Forgotten Oklahoma

08/25/2026

Shouse Farm. Morrison, Oklahoma. 1974. The Black Bear Creek Floods during the construction of the Cimarron Turnpike.

08/23/2026

Early Stillwater High School. Stillwater, Oklahoma. Date Unknown.

08/22/2026

It's

This photo of construction at Keystone Powerhouse was taken Sept. 22, 1965.

Keystone is one of eight hydroelectric power plants operated and maintained by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District. The powerhouse and power intake structure are located between the spillway and the left non-overflow sections and include two penstocks, each 27 feet in diameter, controlled by two 16- by 32-foot gates.

08/20/2026

Train going under coal chute. SkeDee, Oklahoma.
Photo courtesy of Pawnee County Historical Society Museum.

08/12/2026

08/09/2026

Most drowned towns were condemned and cleared. Mannford, Oklahoma, voted. 🗳️

The Army Corps of Engineers began work on Keystone Dam in 1957, and it was clear early on that the water was going to reach the town. In 1959 the residents of Mannford voted to move together rather than scatter. That decision turned into something unusual. The new town was planned on paper first, by the Community Development Center at the University of Oklahoma, before anyone lived in it. Streets, lots and services laid out in advance.

The move was finished in 1963. The dam was completed in September 1964, and the water came up over the old site along with the communities of Keystone, Prue and Appalachia. Mannford is generally described as the first comprehensively planned relocated town in Oklahoma's history. 🌾

What strikes me is how different the ending feels. Same dam, same loss of the original place, but the town got to argue about street layouts instead of only receiving a check and a deadline. Mannford is still there today, a few miles from where it started, on the shore of the lake that took the first one.

Picture is artwork 👩🏻‍🎨

08/06/2026

Maramec

07/23/2026

You are invited to a public meeting on Wednesday, August 5, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to learn more about the capital improvements underway at the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum. Oklahoma Historical Society leadership will meet with community members interested in the current and upcoming projects to preserve the site’s history.

The event is free, and light refreshments will be available. The meeting will take place at the Buffalo Theatre, located at 537 6th Street in Pawnee. No registration is required.

07/13/2026

Newest Forgotten Oklahoma acquisition!

07/10/2026

REMINDER: Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum is closed to the public in its entirety for restoration and construction work. This closure includes buildings, the picnic area, playground, drive-through pasture, and all other areas of the site. Please do not go past barricades or gates or attempt to access the property during the closure.