You're driving through Osage County, near Skiatook, and right here is the site of a desperate Civil War battle. It's December 1861, and Creek Chief Opothleyahola is leading about seventeen hundred refugees, many women and children, north towards Kansas. They'd already been defeated twice and were running low on supplies, facing freezing weather. Confederate Colonel James McIntosh found their camp near Shoal Creek, now Battle Creek. For four hours, Opothleyahola's men fought a brutal delaying action up a steep hillside, trying to buy time for their families to escape. They were ultimately routed, suffering heavy casualties, and many more died from exposure and starvation. It was a tragic end to a desperate flight for freedom.

RoadyGoat → · 18.5 mi away

Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park

1937

Folk art environment near Foyil featuring the world's largest concrete totem pole at 90 feet, hand-built by retired art teacher Ed Galloway.

9.5 mi away

Blue Whale of Catoosa

1972

A giant blue concrete whale built by Hugh Davis in 1972 as an anniversary gift for his wife, now one of the most photographed Route 66 landmarks.

10.7 mi away

Things to Do in Claremore

quirky 13.2 mi away

Blue Whale of Catoosa

A smiling blue whale sculpture you can climb built by a man for his wife. Route 66 classic.

quirky 22.9 mi away

Golden Driller

A 76-foot oil worker statue in Tulsa. Oklahoma's unofficial mascot since 1953.

Everything Near Claremore

49 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Claremore, OK · Local history
Claremore sits on a gentle rise, a subtle shift in elevation that sets it apart from the surrounding prairie. At just under 700 feet above sea level, the town gains a slightly broader view of the rolling landscape of…
Claremore (town) · 0.4 mi · Eohc
Right here in Claremore, you're driving through a town that owes its start to a natural wonder. Back in 1903, while drilling for oil, they hit something unexpected: artesian mineral water! People flocked here, believing…
Osage (tribe) · 0.4 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Osage territory, and right here, you're passing through the ancestral lands of a powerful nation. Long before Oklahoma was even a state, the Osage people dominated this region. Around 1750, they…
Riggs, Rollie Lynn · 0.4 mi · Eohc
Right here, near Claremore, is where Rollie Lynn Riggs was born back in 1899. He grew up to become one of America's most important playwrights, a poet, and a Hollywood scriptwriter. Riggs captured the spirit of…
Black Dog · 0.4 mi · Eohc
You're driving near Claremore, Oklahoma, and right here is the site of the village of Black Dog, a powerful Osage chief. Born around 1780, his original name meant 'Dark Eagle' or 'Sacred Little One,' but he became known…
Claremore (person) · 0.4 mi · Eohc
You're driving near Claremore, Oklahoma, and this town is named for a powerful Osage chief, Gra-mo'n, known to Americans as Claremore. He was a noted warrior who led the Arkansas Band of Osage. In 1817, his village, a…
Page, Patti · 0.4 mi · Eohc
Right here in Claremore, Oklahoma, you're passing through the hometown of a true music legend: Patti Page! Born Clara Ann Fowler in 1927, she got her start singing at a Tulsa radio station. When the main singer fell…
Rogers County · 0.4 mi · Eohc
You're driving through northeastern Oklahoma, and right here in Rogers County, you're passing through a place that was once the site of a fierce battle. In 1817, the Osage and Cherokee tribes clashed violently at what…
Roosa, Stuart Allen · 0.4 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Claremore, Oklahoma, home of astronaut Stuart Roosa! Roosa was the command module pilot for Apollo 14, the third mission to land on the moon. While his crewmates walked on the lunar surface in…
Jones, Ruthe Blalock · 0.4 mi · Eohc
You're driving past Claremore, Oklahoma, where renowned Delaware-Shawnee-Peoria artist Ruthe Blalock Jones was born in 1939. She started painting at age ten, and by thirteen, she was winning awards at the Philbrook…
Oklahoma Military Academy · 0.4 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Claremore, Oklahoma, and right here, the Oklahoma Military Academy, once known as 'the West Point of the Southwest,' stood as a testament to national pride after World War I. Established in 1919,…
Rogers State University · 0.4 mi · Eohc
You're driving past Claremore, and right here is the site of what used to be the Oklahoma Military Academy. Established in 1919, the academy was born from a post-World War I desire to instill discipline in young men.…
McAuliffe, Leon · 0.4 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Claremore, Oklahoma, and right here is a place connected to a legend of Western swing music: Leon McAuliffe. Born in Texas, McAuliffe found his musical home in Oklahoma, joining Bob Wills and His…
Starr, Emmet · 0.4 mi · Eohc
Right here in Rogers County, you're passing through the land of Emmet Starr, a Cherokee physician and historian who dedicated his life to preserving his people's story. Born in 1870 in what was then the Cherokee Nation,…
Carson, Brad · 0.4 mi · Eohc
You're driving through northeastern Oklahoma, passing through Claremore, home of Brad Carson. Carson, a member of the Cherokee Nation, served as Oklahoma's Second District U.S. representative from 2000 to 2004. He was a…
Claremore Mound, Battle of · 4.6 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Rogers County, not far from Sageeyah, where a brutal battle unfolded in October of 1817. This was the Battle of Claremore Mound. Western Cherokee warriors, allied with other tribes and even some…
Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park · 9.5 mi · Historical Marker
Folk art environment near Foyil featuring the world's largest concrete totem pole at 90 feet, hand-built by retired art teacher Ed Galloway.
Bunion Derby · 9.7 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Oklahoma, and right here, you're passing through the hometown of a national sports legend! In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1928</say-as>, Andy Payne, a Cherokee runner from near Foyil,…
Galloway, Nathan Edward · 9.7 mi · Eohc
You're driving through northeastern Oklahoma, and right here is the incredible Totem Pole Park near Foyil. This place is the lifelong work of Ed Galloway, a self-taught artist who moved to Oklahoma in 1914. After…
Folk Art · 9.7 mi · Eohc
Right here in Oklahoma, you're driving past a testament to artistic vision that defied convention! We're talking about folk art, the creative spirit of everyday Oklahomans. Think unique paintings, handmade toys, even…
Foyil · 9.7 mi · Eohc
You're driving past Foyil, Oklahoma, right on historic Route 66. This town owes its start to Alfred Foyil, who became postmaster in 1890. His farmland became the townsite, and he owned the general store. By 1911, Foyil…
Rogers, William Penn Adair · 10.4 mi · Eohc
Right here, near Oologah, was the birthplace of Will Rogers, Oklahoma's favorite son and one of America's most beloved humorists. Born November 4, 1879, in Indian Territory, Rogers grew up on his father's ranch,…
Oologah · 10.4 mi · Eohc
Right here, on U.S. Highway 169, you're passing through Oologah, the birthplace of one of America's most beloved humorists: Will Rogers. Born just outside this town in 1879, Rogers would go on to become a national…
I-House · 10.4 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Oklahoma, and you might be passing by one of the most common, yet distinctive, house styles in the state: the I-House. Coined by a geographer back in 1936, the name comes from states like Indiana…
The Blue Whale of Catoosa · 10.5 mi
Just east of Catoosa at 2680 N OK-66, a grinning concrete blue whale lounges at the edge of a spring-fed pond. Hugh Davis, a Tulsa Zoo director, built it as an anniversary surprise for his wife Zelta, who collected…
Blue Whale of Catoosa · 10.7 mi · Historical Marker
A giant blue concrete whale built by Hugh Davis in 1972 as an anniversary gift for his wife, now one of the most photographed Route 66 landmarks.
Dog Iron Ranch · 11.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Get ready to tip your hat to a legend: This is Dog Iron Ranch, the birthplace of Will Rogers. Born here in 1879, Will Rogers grew up on this sprawling ranch, learning the cowboy skills and homespun wisdom that would…
Fair Oaks · 11.4 mi · Eohc
You're driving east of Tulsa, right past Fair Oaks, a town that incorporated in 1966 to avoid being gobbled up by the big city. At first, it was just twenty people on two hundred acres. But then, in 1969, Fair Oaks…
McSpadden, Clem Rogers · 12.0 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Rogers County, and right here in Bushyhead is where Clem Rogers McSpadden was born in 1925. Now, you might not know the name, but you've likely heard his voice. McSpadden became rodeo's unofficial…
Allsup, Tommy Douglas · 12.3 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Oklahoma, and right here, you're passing through the area where Tommy Allsup was born near Owasso. Allsup was a legendary Western-swing guitarist who played with Buddy Holly. In fact, he was on…
Owasso · 12.3 mi · Eohc
You're driving past Owasso right now, and you might notice the name. Did you know it means 'the end' or 'the turn around'? Back in 1897, the Kansas, Oklahoma Central and Southwestern Railway built a depot here, about a…
McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System · 12.5 mi · Eohc
Right here, near Catoosa, is the Port of Catoosa, the northernmost point of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. Dedicated in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1971</say-as> by President Nixon, this…
Catoosa · 12.5 mi · Eohc
You're driving past Catoosa, Oklahoma, and right here, in 1971, this town became the northern anchor of a massive waterway project. President Richard Nixon himself came to dedicate the Port of Catoosa, part of the…
Blue Whale of Catoosa · 13.2 mi · Things to Do
A smiling blue whale sculpture you can climb built by a man for his wife. Route 66 classic.
Collinsville · 14.2 mi · Eohc
Right here, you're passing through Collinsville, a town that was once the site of 'The Last Great Pow-Wow Before Statehood.' Imagine this: October 1907. Leaders like Geronimo and Quanah Parker gathered here for an…
Inola · 14.2 mi · Eohc
You're driving past Inola, a town that once became the center of a major controversy over nuclear power. In the early 1970s, plans were announced for the Black Fox Nuclear Power Plant right here. The project sparked…
Talala · 15.7 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Rogers County, and right here is Talala, established in 1889 when the railroad first arrived. Now, the name 'Talala' is Cherokee for the red-headed woodpecker, a bird abundant along a nearby…
Pryor Creek · 17.0 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Pryor Creek, a town that boomed thanks to World War II. Right here, during the war, the federal government built the massive Oklahoma Ordnance Works munitions plant. At its peak, this plant…
Amish · 17.6 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Mayes County, and right here near Chouteau is one of Oklahoma's most distinct communities: the Old Order Amish. They've been farming this land since 1910, drawing on traditions that go back to…
Chouteau · 17.6 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Chouteau, a town born from the railroad in 1871. When the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway arrived, Chouteau became a terminus, and the first agent, Riley W. Lindsey, became the first settler.…
Chelsea · 18.2 mi · Eohc
Right here in Chelsea, you're driving through a town that started as a railroad stop back in 1881. It was named by an official for his hometown in England. Chelsea was incorporated under the Cherokee Nation in 1889, and…
Vera · 18.2 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Washington County, and right here is Vera. It might seem like just another small town, but back in the day, Vera was known as 'The Hay Capital of the World'! Imagine, miles of prairie hay, shipped…
Milam, Jesse Bartley · 18.2 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Rogers County, Oklahoma, and right here is a place tied to a significant Cherokee leader, J. Bartley Milam. Born in Texas in 1884, Milam grew up in Chelsea, Oklahoma. He became a successful…
United States Oil and Gas Company · 18.2 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Rogers County, not far from Chelsea. Back in 1887, Edward Byrd, a Cherokee citizen, organized the United States Oil and Gas Company. He'd discovered an oil spring here a few years earlier and…
Chustenahlah, Battle of · 18.5 mi
You're driving through Osage County, near Skiatook, and right here is the site of a desperate Civil War battle. It's December 1861, and Creek Chief Opothleyahola is leading about seventeen hundred refugees, many women…
Hoots Ranch · 18.5 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Osage County, and right here is the former site of Hoots Ranch, famous for a promise kept. It started in 1873 when the Captain family, Osage members, settled near Hominy Creek. Later, Rosa Captain…
Skiatook · 18.5 mi · Eohc
You're driving through Skiatook, a town with roots stretching back to 1872. It all started when William C. Rogers, chief of the Cherokee Nation, set up a trading post near Bird Creek. The post office opened that year,…
Religion · 19.8 mi · Eohc
Right here, near present-day Mazie, you're passing through history's first mission and Indian school in Oklahoma. Established in 1820, Union Mission was a pioneering effort by the United Foreign Mission Society. It was…
Union Mission · 19.8 mi · Eohc
Right here in Mayes County, you're driving past the site of Union Mission, Oklahoma's very first Protestant Christian mission, established way back in 1819. It was part of a nationwide spiritual revival, and…

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