Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park
1937Folk art environment near Foyil featuring the world's largest concrete totem pole at 90 feet, hand-built by retired art teacher Ed Galloway.
Everything Oologah is known for
Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Oologah.
Folk art environment near Foyil featuring the world's largest concrete totem pole at 90 feet, hand-built by retired art teacher Ed Galloway.
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.
A smiling blue whale sculpture you can climb built by a man for his wife. Route 66 classic.
Silent film cowboy star. Made 160+ westerns. Started his career in the Bartlesville area.
16-mile paved trail along the Caney River through wooded bottomlands.
53 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Folk art environment near Foyil featuring the world's largest concrete totem pole at 90 feet, hand-built by retired art teacher Ed Galloway.
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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.…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
You're driving through Ramona, but did you know this town has had three different names? It started as Hobson in 1899, named for a Spanish-American War hero. Then, the postmaster renamed it Bonton, which means 'good…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
You're driving through Nowata County, right past New Alluwe. This place has a story that's all about boom and bust, thanks to oil. In 1905, a big oil discovery turned this quiet spot into a boomtown. Suddenly,…
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…
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.
You're driving through Nowata, a town that hit the big time thanks to a gusher! Back in 1904, oil and gas were discovered here, turning Nowata into the heart of the world's largest shallow oil field. Imagine the…
Right here near Nowata, Oklahoma, you're driving past the birthplace of rodeo legend Everett Shaw. Born in 1908, Shaw wasn't just a champion steer roper, winning the national title six times, he was also a pioneer. In…
You're driving through Nowata, Oklahoma, a town that once hosted a future Speaker of the House and a key figure in national politics. George Blaine Schwabe arrived here in 1911, practicing law and becoming deeply…
You're driving through Nowata County, a place whose name has a fascinating origin. It comes from the Delaware Indian word 'no-we-ata,' meaning 'come here' or 'welcome.' But here's the twist: when the railroad built a…
You're driving through Washington County, just south of Bartlesville, past the community of Ochelata. Originally called Otis, this town got a new name in 1899 to honor Charles Thompson, a former Cherokee Principal Chief…
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…
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…
You're driving through Osage County, just west of Highway 11, near the town of Avant. This quiet community has a dramatic past. On August 28, 1923, the town marshall here shot and killed Ben Avant himself, the rancher…
You're driving near Sperry, Oklahoma, right where a desperate Civil War battle unfolded in December 1861. This was the Battle of Chusto-Talasah, a brutal clash over loyalty and freedom. Chief Opothleyahola and his Creek…
You're driving north of Tulsa, on Highway 11, and you're passing through Sperry. This town got its start in 1902, not as a town, but as a post office serving scattered farmers. Things really picked up when the Midland…
A smiling blue whale sculpture you can climb built by a man for his wife. Route 66 classic.
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…