It is both fascinating and chilling to visit any of these ghost towns and figure out the story they have to tell. Panhandle is part of the Amarillo, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Oklahoma Panhandle. You might think Oklahoma is pretty creepy for having over 2,000 ghost towns but they are actually quite interesting. Located in the Oklahoma Panhandle, Beaver County was formed in 1907 from lands in Oklahoma Territory. There is nothing there now except the remains of an old roadbed and I had to drive well over a mile into an open field just to find those remains. The Square House Museum in Panhandle, originally constructed as a dwelling on the N Bar N Ranch in Carson County, contains dioramas and displays of the natural history, history, and art of the Texas Panhandle. Do not be put off by the lack of towns in our list below. In the early 1900s, the extension of railroad lines in the area allowed towns to grow and prosper. Source: flickr. Doaksville Archeological Site. The Oklahoma Panhandle has never been for the faint of heart. Kenton and No Man’s Land. Boggy Depot - Chickasaw Country. Medicine Park, Oklahoma. Old West Oklahoma Old Things Cabin Explore House Styles Photography Fotografie Cabins. Flat and dry, the steady prevailing winds can sometimes create mild dust storms, though modern farming techniques have much reduced the terrible dust storms which occurred during the "Dust Bowl Days" of the Great Depression. I arrived after driving across Colorado, from peaks to plains, traveling across the Comanche National Grassland and into the Oklahoma Panhandle. In July 2009 the population was estimated at 2,425. A bit about Sod Town from John Morris’ excellent “Ghost Towns of Oklahoma” book: In Ghost Towns of Oklahoma, John W. Morris defines ghost towns as those communities that no longer exist as well as those in which remains of residences and businesses exist but are generally unused and those in which the population has declined at least 80 percent from its peak.Using those criteria, Morris estimated that Oklahoma has had approximately two thousand ghost towns. Medicine Park, Oklahoma. So, it made sense to us, that as DSS expanded operations, we would stretch our services into the under-served area of the Oklahoma Panhandle. Things to Do in Oklahoma, United States: See Tripadvisor's 474,721 traveler reviews and photos of Oklahoma tourist attractions. In the 1890s, Edward T. “E.T.” Guymon purchased a section of land west of the Beaver River. This left us with 38 places from across the state. The Oklahoma Panhandle is the far west part of the state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma is a state located in the Southern United States. “I've been doing this 30 years,” Starbuck says. Elmer E. Brown, "No Man's Land," The Chronicles of Oklahoma 4 (March 1926). As with other salients in … Explore ap0013's photos on Flickr. Ghost Towns of Oklahoma . Oklahoma Ghost Town Photo Gallery. Donald E. Green, Panhandle Pioneer: Henry C. Hitch, His Ranch, and His Family (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1979). Harry F. Chrisman, Lost Trails of the Cimarron (2d ed. The Oklahoma Panhandle (previously called No Man's Land and the Neutral Strip) is the extreme northwestern region of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, consisting of Cimarron County, Texas County and Beaver County, from west to east. Ghosttowns.com-the best source of information on ghost towns in the U.S. Ghost towns are listed by state & include biographies, pictures, and other detailed ghost town info. Step back in time to 1880 to the old western town, Sipokni West, where cowboys have gunfights, the old west spirit resides and where spurs and saddles can be found at the local Trading Post. It is located in Oklahoma’s panhandle, with visitors most commonly being drawn to the area to see the Black Mesa State Park, where they can hike the state’s highest point. Foss – Doomed From the Beginning. Sod Town is a ghost town in the eastern portion of the Oklahoma Panhandle. A bit about Sod Town from John Morris’ excellent “Ghost Towns Corporate hog farms and cattle feedlots dominate its economy. ... Panhandle Campground According to the 2010 United States Census, Oklahoma is the 28th most populous state with 3,751,616 inhabitants but the 19th largest by land area spanning 68,594.92 square miles (177,660.0 km 2) of land. Beautiful and creepy aren’t two words one typically puts together when describing something, let alone abandoned places in Oklahoma. Texas Panhandle The northwest corner of Texas is known as the Texas Panhandle, probably because it juts out in stark plaintiveness from the rest of the state. Oklahoma Forts. Oklahoma's past is full of towns that sprung up overnight and faded away just as quickly. They’re also full of history, and thanks to the hard work done by the team at Abandoned Oklahoma, we’re able to see these places before it’s too late. Texas County comprises the Guymon, OK Micropolitan Statistical Area. Unlike other Oklahoma ghost towns, Boggy Depot was not part of the Land Run, nor was it ever home to any mining operations. Article by Andrew. You can find one within a day trip from anywhere in Oklahoma… Visit top-rated & must-see attractions. Many towns that existed in the Territory days are still in existence today. Sod Town is a ghost town in the eastern portion of the Oklahoma Panhandle. Kenton, Oklahoma Mercantile. An Oklahoma trucker died in Kansas after succumbing to smoke. It is the second-largest county in the state, based on land area, and is named for Texas, the state that adjoins the county to its south. Texola – Gateway to Oklahoma. ap0013 has uploaded 6284 photos to Flickr. Lets have a look at the best small towns to visit in Oklahoma: 1. ; Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998). From 1850-1890, the Panhandle was officially called the Public Land Strip but was better known as No Man’s Land. Later, during The Jones and Plummer Trail Museum, located in the county seat of Beaver, showcases the lives of early Beaver County settlers. Know that we are working hard to expand our services and our territory further into Oklahoma. To create our list of the best places in Oklahoma to retire, we first used Census data to find all places in the Sooner State -- 728 cities and towns. A very long, tiring day. Although Oklahoma was one of the last states to join the Union (46th state), it is still full of towns loaded with history. Oklahoma has divided its diverse landscape into six regions or "countries" - each with a distinct flavor, image and unique cities and towns that make great destination sites. The Oklahoma Panhandle is the extreme western region of the state of Oklahoma, consisting of Cimarron County, Texas County, and Beaver County, from west to east.Its name comes from the similarity of its shape to the handle of a cooking pan.. Today, it comprises the three busy agricultural counties of Cimarron, Beaver and Texas, but during the 1850s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, it had no government at all. Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory were joined together under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma in 1907. Advertisement A fast-moving wildfire in the Oklahoma Panhandle had burned more … Oklahoma comes very close to being a boxy nonentity on the national map. It was founded in 1908 by Elmer Thomas, a new member of the Oklahoma … It was also called Cimarron Territory and the Neutral Strip, populated by anarchy and munching cattle. Oklahoma is divided into 77 counties and contains 597 incorporated municipalities consisting of cities and towns. Before becoming a part of Oklahoma Territory, this strip known as No Man's Land was a haven for outlaws and land squatters. The three-county Oklahoma Panhandle region had a population of 28,751 at the 2010 census, representing 0.77% of the state's population. Medicine Park is a town located in Comanche County, in the Wichita Mountains. Cimarron County boast "Still Not a Stoplight in the County" I've already posted about the towns of Gate and Hooker in the Panhandle, now for the remainder of the Panhandle. Flying over in the dark is an awesome sight. There is nothing there now except the remains of an old roadbed and I had to drive well over a mile into an open field just to find those remains. Texas Panhandle: towns, travel, attractions, history, landmarks, legends, columns, vintage & contemporary photos, hotels, and more. After statehood in 1907, the region began to be called the Oklahoma Panhandle. We have reviews of the best places to see in Oklahoma. The western most county, Cimarron is the only county in both Oklahoma and the United States that borders four states: Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas. Guymon is a city in and the county seat of Texas County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,442, making it the largest city on the Oklahoma Panhandle. Residents in two Oklahoma Panhandle towns were ordered to evacuate. We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren't townships. “It … Oklahoma’s panhandle has changed hands many times over the years. Note: as of November 2020, Sipokni West is permanently closed. Shamrock – Oil Boom & Bust. The state Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry estimates that it cost $4.5 million in state, federal and volunteer funds to fight the fires in the Panhandle and northwest Oklahoma. Visiting This Mini-Town In Oklahoma Is Like Stepping Into A Western Movie. Warwick’s Seen Better Days . Rugged terrain, geological marvels and outlaw history all make Kenton an Oklahoma escape in the purest sense of the word. Find what to do today or anytime in January. Texas County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Its county seat is Guymon.As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,640. Bibliography. But that’s exactly what the following 24 abandoned places are: beautiful and creepy. It includes Cimarron County, Texas County, and Beaver County. Home to a museum devoted to the Panhandle Boise City has its own Dinosaur to welcome you as you drive into town from the north. 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