Historical Marker Program

Antlers Tornado

Pushmataha County
Location: on grounds of the Frisco Railroad Depot/Pushmataha County Historical Society Museum on OK-3 in Antlers
Coordinates: 34.230629, -95.621794
Material: Granite
Sponsor(s): Pushmataha County Historical Society
Topics: Environment/Cultural Ecology; Industrial Period, 1941–1982

On April 12, 1945, one of the most devastating tornados in Oklahoma history touched down in Antlers. The storm killed 86 people, and another 313 were injured. Hundreds of homes and buildings were destroyed, leaving 1,500 people homeless after the storm. The tornado continued northeast after leaving Antlers and eventually crossed into Arkansas.