The Early Years Nearly a decade after the final shot was fired during the Civil War, westward expansion was in full gallop. Many people fled from homes that had been ravaged by the American Civil War and headed west towards the untamed wilds in search for a new start. Many of these early settlers passed […]
Tag: Poteau
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 […]
Early Life in Poteau Switch
Poteau had remained a sleepy little agricultural village until the late 1880’s. Once the railroad to Bengal was completed in 1886, the area immediately saw a building boom. Poteau didn’t gain official status until the following year when, on October 27th, the first post office in town was established. The new town, officially known as […]
The Terry House on the Hill, or the Doc Woodson Home in Poteau, Oklahoma
The story of the House on Terry Hill, also known as the Woodson Home, begins when Oklahoma was still Indian Territory. George W. Terry, a prominent Poteau businessman and civic leader, was also a romantic. Nearly every day, George would get his exercise by hiking up Cavanal Mountain. It was during one of these hikes […]
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 […]