Oklahoma Historic Places Database
Historic Place of the Day
Freedom Jail
The Jail-House is located at the end of Main Street. It is housed in the community’s original well-house. Visitors can stage great "Old-West" photos on the porch and the adjoining "outlaw" cemetery.*
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Red River Bridge
North span first free bridge across Red River erected 1931, replaced 1996. Oklahoma Gov. “alfalfa” Bill Murray defied federal court injunction, plowed up the road to “toll” bridge, forcing opening of “free” bridge linking Texas and Oklahoma Hwy’s. Gov. Murray came personally to oversee the bridge opening, OK National Guard vs TX Rangers. Colbert Historical Society, Colbert Park board, Oklahoma ...
Fred Drummond Home
The Drummond Home in Hominy is a three-story Victorian home built by turn-of-the-century business leader and cattleman/rancher Frederick Drummond and his wife Adeline Gentner. The sandstone home was completed in 1905 and has been restored by the Oklahoma Historical Society. Visitors will find colorful wallpaper, stained glass windows and a charming pink parlor perfect for greeting guests. The ...
Oil in the Osage Indian Nation and the Million Dollar Elm
Symbolic of the impact oil had on the people of the Osage Indian Nation is the so-called "Million Dollar Elm." It was given this name because in its shade millions of dollars worth of Osage oil leases were auctioned. It was planted at this site sometime during the latter part of the 19th century as an ornament and for shade. The name was not given by tribal leaders but by reporters and maga ...
Osage Agency
The Osage agency was established in 1872 to oversee the federal government's relationship with the Osage. Congress allowed the Osage to retain ownership of minerals in their reservation lands. When oil was discovered in the area, the allotted Osage became the richest Indian tribe in American history. On the grounds is an elm tree under which many early-day oil deals were made. The tree is call ...
Million Dollar Elm
The discovery of "black gold" in Oklahoma precipitated one of the greatest rushes in the history of the West. One of the most famous oil discoveries took place on the Osage Reservation in the northeastern portion of Oklahoma. The mineral rights to the lands were sold to the highest bidder at auctions held under a large elm tree in Pawhuska. Because of the tremendous wealth that traded hands be ...
The Battle of Wooster Mound
Near this site on August 8, 1903, U.S. Deputy Marshal Wiley G. Haines, Chief of Osage Indian Police Warren Bennett, and Constable Henry Majors ended the career of the notorious outlaw gang known as the Martin brothers. The outlaws were wanted for murder and robbery over a five state area. During the fierce gun battle at Wooster Mound, Sam & Will Martin were fatally wounded. Marshal Haines was ...
Hillside Mission
Established by Rev. John Murdock, under auspices of Friends Society, 1882. This noted school was attended by both Indian and white children. In this vicinity, was home of Wm. C. Rogers, last elected principle chief of Cherokee Nation, 1903 to 1917. His grave, and that of George Tyner, Cherokee, are in Mission Cemetery.
A work in progress ...
This database is provided to help you explore the great state of Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Historic Places Database is an on going project started on May 19, 2005. The information provided here was entered in by volunteers who visited or did research about each location. Some historic places may not have any information yet or even be listed. Though we strive for accuracy, some information could be incorrect.
The Oklahoma Historical Society (www.okhistory.org) provides a list on their web site of all the historic markers in Oklahoma. However at the time we started this project this list only contained the name of the marker and which county it was in. We used this list (as of February 16, 2005) to seed the Oklahoma Historic Places Database. (If you would like a copy of our seed list, visit here.)
Multiple sources including various books, internet web sites, and museum visits provide the information used to build the Oklahoma Historic Places Database.
Unless otherwised noted, information and images provided here are under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Exploring Oklahoma History is a labor of love for the great state of Oklahoma.
Labor omnia vincit