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: historic buildings
Oklahoma’s Immigrants – Hidden Immigration History in Oklahoma
In the early 1900’s, European migration into Oklahoma was in full swing. During statehood, most of Oklahoma’s history focuses on Indian Territory and Native America, but there is a chapter that is often overlooked. Oklahoma’s Immigrant Story Immigration into the United States reached an all time high in 1907, the same year that Oklahoma was […]
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 […]
Poteau’s Growth through the Railroads
Development of the Frisco Railroad in Poteau The Poteau area was growing rapidly, but the biggest growth didn’t come until the railroad. During the late 1800’s, most long-distance travel was done through the railways. In Indian Territory, there were no railroad tracks laid until the 1880’s. In 1882, the Fort Smith and Southern Railway acquired […]
Poteau River Flood: A Tale of Wister, Oklahoma
Historic Flooding of the Poteau River Prior to the 1946 Wister Lake Project, the Poteau River has had a history of major flooding throughout the region. Some of the earliest recorded stories go back to the mid-1800s. After the Civil War ended in 1865, southeast Oklahoma became known as “Little Dixie”. Confederate veterans flocked here […]
The Legacy of the Black Angus in Poteau, Oklahoma
A Small Town Named Poteau During the 1950s and 1960s, the small town of Poteau was booming. Downtown, you could do anything from your routine grocery shopping to catching the latest flick at the Victory, Ritz, or Kemp theater. In 1952, a new drive-in theater was built on Broadway, which became an instant hit. Occasionally, […]
Taylor’s Inn in Poteau: Little Dixie’s Music Mecca
Taylor’s Inn Oklahoma is well known for its music history, from Cain’s Ballroom to Shelter Records’ Church Studio. During the 1920s, Greenwood became known as America’s Black Wall Street. Located just outside Tulsa at the time, this Black Wall Street was where the legendary Count Basie first encountered jazz music. While most of these facts […]
Oklahoma’s Most Haunted City: Ghost Stories From Guthrie
Guthrie, Oklahoma, has always had one of the most unusual stories of any city in the nation. It was essentially born on April 22, 1889, on the day of Oklahoma’s famous land run. By nightfall, a town of fewer than 10 people became a bustling city of over 10,000. Early on, it was selected as […]
Origins of Poteau’s Schools: Oklahoma’s First Free School
The Subscription Schools The origins of Poteau’s modern school system can be traced back to 1898. Before then, there were two “subscription” schools. The first dates back to around 1875. It was located near the intersection of College and Broadway and consisted of an old log house with dirt floors. The school was primitive by […]
Early Railroads of Southeast Oklahoma
Development of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad During the late 1800s, most long-distance travel was done through the railways. In Indian Territory, there were no railroad tracks laid until the 1880s. The first rail line in Indian Territory was the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railway Company (MK&T, or Katy). They ran a line […]