Like a dystopian landscape from the old days of the wild west, the Unassigned Land lay seemingly forgotten for several years. The area now known as Oklahoma’s Panhandle was originally not destined to become part of the state. With the arrivals of the Europeans into the America’s, Spain took control of a large swath of […]
Tag: outlaws
The Strange Tale of Elmer McCurdy, a Bungling Oklahoma Outlaw
For sixty-six years, Oklahoma outlaw Elmer McCurdy traveled the United States quite a bit less than alive. In fact, Elmer McCurdy wasn’t laid to rest until 1977, even though he died in 1911 at the age of 31. Elmer was a charming devil, although not a very bright one. He was born in Maine to […]
The Great Train Robbery of 1912 in Poteau, Oklahoma
A Bold Robbery Poteau, Oklahoma, was still a wild and rugged place even after the territory officially became a state. While this story can be repeated many times throughout Oklahoma, it really shows how rural areas were still very much stuck in the old days of the Wild, Wild West. It was a clear, chilly morning […]
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 […]
Outlaw Jesse James Treasure Tales of Oklahoma
The Wild West of Oklahoma Oklahoma is full of treasure tales. Some are quite detailed, while others are obscure and impossible to trace. Most of these tales originated during the mid to late 1800s before Oklahoma became a state. During that time, much of the state was considered uncivilized. Other than the few military forts […]
The Jenson Tunnel and the Town of Jenson
Oklahoma’s Only Railroad Tunnel The Jenson Tunnel is Oklahoma’s only railroad tunnel. Not only is it Oklahoma’s only railroad tunnel, but it is also the only tunnel in the United States built in a foreign nation. Constructed in 1885 through 1886 for the Fort Smith & Southern Railway, it is still in use today. Several […]
Cavanal Hill Historic Trail
The French Influence Cavanal Hill is known as the “World’s Highest Hill,” reaching 1,999 feet above the surrounding terrain. While this is impressive, the history surrounding Cavanal is even more alluring. The legacy of Cavanal has had a tremendous impact on Poteau and the surrounding area. The area was first settled in the late 1700s […]
A Tale of Bonnie and Clyde: The Bank Robbery at Poteau, Oklahoma
Meet Bonnie and Clyde After a long string of petty thefts that began in 1926, Clyde Chestnut Barrow was sent to the Eastham Prison Farm in April 1930. The Eastham Prison Farm was the first maximum-security prison in Texas. Because of its grueling work assignments, treacherous conditions, and difficulty escaping the unit, even hard-core criminals […]
Discover Bartlesville: Woolaroc; bandit haven, outlaw refuge, and famous home of Frank Phillips
During the roaring 20’s, when flappers and jazz music dominated the scene in the east, Oklahoma was full of wild and rugged roughneck towns. After the discovery of oil near Bartlesville, rough and rowdy men swarmed to the still young state of Oklahoma. The era of outlaws and Indians ended as progress spread across the […]
Visiting the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
The building trembled as the massive Pentaceratops shook its bony head, nearly knocking the three-thousand-year-old chalice to the floor. Across the hall, deer scurried back into the woods as a great multitude of birds took flight. A youthful-looking woman of the pre-Clovis culture was thrown to the floor; her face wore the masked image of […]