RonnieAdventure #0493 - Oklahoma 2021 Part I

It has been several years years since I visited Oklahoma, so I decided it was time for another Oklahoma RonnieAdventure. I flew to Oklahoma City, rented a car, then tried to drive mostly on backroads and visit small towns, attractions, and interesting areas along the way. 

After leaving the airport my first stop was in Okarche (population 1,445), home of Eischen's, the oldest bar/restaurant in Oklahoma. Tourist literature said that Eischen's served the best fried chicken in the area; but the restaurant was not open, so I had to settle for a picture of the place. 

Up the road a spell in Kingfisher (population 4,875) there is a small park on the Walmart property that contains a statue of Sam Walton and his dog Ol' Roy. This is probably the only Walmart store in the world that has its own park on the property and a statue of Walton and his dog. 

Walton was born in Kingfisher and worked with his father on the family farm until the Great Depression. When farming did not produce enough money to support the family, his father went to work for an agent of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company foreclosing on farms. The family later moved to various town in Missouri where Sam became the youngest Eagle Scout in the state's history. In later years he was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award for his community service.

While attending school, Sam had a paper route, sold magazine subscriptions, milked cows, bottled the surplus milk and delivered milk to customers. When he graduated from high school he was voted "Most Versatile Boy."

After working his way through college by doing odd job and waiting on tables in exchange for meals, Sam was hired by J.C. Penney in Des Moines, Iowa, as a management trainee for $75/month. However, his management career was cut short by WW II. After joining the military he was assigned to Fort Douglas near Salt Lake City, where supervised security at aircraft plants and prisoner of war camps. While in the military he reached the rank of Captain. 

After the War, at age 26, Sam purchased the Ben Franklin variety store in Newport, Arkansas, and the rest is history. 

Also located in Kingfisher is the Jesse Chisholm, Ambassador of the Plains Museum.

Jesse Chisholm was a Cherokee fur trader that is known for having scouted and developed what is now known as the Chisholm Trail. Before the railroads reached Texas, the Chisholm Trail was used to drive large herds of cattle from Texas to the railheads in Kansas. 

Chisholm was fluent in thirteen Native American languages and served as an interpreter between the various Indian tribes and the Republic of Texas and later with the United States Government. Because he negotiated numerous treaties between the Indian tribes and the governments, he became known as "Ambassador of the Plains." Although Chisholm lived in Kingfisher, he died of food poisoning at a camp near Left Hand Spring (near Geary, Oklahoma) and was buried there. 

I had not planned to stop in Hennessey (population 2,925), but when I passed an old abandoned Sinclair gas station my car automatically pulled over so I could take a few pictures. The car also pulled over at "The largest Quilt Shop in Oklahoma." Fortunately, the quilt store was closed. 

I remember when I was growing up our family went to Enid (2019 population 50,394) to visit my cousins. One of my Father's older sisters and her family lived there. Since my Oklahoma cousin now lives in Boise, Idaho, I am including a picture of Enid High School for her. 

The Midgley Museum in Enid was not open, but I understand that they have a large mineral collection. The museum building itself is unique in that it was built using rocks and minerals that the Midgleys collected over the years on their rock hunting trips. 

The town of Ames (population 262) is located in the center of the Ames Astrobleme, which was caused about 450 million years ago when a meteor estimated to about 300 feet in diameter crashed into the earth traveling at a speed of 100,000 miles/hour. Although the crater is now filled with dirt and not visible from the surface, it is the most thoroughly studied impact crater on Earth.  A museum is located in the city park and contains a video and other descriptive information about the astrobleme.

When I passed through Seiling (population 875), I could not help but notice the number of murals painted on sides of building in the downtown area. I have only included a few of the mural pictures. 

The town is named for Louis Seiling, who acquired a homestead in the lands during the Cheyenne-Arapaho Land Run of 1892. Seiling is now the largest city in Dewey County. 

Watonga (population 2,881) was named for Arapaho Chief Watonga, whose name means "Black Coyote." The town is located on lands that were part of the non-Indian settlement in the April 19, 1892 Oklahoma Land Run. 

Three notable people are from Watonga - T.B. Ferguson, Clarence Nash, and Tom Love

Thompson Benton Ferguson was editor of the Reublican newspaper in Watonga when President Theodore Roosevelt sent Ferguson a telegram offering him the position of Governor of Oklahoma Territory. Ferguson's wife received the telegram and quickly responded back that he would accept the appointment without ever consulting with her husband. Apparently her acceptance for her husband did not cause a divorce in the family.

Clarence Charles "Ducky" Nash, the original voice of the Disney cartoon character Donald Duck, was born and raised in Watonga. In the 1920s Nash moved to California and was a voice impressionist for a Los Angeles radio station. He was then hired by the Adohr Milk Company for publicity purposes and called "Whistling Clarence, the Adohr Bird Man."  His job was to roam the streets and give out free treats to children. 

One day Nash happened to be going by the Disney studio and stopped to give the receptionist a copy of his Adohr publicity sheet. He was recognized by the receptionist from his radio work and she asked him to make an informal audition for one of their casting directors. After his audition, the casting director called Walt Disney and Nash was hired immediately. Nash went on to be the voice of Mickey Mouse for 51 years. 

In 1964 Tom Love spent $5,000 to lease an abandoned service station in Watonga. Over the next eight years he expanded the chain with 40 additional stations. Then, in the 1970s a "Mini Stop Country Store" was added to the Watonga station. (It is believed that this was the first mini-market in the United States located in a gas station.) The concept was so successful that mini-mart stores were quickly added to other gas stations in Love's chain. Next, a deli was added to the stores and in 1993 Taco Bell restaurants were added, followed by a host of other fast food brands. Love's now has 500 gas stations located throughout 41 states and over 25,000 employees.

The Blaine County Courthouse and the T.B. Ferguson House are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The T.B. Ferguson Victorian-style House has been converted into a museum and is currently undergoing a renovation.