Historical Marker Program
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Your search returned 17 results.
Battle of Round Mountains
Payne CountyLocation: on McElroy Road, four miles west of Yale
Coordinates: 36.130044, -96.775442
Material: Granite
Sponsor(s): Payne County Historical Society
Topics: Military; Territorial Period, 1861–1907
Between the landmark known as Round Mountain (Twin Mounds) to the south and a camp on Salt Creek two miles northwest, the first battle of the Civil War in Oklahoma was fought between a group of loyal Creeks under Opothleyahola and Confederate forces led by Colonel Douglas H. Cooper. Some scholars believe this engagement took place in Tulsa County.
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Booth Number One
Payne CountyLocation: just west of North Perkins Road in Stillwater
Topics: Government; Land Openings; Settlement Patterns; Territorial Period, 1861–1907
The federal government established this booth where thousands registered for the opening of the Cherokee Outlet on September 16, 1893.
Boundary Line 1889 and 1893
Payne CountyLocation: at intersection of North Washington Street (formerly OK-40) and West Ranch Avenue in Stillwater
Coordinates: 36.16406, -97.06959
Material: Aluminum
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Topics: Land Openings; Settlement Patterns; Territorial Period, 1861–1907
An east-west line near this marker’s location marked the north boundary of the Unassigned Lands, which were opened for settlement on April 22, 1889. Four years later, on September 16, 1893, this line marked the south boundary for entry into the Cherokee Outlet.
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David Payne
Payne CountyLocation: at grave site of David Payne in Boomer Lake Park at Washington and Lakeview in Stillwater
Topics: Land Openings; Settlement Patterns; Social/Cultural
David Payne was the father of the Oklahoma Boomer movement. After his death, he was buried in Kansas. His remains were moved to Stillwater in January 1995.
Irving’s Castle
Payne CountyLocation: on Mehan Road northeast of Ripley
Sponsor(s): Daughters of the American Revolution
Topics: Arts; Natural Resources; Westward Expansion, 1803–1861
Writer Washington Irving camped here on October 20, 1832, in his tour of the American prairie. In his description of the campground, Irving wrote, "It reminded me of the ruin of some Moorish castle, crowning a height in the midst of a lonely Spanish landscape.
Last Boomer Town
Payne CountyLocation: on OK-40 near south edge of Stillwater
Material: Aluminum
Topics: Land Openings; Military; Settlement Patterns; Social/Cultural; Territorial Period, 1861–1907
Boomers were followers of David L. Payne, who insisted upon the opening of central Oklahoma to settlement. Near here, 300 armed Boomers made their last stand for settlement of the Oklahoma country when they surrendered to US cavalry troops. The Boomers had built log cabins and dugouts and founded the town of Stillwater on December 12, 1884.
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Oak Park Cemetery
Payne CountyLocation: on E0685 Road northeast of Ripley
Coordinates: 36.0221986, -96.8941217
Material: Granite
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society
Topics: Land Openings; Settlement Patterns; Territorial Period, 1861–1907
At this site, Frank A. Shoup staked his claim for a homestead during the Sac and Fox land opening in September 1891. He later donated this plot as a cemetery to serve the Ripley community. The site contains approximately 880 burials, the oldest of which date back to the late 1800s.
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Oil in the Cushing-Drumright Area
Payne CountyLocation: at intersection of Adams and Harrison in Cushing
Material: Granite
Topics: Government; Industry/Business; Mass Communication; Natural Resources; Petroleum; Urban Development
In March 1912, Tom Slick and C. B. Shafer discovered oil nearby. The Cushing field became one of history's greatest oil finds. For eight years, it led the nation in oil production. The oil discovery turned Cushing into a boomtown. The post office of Cushing was established November 10, 1891. The town was named for Marshall Cushing, private secretary to Postmaster General John Wanamaker. In 1919, the Cushing-Drumright area accounted for 17 percent of the nation's oil production.
Oklahoma A&M College
Payne CountyLocation: on South Main Street at south edge of Stillwater
Material: Aluminum
Topics: Education; Government; Territorial Period, 1861–1907
The college, now Oklahoma State University, was established December 25, 1890, by the Oklahoma territorial legislature. The prairie was broken for establishment of an experimental farm in 1891.
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Oklahoma Museum of Higher Education
Payne CountyLocation: on Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater
Topics: Government; Recreational/Service; Social/Cultural
The Oklahoma Museum of Higher Education is housed in Old Central, built in 1894, the first permanent building on the OSU campus. It is the nation's only museum devoted to a state's higher education history.
Outlaw Battle
Payne CountyLocation: at intersection of OK-51 and Bethel Road east of Stillwater
Topics: Folklife; Government; Territorial Period, 1861–1907
Three US marshals and two citizens were killed in a September 1, 1893, gunfight between lawmen and members of the Dalton-Doolin outlaw gang. It was the beginning of the end of the notorious outlaw gang.
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Stillwater
Payne CountyLocation: at Sixth Avenue and Perkins Road in Stillwater
Coordinates: 36.116520, -97.052070
Material: Granite
Sponsor(s): Unknown
Topics: Land Openings; Settlement Patterns; Territorial Period, 1861–1907
Boomers, led by William L. Couch, settled nearby on Stillwater Creek in December 1884. When ordered to leave, they defied the US cavalry. In his wire for reinforcements, Lieutenant Mathias Day said, “They call this place the town of Stillwater.” This was the first recorded reference to a town in Oklahoma Territory.
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Stillwater Fire Station No. 1
Payne CountyLocation: at Ninth Avenue and Lewis Street in Stillwater
Coordinates: 36.112510, -97.057430
Material: Aluminum
Sponsor(s): International Fire Service Training Association, OSU Fire Service Programs, and Stillwater Fire Department
Topics: Early Statehood, 1907–1941; Education; Recreational/Service
In July 1934, a group of educators and fire service leaders led by Stillwater Fire Chief J. Ray Pence met at this location to draft a series of firefighting training manuals. The manuals were subsequently published and distributed by Oklahoma A&M College (now Oklahoma State University). This initial meeting led to the launching of what would become the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), which is headquartered at Oklahoma State University.
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Turkey Track Ranch
Payne CountyLocation: on OK-33 west of junction with OK-99
Coordinates: 35.985428, -96.659994
Material: Granite
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society
Topics: Ranching; Territorial Period, 1861–1907; Transportation
During the height of the Texas trail drives through Oklahoma, this ranch, owned by James Jerome and Leslie Combs, was used to fatten cattle before their final trip to markets in Kansas. Roundups were held on the present site of Cushing.
Note: This marker incorrectly notes the date of the Sac and Fox opening, which occurred on September 22, 1891.
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Washington Irving
Payne CountyLocation: in the Jim Thorpe Municipal Park in Yale
Coordinates: 36.117400, -96.687017
Material: Other (Stone with bronze plaque)
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society
Topics: Arts; Westward Expansion, 1803–1861
Washington Irving camped nearby on October 20, 1832, during his tour of the prairies.
Wild Horse Creek-Washington Irving
Payne CountyLocation: nine miles south of Stillwater, four miles west, and one mile north of OK-33
Topics: Arts; Folklife; Westward Expansion, 1803–1861
Writer Washington Irving and his party camped on Wild Horse Creek during his tour of the prairies in 1832.
World Famous Athlete Jim Thorpe
Payne CountyLocation: in Jim Thorpe Municipal Park in Yale
Coordinates: 36.116500, -96.686333
Material: Aluminum
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Topics: American Indians; Early Statehood, 1907–1941; Social/Cultural
At the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, Jim Thorpe (Wa-tho-huk) was the winner of both the pentathlon and decathlon contests. The King of Sweden declared Thorpe, “The greatest athlete in the World.” Thorpe went on to play both professional baseball and football and is considered one of the greatest athletes of American sports history. Thorpe made his home in Yale in 1917.
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To find out more about the Oklahoma Historical Society Historical Marker Program or how to submit an application, please visit the Historical Marker Program page.
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Please use our online form to report missing or damaged historical markers.
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Contact Us
If you have questions, please contact:
Matthew Pearce
Oklahoma Historical Society
800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405-522-8659
[email protected]
