named Shamrock. Back in Illinois, he started […]
Tag: Explore
Oklahoma’s Historic Roads: U.S. 69 And The Texas Road
What began as a minor French fur trading trail became one of Oklahoma’s north/south transportation routes. Around 1802, the French Chouteau brothers, Pierre and Auguste from St. Louis established a flourishing trading post centered in the Three Forks area, near modern Muskogee. Furs purchased from the Osage would be sent along the Arkansas river to […]
Rise of the Buffalo: How Oklahoma Helped Save the American Bison
By 1889, it was estimated that there were less than 1,000 wild buffalo left. A species that once thundered across the land had been hunted to near extinction. At one time, there were as many as sixty-million roaming throughout the Great Plains. Wanting to preserve an example of the bison for the U.S. National Museum, […]
From Irish Famine to Oklahoma Fame: The Story of Frank Murray
Young Frank was only twenty-five years old when he came to the United States. It was 1850. The Great Hunger spread across Northern Ireland like a plague. It would be two more years before the Irish Potato Famine ended. Frank Murray should have been immune. His family was well off, being part of the landed […]
Ten Totally Cool and Unusual Museums in Tulsa, Oklahoma that you may not have known about!
Tulsa is a city rich in American history, heritage and creative expression – from its Native American origins to its oil industry growth to its art deco landmarks. With this history, a plethora of Tulsa attractions has been established through the years. Some of these museums are world renown for their impressive collections, while others […]
Oklahoma Skate parks: Poteau’s Skatepark on Broadway
In Oklahoma, Skateboarding is alive and well. There are skateparks spread all across the state, from the massive Mat Hoffman Action Sports Park of Oklahoma City to the hundreds of community skateparks found in almost every major town and city. Skateparks, in general, have a relatively short history. The first skateboards from the 1950s were […]
Visit Okmulgee, Oklahoma! Dripping Springs State Park, Overview and History
Just a few miles west of Okmulgee, Dripping Springs State Park remains one of the most popular places to visit in the region. This park, combined with Okmulgee State Park, offers over 1,700 acres of breathtaking scenery, abundant wildlife, and some of the best bass fishing in the world. For the weekend traveler, this spot […]
Downtown Poteau Town Square (Pocket Park) Revitalization
In 1981, a series of devastating fires destroyed much of downtown Poteau. This left large gaping holes throughout downtown. While these were eventually filled in, such as with Dewey Plaza, others soon became blights on the downtown business appeal. Sadly, this is common in many towns. Either through fire, negligence, or structural damage, historic buildings […]
3 Fascinating Tales of Buried Treasure in Oklahoma
Forgotten Treasure During the 1800s, the land that would become Oklahoma was in flux. During the early part of the century, France owned the land. Over the next 100 years, it would be part of Texas, Arkansas Territory, Indian Territory, and Oklahoma Territory. Because of this constant shifting, the future state was largely ignored until […]
Activeworlds Virtual Sandbox: Build, Play, Interact!
Active Worlds was founded in 1995 and is the longest-running virtual sandbox on the web. For more than twenty years, a thriving community has called Active Worlds home. The amount of history that can be found within Active Worlds is staggering. Visitors can find “citizen” created “builds” older than twenty years. During the time that […]