I grew up in a rural town in Oklahoma. The main industries were oil and small farms. The oil is still there, but at a much decreased level. The small farmers have passed away and now the area is larger ranches, employing fewer people. Many people, like me, after getting college degree, left for much batter jobs in the big cities. These trends are why so many small towns(everywhere) are having trouble.
Also many of these towns were established around the turn of the century at a time when horse transportation was still preeminent - thus the necessity of having the general store within a few hours ride. With modern transportation you end up with many towns that have been made obsolete, as it is.
As a fellow Oklahoman, I concur! I used to love going home but not so much anymore unless we’re having a family gathering. Drugs have also played a part!
Was you in Wynnewood ok that's all that's there's oh ua and a cop shop with two cops to one person I lived in Stratford ok to help with my aging dad I hated Oklahoma I said when dad passes im gone before the dirt settle on the grave already had half the u haul loaded oh God I hated Oklahoma
@@carolynrossiter8141 I was just in Stratford getting peaches. I did and do not hate Oklahoma, it was just that the better jobs were elsewhere. I am familiar with Wynnewood with its refinery, but have never lived in or near it. The oil I mentioned is oil wells.
This was a walk back in time for me! I grew up in Altus, OK and my mother was an Avon district manager for all these little towns you drove us through. I used to drive with my mother as she signed up ladies to sell Avon in the late 1960's and 1970 through all these towns. Wow! What a walk back in time! Thank you for this little trip down memory lane.
@@amywitte3434 I'm originally from Tennessee, and there's always hills or trees in your peripheral vision, but now that I'm in OK, I've found that I really like those areas where you can see nearly to the edge of the earth all around you. Not the flat barren stuff, but the rolling open areas.
Watching this video took me back to my childhood and my ancestral roots. Both my parents were born and raised in Vinson. My mother’s grandfather was a barber and his shop was across the from the arbor (still standing) behind the memorial marker you read. Her grandfather also led the singing when they had “revival meetings” under that arbor. All the relatives on my daddy’s side farmed in the area. Daddy’s momma moved to Mangum when I was around 10. She worked and lived at The Franklin Hotel and I loved to visit her there. The switch board had plugs which you used connect calls to the rooms. There was a restaurant as well and our family often ate there when we went to see Grandma. Thanks for taking me on a bittersweet trip down memory lane.
For those that have never been to Oklahoma, the ghost town portrayal is out of proportion. Technology has changed the workforce in America, thus jobs have been moved to other areas or worse have been eliminated altogether! I grew up in a small town in Oklahoma in the 1960's, and the street in front of my house was a gravel road, I never thought that meant we were impoverished. Bottom line for the state of Oklahoma, the people there are the BEST in the nation when it comes to hospitality, helping you neighbor, or helping a perfect stranger. I challenge you, in your tour of Oklahoma, to interview some of the locals in various areas of the state in different walks of life, because the people are the lifeblood of Oklahoma! By the way... Darrell Royal head football coach @ Texas, graduated from the University of Oklahoma! Barry Switzer head coach @ OU, far surpassed Royal's winning record... just to set the record straight!
@@deb5710 Yep you are right, I'm a Texan and I have found some of the nicest folks in Oklahoma. Too bad their state government doesn't treat them better.
@@kd5inmI’m a Texan and Oklahoman. My experience has been the opposite of yours - I find Texans to be the friendliest people I’ve ever met (except on the freeways - all bets are off!) I currently live in OKC, but from Houston. I was shocked when I arrived here and was rebuffed when trying to make small talk with strangers. People seemed suspicious or something. I’ve gotten used to it now.
I’m from Hollis. A lot of people left around the late 90s early 2000s. They just need to tear it down and rebuild. Your video just shows how even worse it has gotten
Its already happening, I left my little town back in 98. Never thought I would ever come back to the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma, but after lapping this globe 3 times I cant wait to go back to Rural Oklahoma and settle down with my family.
I lived in Hollis in 2000/2001. Very strange feeling to live there. It was nearly as abandoned then as it is now. Wasn't much to do at all. The big thing for people then was going down to the local Love's convenience store so they'd have a reason to see each other and say hello. Watching high school football was still the biggest thing to do though. You'd be really surprised just how nice and modern some of the houses in Hollis are though. Just gorgeous. My uncle lived in one.
I was permanent party cadre at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, during the final year or two of the Vietnam War. My girlfriend and I would hop into the El Camino and drive over to Altus to watch B-52s do "touch and goes" at the airfield there, since Altus Airfield was a bomber training base back then. It was watching shopping malls coming in, way out, lined up with the runway. I found the people to be darned good people in these small towns in the early Seventies.
I am enjoying your travel logs! Those gas pumps were probably 1960s vintage. I was working in a gas station in 1969 while in high school. The price for regular was 36 cents per gallon. Conoco was dominant in Oklahoma back then. Your travels through the downtrodden towns in the center of the USA make me wonder what it would take to revive some of these places. The dust bowl of the 1930s turned that area and the panhandles into dust dunes. Thankfully, the agriculture reforms introduced during the Great Depression provided a massive improvement. Still, a lot of the Okies stayed in California. On early maps of Oklahoma Territory, the 36-mile-wide strip known as "the panhandle" was referred to as "No man's land". Go figure!
That is also the price I remember from the 60s, 70s. However, my grandfather would by $1 worth an 0.19 per gallon in the early `1960s. I am from rural Oklahoma and was in a town nearby my hometown recently. They are still using pumps from the early 80s in some of the off brand gasoline stations!
The Oklahoma Panhandle was no man's land, "West of Hells End". Due to map plattes on early treaties it was literally overlooked, there was no legal authority. Not sure when it was fixed, but it was.
I’m surprised that gas was as expensive as 36 cents for a U.S. gallon in 1969. I remember when the Arab Oil Embargo hit Hamilton Ontario in 1973 and drove the price up to 38 cents for an imperial gallon. At that time the U.S. dollar and Canadian dollar were within a few cents of each other, if not at par. Today, of course, the U.S. dollar is much, much stronger.
Holy shit, this just popped into my algorithm for no reason and the first 2 minutes features my hometown of blair. Talk about a blast from the past lol.
Very cool video....in case people didn't know, Altus, Mangum and Hollis are all county seats. Summer of 2019 my best friend and I visited every single county seat...tried to stay off main highways and turnpikes as much as possible. Great way to see all of Oklahoma and learn a lot of history.
This is exactly what I needed to see. I'm from a little farther northeast than you showed but I know this area all too well. I grew up in a small town called mountain view. Just even seeing places that I know that we'll that are only an hour to two away makes me happy. I haven't been back home in a year. Been back twice since I shipped out in 2020. It's even harder to go home now being stationed in italy. So thank you for showing these places.
My grandfather was the newspaper in Hollis for decades. My dad, uncle, and aunt were raised in Hollis. They left in the 50s. I visited Hollis many times growing up (60s and 70s). I have many great memories about Hollis -- super cool dust storms, stars galore, running through cotton and wheat fields, shooting guns, etc. I always had LOTS of fun in Hollis. Thanks for doing this video.
I was stationed at Altus AFB from Jan of 75 to October of 78. There was not a single fast food restaurant at the time but Big D's burger joint had great food and the Fox cafe had great enchiladas. I was accustomed to living in small towns but my room mate was from the Washington DC area and he was absolutely convinced that he had died and gone to hell when he arrived at the little isolated dusty town.
My mother's parents taught school in Burns Flat, between Clinton and Elk City, which in the 1960s had a SAC base. The base closed around 1970, and the state placed a vo-tech school (now technology center) on the old base. The long runway left behind has long been used for landing practice by the Altus base, and now it's been designated as a spaceport. My father's parents lived in Geary, a town closer to "the city," as rural people call Oklahoma City, but nevertheless has declined significantly over the last half-century.
The base brought something like culture shock when it was built - suddenly, there were strangers around! Who came from all over! Who knew nothing about farming!
I went to Will Rogers elementary back in the day. I had Mrs Opal Shinn in kindergarten and Miss Miller for first grade. I'd LOVE to find the house we lived in for sale. I keep going on Realtor hoping.
I remember growing up in Muskogee but also lived in several small towns. I lived in Council Hill before lake eufala flooded our farm. I also lived in Morris, Okmulgee, Verden and Fort Gibson. Muskogee had 55,000 people in it when I left for the marines and went to viet nam in 1968. when I returned Muskogee was just another small oklahoma town with about 35,000 people in it. Merle Haggard did a show there once right after he recorded "Okie from Muskogee". I was in viet nam at the time and when the guys heard the song, they thought it was a joke place. I said it was a real place and showed them my drivers license issued in Muskogee....they were blown away. Both my parents are buried in Muskogee at the cemetery on York street. I should go back and just drive through it one more time, but between the mosquitoes, chiggers, web worms, and the horrible humidity, it will just be a visit. LOL. But it was a fantastic place to fish with ponds and lakes everywhere and of course the arkansas river. I killed a lot of squirrels and rabbits for a few dinners I recall with my trusty 22 rifle. Honor Heights park (where the five civilized tribes museum is located) was a fun place to hang when I was young. They had the national offices for the VA there in Muskogee at Honor Heights Park. They have people from all over the world come yearly to the big Azalea festival. I'd like to see greenleaf lake again, had some good times there. as the old saying goes....Muskogee is a good place to be from. LOL
Greenleaf is still a nice place to go. Muskogee hasn't really changed a whole lot. The high-school is getting a new stadium and now have walmart supercenter on Shawnee. No more cost warehouse. They did demolish the old country club that had became Bacone dorms for a while.
You should visit when the leaves change in the fall and drive not only around Greenleaf but lake tenkiller too. The fish still bite good in the ponds and lakes. Eufaula has so many fishing guides now to fish it is unbelievable. Plenty of deer and turkey to be seen too. Still a place where you know your neighbors and help each other out. Though the medical marijuana is very prominent here now.
I lived in some of those same towns but I'm from Delaware county originally. Had some good times in the Muskogee/Ft Gibson area. Greetings from Bastrop TX
I have family that still lives in Granite and Hobart! Granite is about 15 minutes from Mangum. Hobart is probably about 30 minutes from Mangum. It really is a trip back in time every time I go visit
Drake I lived in Hobard from about 1968 to 1973; something like that. The town was booming at that time. I loved living there. It is sad to see the little towns now days. I do love to go back and remember. Back then there was no crime to speak of. It was fun growing up as a kid there.
Awesome video Sir..... that vintage gas station in Hollis was incredible. It looked like something out of the 40's and 50's. It's also sad in a way to see these small towns now as it seems to indicate that Rural America is slowly dying. Your tours like this fascinate me LS.....please keep them coming!
I live in Hollis lol! This was so trippy to come across dude! It's a very small cotton town ....most of the houses out here are 100 years old and many of them are lived in to this day including the one I live in now. Just outside of town there's a couple old abandoned schools Roy school is one and there's Many many old churches that fell and all the houses around them rotted back into dirt. Busy Corner is basically just standing history...it's been like that since I was a child. They used to sell cokes in glass bottles in the summer but it's just sat there frozen in time since the old man died years back. What a trip!
JustAnna: Tell us a little about life in this town. It would be interesting coming from an "in real time" resident. What do adults and kids do socially, the schools, crime, the police dept, employment etc?
I grew up in Blair OK and left in '84. I go back occasionally as my parents and relatives are buried in the Blair cemetery. I graduated from BHS in ' 75 .it has its small town charm but Well what you see is what you get.
I live in OK & it’s cool to see different parts of Oklahoma I probably wouldn’t otherwise see! They all look the same as the other Oklahoma small towns haha! Cool videos dude.
This touching tour culminated for me videoing and reading that poignant plaque memorialising a more prosperous past of what now is the eerie remains of Vinson, Oklahoma. I was also impressed by Jones' Barber Shop, within a kind of stand-alone mini Quonset hut, in the town of Blair. May no one misunderstand me. I have nothing but the deepest teverence for such gritty, isolated places within our great country. Thanks again.
Even back then there wasn't much to do. Did you read where that preacher went to the middle of town and had all the pool tables burnt? Good grief! It sounds like he and the ladies of Vinson had too much time on their hands. At least the billiards kept the other guys busy.
One thing I notice about these places is that they are not only in the middle of nowhere but there are no necessities such as working gas stations, places to buy food and clothing and places to eat, just to name a few. We live about 10 miles from town in farm country (we aren't farmers ourselves), but our town has two big box stores, restaurants, gas stations, etc. It is a small college town, which helps support these things. I can't imagine living in one of these empty places, even though I love the country. Nice and interesting video. Thanks!
My parents met there when my dad was in the Air Force. Visited for the first time last month, it takes forever to get there. I love delivering in sw Oklahoma for FedEx express, get to see all kinds of small towns I would never otherwise see
Hollis may be dying, and looks bad, you’ll meet some of the best people. People who take care of others. Who pull together when tragedies happen. A lot of our small town are that way. And even though Hollis and other towns are “dying”, I’ll take my good people any day over city life. And yes. The roads are horrible. But they tell a story about how our men worked on our water lines day and night.
36 cents a gallon was after 1973. It isn't that old. Not to me. I remember gasoline for 17 cents. Great old truck. Take note, the station in Hollis is from the 70s. My Dad drove all the way across Oklahoma to give a talk to the Hollis Chamber of Commerce in about '72 about the new Arkansas River Navigation System. Every town had an ice plant. They used ammonia and super cooled brine to make ice in big square aluminum cans on a chain conveyor that would run through the long fat of brine water. The people left in towns like Gould are the very old who have no other place to go and others. They wouldn't have it any other way for the most part. The towns remind me of the one in "The Last Picture Show".
My mom and dad were born and raised in Hobart Oklahoma. I used to go there a lot in the 50's, 60's and 70's. The people were outstanding there. I miss it. Most of my family are buried in the Hobart Cemetery.
My aunt lived in Sayre Oklahoma all while I was growing up! I love Western Oklahoma! Where the wind comes sweepin down the plains! ❤️ I live in Norman Oklahoma now. My home town is Paul’s Valley ok
Just moved from Blanchard and now in broken arrow. What a shocker this is, you need a pike pass to go anywhere! I miss I-35, it’s only been 3 months but being born and raised in Moore for the last 27 years, I miss home. Isn’t it crazy how our western state looks? Used to contract out at Altus Air Force base and that place was the last stop before you get to nothingville. Only hotel in Altus was used by airmen for ladies of the night, Lol.
Sayre was full of corruption many years ago & has been passed down to the offspring. School teachers were among the worst. Once heard the principal say they had one half breed in school as he ran down the line of new students. Only one example of the elite…in their minds.
I'm glad this popped up on my recommendations. It's a refresher to see ol rural Oklahoma being in South Oklahoma City with all the amenities especially all the hotels in our downtown area. The closest to rural I've enjoyed would be Spencer, Jones, Forest Park, Seminole, Earlsboro, and Banner Road in El Reno.
My family is originally from Mangum. My great grandparents lived at the end of Jefferson and my mom used to work the switchboard at the Franklin hotel about 1965. It was a great place to be a kid back then. I think they still hold the rattlesnake festival, but it's been a long time ago for me.
This was a very good video, good job ! These places are kind of the midwest version of Centralia Pennsylvania, such a shame of what's happening to these once vibrant towns
I can remember working for Hillary communications putting in fiber optics turning on and off services cement was one of my funniest ones because I had to turn off the internet to the police station and almost got arrested for doing that because they didn't want to admit that they forgot to pay their bill
You captured something rare in southwestern Oklahoma. Rain. Check out Fallis Oklahoma. Everything is still there. In the panhandle read the history of Wheelless.
Thanks LS for this video of a part of the country I have never seen and one that is not usually given much coverage. As you were driving down the highway I could imagine the roar of tornadoes sweeping across the vast, flat and open landscape.
At Gould that big blue tank is also a water tower.. sometimes those old water towers the towns cant afford to tear them down so they buld the big blue water tanks.
I live in Mangum and go to Blair for good food at Luigi’s. Seven miles east of Blair is Warren which has a great cafe run by three generations of good cooks. Fifteen miles north of Mangum is Willow which has the Haystack Diner, an excellent place for breakfast. A few more miles north is Carter, home to an excellent burger cafe. This region is very economically distressed but there are very nice nuggets of gold to be found. Like the Now and Then store in Hobart.
@@wolffzambelli2701 The Hamburger Inn was severely damaged by fire in February 2021 after 92 years of providing great food. The structure remains but the insides were gutted. Several of the people working there are now running the Haystack Diner in Willow. A new hamburger cafe, Oscars, has opened one block east on Louis Tittle, Hwy 283.
I grew up in a small community outside Ada, okla. One school with kindergarten through 8th, amazing how all these places have Disappeared simply because Walmart came to the big town and all the little stores left could not make it we had a church and a school and that was it after the store closed down.
I lived in Cromwell for six years, and I remember going to Ross Meadows every Saturday for the races. My dad worked with horses and also owned a horse. So for the last part of my time in Oklahoma, we were at the racetrack everyday lol
I lived in Elk City for 8 1/2 yrs. Nice place to live. Low crime , good people and great hunting and fishing. A lot of these towns died out some during the dust bowl. And after the oil boom of the ‘80’s. I loved it there. No light pollution at night. No air pollution. Great place to raise a family. As opposed to cities with all of the trash and high crime.
Used to go hunting in Lone Wolf and we would go eat at Back Door Steak House in Blair and it was awesome! I want to go back soon and check it out again!
I grew up in Carter, OK, on the Northfork of the Red River. It's about 20 minutes from Magnum and 20 minutes south of Elk City. My family is in the oilfield and farms. Pretty much the only thing that happens in Western OK. But you're right. There's something really beautiful about its desolate hills. I sure miss the way it feels. Luckily my family still lives there, so I get to visit some.
Somehow, this just came up on my feed today...and being an Okie expat, I had to check it out. When you were in Hollis, I kept looking for a chuckwagon. I believe the famous cowboy cook, Kent Rollins, and his lovely wife live in that area.
We rented a farm house in Frederick ok, in the 80s for $35.00 a month. All he wanted was for someone to watch over property so people would stop stealing his fuel. Great memories
you gave me quite a nice surprise..Hollis is where my grandparents lived and are buried there. My mother grew up there and she is 90+ now. Thanks for running me around those old streets of my memory.
It saddens me to see all our little towns dying out. I live in a BoomTown and it is dying out too. When I was a kid we had 5 pm traffic you couldn't get across the street for all the cars. Nowadays, it is just sad. Oil towns bursting with people or farming community towns in Oklahoma, now ghost towns. Everyone up and moved to larger cities in Oklahoma or left the State altogether. Guess that's progess for ya.
I left my little town in NE Oklahoma 24 years ago when I turned 18, I never thought I would ever go back. There was just NOTHING there but a lake. Now after lapping the globe 3 times and living in the biggest cities in the world. I cant wait to go back to rural Oklahoma and settle down. Its funny though cause when I left my hometown had 535 people now it has almost 700 people and is growing slowly. Though we do leave, some of us return when we realize that we were living good in rural Oklahoma.
So many viewers, judging from their comments, including myself, appreciate your video tours. Very educational. You may become Very Famous due to the service you provide. You have admirable values: appreciation of history, architecture, artwork, neighborhoods, good food - the animals. No animal escapes your notice. Good for you - I love it!
I was hoping you would drive into Quartz Mt. State Park when l saw the mountains. My dad had a general store and restaurant there for years. Was booming forever. My late stepmother got sick and my dad's own health he had to close. So many countless good times on Lake Altus. There is actually A Brinkman , Oklahoma. Nothing there. Farms. Mainly farms and livestock in that area. Large Minanite community Sw Oklahoma as well. My mom was born in Hollis. My cousins raised in Altus. I lived there for about 3 years. BTW, Luigis in Blair. Good food. Go to Medicine Park next time. Love that place. I love you pops.. if you see this.
There actually is something at Brinkman. A vehicle scale. Drive on, read the weight shown by the big LED readout and you know what your vehicle weighs. Very convenient!
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip Medicine Park...well it is a bit touristy now - small scale. Really not much there although there has been a spate of construction along the creek - of which I would stay out of the water. There are weekend events that are ok for local fare. Sadly, The Old Plantation was gutted and remodeled (generic) and in the process the historic interior was lost. Medicine Park was way more interesting when it was a hippie commune! Lawton is another city that was a lot more fun way back then. A very dynamic local business class that has been replaced with corporate minions. Crime is a problem. They still have not caught the guy whom stopped his truck on a major busy road, stepped out and opened fire with an AK in a case of road rage. Lawton has made a number of national top 100 or even top 10 lists and not the good ones...
I'm originally from Lone Grove in Carter County and now live in a smaller community here in Southern Oklahoma and I've seen many small towns around me slowly get smaller and empty buildings and houses that I grew up in or near where I have kinfolk and when older people pass on and their children no longer have need of the houses and property it sits and sits until they either fall down on their own or the city or county has them torn down and when a business closes down due to various reasons the building usually gets another business in it if it's lucky or they just fall down also and like the weather here in Oklahoma it can change in an instance.
I lived in Oklahoma as a child and since then have spent most of my life in the northeast. The things I find remarkable watching these is how closely the houses are packed together given how much space there is to work with out there, and there are NO GARAGES... In a climate where the sun and wind are not the friendliest on paint you would think you'd see more of them
He drives right by the house in Hollis I lived in 58 years ago. That preserved gas station from the'50s called "Busy Corner" where he gets out and walks around is where my grandfather died when I was 2 years old. The guy that bought that gas station about 20 years ago put in those pumps, pop machines and Coke signs and most of the stuff inside and turned it into a time capsule. It was pretty much stripped out when he bought it.
This is so true. Many of these small towns have nothing to offer their residents and the hardship to keep them within various codes, is a financial impossibility. Many structures should be torn down to remove possible arson and vandalism and the land reclaimed for farming or reforestation.
Recently moved to rural Oklahoma to escape the craziness of the west coast. It's really sad to see all the small towns in the plains states that have been destroyed by globalization.
Luigi’s is so good in blair! Mangum will never be a ghost town because that’s where the yearly Rattle snake derby is. Omg you made it to hollis 🤣 I was born here and I hate it lol 13:45 was my moms first rent house YEARS ago, I’m 40 so it was a long time ago 🤣 16:05 the museum is back east of where you are right now on the north side of road. You said gould right the 1st time. It has no stores, just post office and county barn lol and people of course
I'm glad you are making these videos, but I do think there is a tiny bit of condescension in some of the things you say about the people living in these places. It might not be intentional, but small towns are often the most proud of their communities and many of those living there choose to live there. Oklahoma City is not too far away, has a relatively low cost of living, and a healthy job market. Those who cannot afford to move don't really have a choice, but I have a lot of family in this part of the state. They get along just fine. They are wonderful people with good lives. With only a few exceptions, these are where those people want to be and there is a bit of judgment for that in your constant surprise and jabs at things being "dead". Again, I do love the video. I just wish you'd talk to the people and maybe refrain from judging those who remain.
My blood pressure always improves when I watch your videos. Grew up in OK but moved to Kommifornia for the last few decades. OK looks better all the time
Brings back great memories. I worked in the oil fields. From pipelines to drilling. Ruffnecking was a way of life, I did it for many years. Been and stayed at almost every town you mentioned. I lived in Mangum for several years at the hotel Franklin. I even cooked and washed dishes in the restaurant.. great food. Great people. We use to sneek up and hang out on the roof. The building looks the same, but the surrounding sure don't. It had the original elevator. Clerks counter, you could smell the history in the wood. The rooms had original furnishings, That's where I discovered that ghosts are lingering memories,, On my day off I would walk from the hotel and just walk. The town was doing good. A great place to raise a family, I was 17,18,and a little into19 years old living in that hotel, carnivals and rattle snake round up were common, not just there but all those small town,, it was a whole different world back then. In the 70s. To see it now, the town and those other towns just breaks my heart. I was born and raised in east Oklahoma have lot of family there but im going to stay on the east coast. Worked in the oil fields and all over Texas also. I can tell some stories... always day dreamed about going back to reminisce. But your kinda doing it for me, taking it off my bucket list.. a little history lesson for your viewers, every thing east of Tulsa, Oklahoma city, Dallas and Houston Texas is green country, mountains. Rivers, creeks and even trout streams, small and huge lakes, waterfalls. Bears and alligators, yes alligators, even in oklahoma,, don't believe, Google it. It's not all flat land and desert.. east Oklahoma city is green country when you drive out its flat and dry..really enjoy these videos. Keep up the good work.
Went to elementry school in roosevelt......played those towns in summer baseball......we owned gas station and propane company 1960's looked about like that gas station
Thank you for reading the marker at vinson.. I looked at bench and wondered how many people sat on it when it was thriving. Thank you for taking me on this road trip. When my brother was alive he took me on trips like this.
Enjoyed the tour, as I grew up on the prairie up north in Osage County and went to school in a small town (about 2,000 then) with some 1,100 residents now. Lots of abandoned houses and stores falling in, businesses moved on or gone out, and not enough revenue to get them taken down. There was an idea to let the fire department practice on them and then clean up the debris after but was deemed too dangerous for surrounding structures. Oh and, by the was it is true Darrell Royal was a national champion coach for Texas, but first he was an All-American football player at the University of Oklahoma for the legendary Bud Wilkinson. So, the University of Texas Darrel K. Royal Stadium...... is named for an OU football player.
Hello Ranger, I myself grew up on the prairie in Northern Washington County, In a town that had 535 people right next to the lake. There are still 570 people in my hometown but it keeps going. As a Teen in the 90's I would regularly make the trip over to "Paw" and hang out over there rather than go to Bartlesville or Tulsa. I played Football so I always loved our away games in Shidler because all my friends from PAW would come over and cheer me on cause it was close. I still love the area and make trips back there every 5 years or so. I have traveled all over the world but my heart is still in Green Country and I am currently looking into buying a new homestead in the Hulah/Bowring area.
As an oilman in the year of our lord 2022, I am always amazed driving through rural OK to the courthouses throughout. Can’t help but wonder what those folks do these days, sad, but also so amazing to see the past in the living flesh. Okla is so rich in history.
Lol...I was raised in Martha Oklahoma..6 miles NW of Altus..my Great grandfather Clarence Pigg helped build the school & Baptist church..we lived 1/4 mile south of town. His eldest son was the school principal .. Mangum has a snake hunt every year.
Funny thing is that I use to live in altus in the mid seventies and everyone of those towns had at least some life to them never would imagine that it changed that much, couple of good fishing holes down there thoe
I lived in Altus in the late seventies working for the telephone company. I was the installation repair foreman for many of those towns you were driving through. Even back in the 70's you saw a lot of those abandoned buildings and homes. I was told that back in the 30's those towns were populated with a lot people who supported the agriculture in the area. Mostly cotton. As farming became more mechanized, there was less need for workers, so the populations diminished. But there is still lot's of money in agriculture in those areas, just not many people. The City of Altus would be the same way if the Air Force base closed. If you hit these rural towns early in the morning you will find the favorite cafe the farmers meet at before they go check on their properties. Just look for the pickups and you'll find a good place a good breakfast and a chicken fried steak for lunch. I miss those times.
Hi Mike.. Yes, we had some good times working together in Altus while working for the telephone co, during the mid-late 70's. Altus started going down hill in 1970 when the Air Force did away with the Intercontinental Strategic Ballistic Missle program. Although during the mid-late 70's the Air Force still operated the Strategic Air Re-fueling force with the KC 135 tankers. Four of them in the air at all times & 8 sitting on stand-by at the Hurry House at all times. Remember when the buried cable to the Hurry House got wet and we lost all communications with the Control tower & the Hurry House. The pilots & crew had to man their aircraft until we got the cable fixed ?? The Air Force wasn't very happy over that deal. Altus was full of GOOD people both local & Air Force. My neighbors on both side were Air Force Major & Full Bird Coronel. We occasionally went to Lake Altus for the week end together.. Good time had in Altus !! 1974- 1978. Still got your MG ? Still got my Jeep..lol
@@ronh5422 Yeah, They also got mad a me when we cut over Bld 185 because the security alert system would not function. They also had to keep the pilots on stand by. I do remember that wet cable, isn't that the time when the guards didn't communicate and the night guards came and arrested you? Yeah, still got the MG and have it all restored, just need to finish the paint job.
@@MH-wg6bz No I got arrested when we lost the cable under the runways between Radar Approach Control (RAPCON) & the Control Tower. We had problem isolated to a manhole about 20 yds off the east runway. We had 5-6 vehicles around that manhole since about 3-4 am and the MP's finally found us about 8am.. Couldn't launch or land anything. Had to get the base comm. officer to come get me out of the brig. Funny thing they left my crew and their vehicles at the manhole.. lol.. Remember the fiasco we went thru in the installation of the new MAC & SAC headquarters system?? Had to get Blue from OKC to come diagnose the problem Bouno had designed into it. Took 3-4 days and nothing could fly.. Both our crews worked round the clock trying to get that thing to work. Heads rolled over that one.. That investigation went all the way SWBT Co. Headquarters in St. Louis.. Bouno never allowed back on base and was forced to retire early- like next month after investigation.. LOL
If you visit Oklahoma again please keep Ponca City in mind. It was home to Conoco (Continental Oil Co) founded by E.W. Marland. He built his home here (The Palace on the Prairie) and held fox hunts and Pelosi matches on the grounds.
Fascinating clip. It reminds me of the film Hell or Highwater. Spending my life in the NYC metro area, that film stunned me? We have East Coast towns and cities that are also desolate and abandoned, but I think it’s the expanse? It also reminded me a bit of another film, A Trip to Bountiful? You see these homes and storefronts and realise that people occupied these places, raised a family made a livelihood. Thanks for the clip.
If you want to be amazed at what still passes for a town go to a place like Quinton where there was a lead smelter or Bowlegs in the old Three Sands oil field. What you were amazed were streets look good compared to some of those towns I mentioned.
used to work in Oklahoma City at a distributor for appliance parts. I shipped stuff all over the state, Thank you for giving me a glimpse of what these towns looked like
I don't care what city or state you're going through, those "little holes in the wall" seem to have the best eats around. I can remember them being called "greasy spoons!"
Great video. Grew up in Altus (88’) and running around those same towns in SW OK. Luigi’s in Blair is a great place to eat. Mom & Dad still live there, north of town and the runway just off Race Track Road. It’s Gould, “oo”.
I'm in ponca city and we have so many grasshoppers at my house I have to bat them away from my door before I open it to go in. Rascals are all sizes and shades...our grass is dried out and yellow
I grew up in a rural town in Oklahoma. The main industries were oil and small farms. The oil is still there, but at a much decreased level. The small farmers have passed away and now the area is larger ranches, employing fewer people. Many people, like me, after getting college degree, left for much batter jobs in the big cities. These trends are why so many small towns(everywhere) are having trouble.
Makes total sense.
Also many of these towns were established around the turn of the century at a time when horse transportation was still preeminent - thus the necessity of having the general store within a few hours ride. With modern transportation you end up with many towns that have been made obsolete, as it is.
As a fellow Oklahoman, I concur! I used to love going home but not so much anymore unless we’re having a family gathering. Drugs have also played a part!
Was you in Wynnewood ok that's all that's there's oh ua and a cop shop with two cops to one person I lived in Stratford ok to help with my aging dad I hated Oklahoma I said when dad passes im gone before the dirt settle on the grave already had half the u haul loaded oh God I hated Oklahoma
@@carolynrossiter8141 I was just in Stratford getting peaches. I did and do not hate Oklahoma, it was just that the better jobs were elsewhere. I am familiar with Wynnewood with its refinery, but have never lived in or near it. The oil I mentioned is oil wells.
This was a walk back in time for me! I grew up in Altus, OK and my mother was an Avon district manager for all these little towns you drove us through. I used to drive with my mother as she signed up ladies to sell Avon in the late 1960's and 1970 through all these towns. Wow! What a walk back in time! Thank you for this little trip down memory lane.
Same for me. I grew up around Blair. I pretty much knew where he was at before he said.
I grew up in Granite. Also, lived in Blair for awhile. I was born in Altus though. Its interesting watching someone drive through it all.
I lived in Altus until I was 10. One grandma lived in Gould. Dad grew up in Hollis. I love SW OK. Would love to go back
@@amywitte3434 I'm originally from Tennessee, and there's always hills or trees in your peripheral vision, but now that I'm in OK, I've found that I really like those areas where you can see nearly to the edge of the earth all around you. Not the flat barren stuff, but the rolling open areas.
i bet your mother knew my aunt, who was the same but further east
Watching this video took me back to my childhood and my ancestral roots. Both my parents were born and raised in Vinson. My mother’s grandfather was a barber and his shop was across the from the arbor (still standing) behind the memorial marker you read. Her grandfather also led the singing when they had “revival meetings” under that arbor. All the relatives on my daddy’s side farmed in the area. Daddy’s momma moved to Mangum when I was around 10. She worked and lived at The Franklin Hotel and I loved to visit her there. The switch board had plugs which you used connect calls to the rooms. There was a restaurant as well and our family often ate there when we went to see Grandma. Thanks for taking me on a bittersweet trip down memory lane.
Wow, I hit all your historical family places! I think that's awesome. :)
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip Yes you did for several families. Thank you ☺️
For those that have never been to Oklahoma, the ghost town portrayal is out of proportion. Technology has changed the workforce in America, thus jobs have been moved to other areas or worse have been eliminated altogether! I grew up in a small town in Oklahoma in the 1960's, and the street in front of my house was a gravel road, I never thought that meant we were impoverished. Bottom line for the state of Oklahoma, the people there are the BEST in the nation when it comes to hospitality, helping you neighbor, or helping a perfect stranger. I challenge you, in your tour of Oklahoma, to interview some of the locals in various areas of the state in different walks of life, because the people are the lifeblood of Oklahoma! By the way... Darrell Royal head football coach @ Texas, graduated from the University of Oklahoma! Barry Switzer head coach @ OU, far surpassed Royal's winning record... just to set the record straight!
@@deb5710 Yep you are right, I'm a Texan and I have found some of the nicest folks in Oklahoma. Too bad their state government doesn't treat them better.
@@kd5inmI’m a Texan and Oklahoman. My experience has been the opposite of yours - I find Texans to be the friendliest people I’ve ever met (except on the freeways - all bets are off!) I currently live in OKC, but from Houston. I was shocked when I arrived here and was rebuffed when trying to make small talk with strangers. People seemed suspicious or something. I’ve gotten used to it now.
I’m from Hollis. A lot of people left around the late 90s early 2000s. They just need to tear it down and rebuild. Your video just shows how even worse it has gotten
This will be prime real-estate when people start leaving big cities in droves, mark my words...
Its already happening, I left my little town back in 98. Never thought I would ever come back to the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma, but after lapping this globe 3 times I cant wait to go back to Rural Oklahoma and settle down with my family.
Yup I am one of the refugees from the city myself.
I think you're starting to see it... I am sick to death of people in general, I just want to get away where I see very few of them
Same. You could have never convinced me to live in rural plains states when I was in my 20s - now, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
Wishful thinking. For now they would have to pay people to move there.
Great report. My mom was born and raised in hollis. She is 92 and knows the history to this day
Be sure to write down as much history as you can.
I lived in Hollis in 2000/2001. Very strange feeling to live there. It was nearly as abandoned then as it is now. Wasn't much to do at all. The big thing for people then was going down to the local Love's convenience store so they'd have a reason to see each other and say hello. Watching high school football was still the biggest thing to do though. You'd be really surprised just how nice and modern some of the houses in Hollis are though. Just gorgeous. My uncle lived in one.
I’m from Hollis. Left as a child went back when I was older. Wouldn’t go back again. It’s ran down needs to be torn down and rebuilt.
I was permanent party cadre at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, during the final year or two of the Vietnam War. My girlfriend and I would hop into the El Camino and drive over to Altus to watch B-52s do "touch and goes" at the airfield there, since Altus Airfield was a bomber training base back then. It was watching shopping malls coming in, way out, lined up with the runway. I found the people to be darned good people in these small towns in the early Seventies.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. 😀
Did yall take "the bus" to Altus? We did so we could eat at McDonalds in Lawton
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip what about lawton oklahoma
@@Adam-kk7nw I go to Lawton all the time but I live in walters
Party Cadre?
I am enjoying your travel logs! Those gas pumps were probably 1960s vintage. I was working in a gas station in 1969 while in high school. The price for regular was 36 cents per gallon. Conoco was dominant in Oklahoma back then. Your travels through the downtrodden towns in the center of the USA make me wonder what it would take to revive some of these places. The dust bowl of the 1930s turned that area and the panhandles into dust dunes. Thankfully, the agriculture reforms introduced during the Great Depression provided a massive improvement. Still, a lot of the Okies stayed in California. On early maps of Oklahoma Territory, the 36-mile-wide strip known as "the panhandle" was referred to as "No man's land". Go figure!
That is also the price I remember from the 60s, 70s. However, my grandfather would by $1 worth an 0.19 per gallon in the early `1960s. I am from rural Oklahoma and was in a town nearby my hometown recently. They are still using pumps from the early 80s in some of the off brand gasoline stations!
Thank you for the great comment and info, Stephen. 😀
The Oklahoma Panhandle was no man's land, "West of Hells End".
Due to map plattes on early treaties it was literally overlooked, there was no legal authority. Not sure when it was fixed, but it was.
I’m surprised that gas was as expensive as 36 cents for a U.S. gallon in 1969. I remember when the Arab Oil Embargo hit Hamilton Ontario in 1973 and drove the price up to 38 cents for an imperial gallon. At that time the U.S. dollar and Canadian dollar were within a few cents of each other, if not at par. Today, of course, the U.S. dollar is much, much stronger.
Always sad to look back...
Holy shit, this just popped into my algorithm for no reason and the first 2 minutes features my hometown of blair. Talk about a blast from the past lol.
Very cool video....in case people didn't know, Altus, Mangum and Hollis are all county seats. Summer of 2019 my best friend and I visited every single county seat...tried to stay off main highways and turnpikes as much as possible. Great way to see all of Oklahoma and learn a lot of history.
This is exactly what I needed to see. I'm from a little farther northeast than you showed but I know this area all too well. I grew up in a small town called mountain view. Just even seeing places that I know that we'll that are only an hour to two away makes me happy. I haven't been back home in a year. Been back twice since I shipped out in 2020. It's even harder to go home now being stationed in italy. So thank you for showing these places.
My grandfather was the newspaper in Hollis for decades. My dad, uncle, and aunt were raised in Hollis. They left in the 50s. I visited Hollis many times growing up (60s and 70s). I have many great memories about Hollis -- super cool dust storms, stars galore, running through cotton and wheat fields, shooting guns, etc. I always had LOTS of fun in Hollis. Thanks for doing this video.
I was stationed at Altus AFB from Jan of 75 to October of 78. There was not a single fast food restaurant at the time but Big D's burger joint had great food and the Fox cafe had great enchiladas. I was accustomed to living in small towns but my room mate was from the Washington DC area and he was absolutely convinced that he had died and gone to hell when he arrived at the little isolated dusty town.
Yes, I remember when Kentucky Fried Chicken became the first chain fast-food restaurant to open in Altus.
I felt like your pissmate. Id routinely take road trips to other states and went to Dallas a lot.
My mother's parents taught school in Burns Flat, between Clinton and Elk City, which in the 1960s had a SAC base. The base closed around 1970, and the state placed a vo-tech school (now technology center) on the old base. The long runway left behind has long been used for landing practice by the Altus base, and now it's been designated as a spaceport. My father's parents lived in Geary, a town closer to "the city," as rural people call Oklahoma City, but nevertheless has declined significantly over the last half-century.
Vo-tech schools can be very good things. That is how I got my start in electronics.
The base brought something like culture shock when it was built - suddenly, there were strangers around! Who came from all over! Who knew nothing about farming!
I went to Will Rogers elementary back in the day. I had Mrs Opal Shinn in kindergarten and Miss Miller for first grade. I'd LOVE to find the house we lived in for sale. I keep going on Realtor hoping.
Great video. A far cry from what life is like for me in OKC. Excited to see the panhandle.
I remember growing up in Muskogee but also lived in several small towns. I lived in Council Hill before lake eufala flooded our farm. I also lived in Morris, Okmulgee, Verden and Fort Gibson. Muskogee had 55,000 people in it when I left for the marines and went to viet nam in 1968. when I returned Muskogee was just another small oklahoma town with about 35,000 people in it. Merle Haggard did a show there once right after he recorded "Okie from Muskogee". I was in viet nam at the time and when the guys heard the song, they thought it was a joke place. I said it was a real place and showed them my drivers license issued in Muskogee....they were blown away. Both my parents are buried in Muskogee at the cemetery on York street. I should go back and just drive through it one more time, but between the mosquitoes, chiggers, web worms, and the horrible humidity, it will just be a visit. LOL. But it was a fantastic place to fish with ponds and lakes everywhere and of course the arkansas river. I killed a lot of squirrels and rabbits for a few dinners I recall with my trusty 22 rifle. Honor Heights park (where the five civilized tribes museum is located) was a fun place to hang when I was young. They had the national offices for the VA there in Muskogee at Honor Heights Park. They have people from all over the world come yearly to the big Azalea festival. I'd like to see greenleaf lake again, had some good times there. as the old saying goes....Muskogee is a good place to be from. LOL
I really enjoyed reading your comment.
Greenleaf is still a nice place to go. Muskogee hasn't really changed a whole lot. The high-school is getting a new stadium and now have walmart supercenter on Shawnee. No more cost warehouse. They did demolish the old country club that had became Bacone dorms for a while.
You should visit when the leaves change in the fall and drive not only around Greenleaf but lake tenkiller too.
The fish still bite good in the ponds and lakes. Eufaula has so many fishing guides now to fish it is unbelievable.
Plenty of deer and turkey to be seen too. Still a place where you know your neighbors and help each other out.
Though the medical marijuana is very prominent here now.
I lived in some of those same towns but I'm from Delaware county originally. Had some good times in the Muskogee/Ft Gibson area. Greetings from Bastrop TX
The Ozarks were a nice escape from the rest of Oklahoma.
I have family that still lives in Granite and Hobart! Granite is about 15 minutes from Mangum. Hobart is probably about 30 minutes from Mangum. It really is a trip back in time every time I go visit
Drake I lived in Hobard from about 1968 to 1973; something like that. The town was booming at that time. I loved living there. It is sad to see the little towns now days. I do love to go back and remember. Back then there was no crime to speak of. It was fun growing up as a kid there.
Awesome video Sir..... that vintage gas station in Hollis was incredible. It looked like something out of the 40's and 50's. It's also sad in a way to see these small towns now as it seems to indicate that Rural America is slowly dying. Your tours like this fascinate me LS.....please keep them coming!
Thank you, Jimmy. Yes, that gas station was amazing, and it’s just sitting there, completely ignored. It’s crazy! It should be some kind of museum.
Thank you, Jimmy. Yes, that gas station was amazing, and it’s just sitting there, completely ignored. It’s crazy! It should be some kind of museum.
15:39 That Hollis “Busy Corner” gas station is fake vintage. The pumps were installed sometime after Feb 2008, you can see on Street View.
It would be amazing to find something like that organic, not sure where you would though.
“Rural Oklahoma, kinda beautiful isn’t it” pretty much sums it up. I love being a 405 native
LOL...405 will never beat the 918... LOL
@@falkwulf3842 90-19 lifetime bedlam. BOOMER
I remember going through some of those places in the 50's -60's. Makes you wonder what happened to all those people. Thanks for the memories.
I live in Hollis lol! This was so trippy to come across dude! It's a very small cotton town ....most of the houses out here are 100 years old and many of them are lived in to this day including the one I live in now. Just outside of town there's a couple old abandoned schools Roy school is one and there's Many many old churches that fell and all the houses around them rotted back into dirt. Busy Corner is basically just standing history...it's been like that since I was a child. They used to sell cokes in glass bottles in the summer but it's just sat there frozen in time since the old man died years back. What a trip!
JustAnna: Tell us a little about life in this town. It would be interesting coming from an "in real time" resident. What do adults and kids do socially, the schools, crime, the police dept, employment etc?
I grew up in Blair OK and left in '84. I go back occasionally as my parents and relatives are buried in the Blair cemetery. I graduated from BHS in ' 75 .it has its small town charm but Well what you see is what you get.
George
I graduated Blair in 1984!!
@@jeffreydamntreat2076 Wow ! That’s Great 😃 ! 💕
I live in OK & it’s cool to see different parts of Oklahoma I probably wouldn’t otherwise see!
They all look the same as the other Oklahoma small towns haha!
Cool videos dude.
I grew up in Hollis. This is making me homesick. I plan to move back to that part of the country by the end of the year.
Altus is one the hottest towns in Oklahoma, always a few degrees hotter than Lawton or OKC.
And Fort Sill, in Lawton, would get hot as a firecracker back in '72/73 when I was cadre there. My God.
@Donnell Okafor alot of new Orleans people moved to lawton Oklahoma after Katrina. Lawton isn't far from the places he showed in this video.
This touching tour culminated for me videoing and reading that poignant plaque memorialising a more prosperous past of what now is the eerie remains of Vinson, Oklahoma. I was also impressed by Jones' Barber Shop, within a kind of stand-alone mini Quonset hut, in the town of Blair.
May no one misunderstand me. I have nothing but the deepest teverence for such gritty, isolated places within our great country.
Thanks again.
Same here, David. I love these old places. :)
Even back then there wasn't much to do. Did you read where that preacher went to the middle of town and had all the pool tables burnt? Good grief! It sounds like he and the ladies of Vinson had too much time on their hands. At least the billiards kept the other guys busy.
That old gas station is awesome! Thanks for sharing.
I've never seen anything like it. :)
One thing I notice about these places is that they are not only in the middle of nowhere but there are no necessities such as working gas stations, places to buy food and clothing and places to eat, just to name a few. We live about 10 miles from town in farm country (we aren't farmers ourselves), but our town has two big box stores, restaurants, gas stations, etc. It is a small college town, which helps support these things. I can't imagine living in one of these empty places, even though I love the country. Nice and interesting video. Thanks!
I grew up in Grove, OK on Grandlake. There are several small towns nearby that have been abandoned
The restaurant in Blair is amazing. You should come to Comanche OK, a ghost town that is coming back to life. Thanks for the video.
Chuck
My parents met there when my dad was in the Air Force. Visited for the first time last month, it takes forever to get there. I love delivering in sw Oklahoma for FedEx express, get to see all kinds of small towns I would never otherwise see
Hollis may be dying, and looks bad, you’ll meet some of the best people. People who take care of others. Who pull together when tragedies happen. A lot of our small town are that way. And even though Hollis and other towns are “dying”, I’ll take my good people any day over city life. And yes. The roads are horrible. But they tell a story about how our men worked on our water lines day and night.
Small towns are only "dying" in the eyes of the concrete jungle lovers
Hollis is terrible lol
Good for Stephen king horror movie.
There is a movie about Hollis
@@charleshoang566
The west of Oklahoma looks a lot different than the eastern portion.
This is so funny to watch, grew up in Duke Oklahoma about 15 Mike's away from altus. Love seeing your reactions to everything!
I live in Altus. It's a really friendly town. I love it
Hi
36 cents a gallon was after 1973. It isn't that old. Not to me. I remember gasoline for 17 cents. Great old truck. Take note, the station in Hollis is from the 70s.
My Dad drove all the way across Oklahoma to give a talk to the Hollis Chamber of Commerce in about '72 about the new Arkansas River Navigation System.
Every town had an ice plant. They used ammonia and super cooled brine to make ice in big square aluminum cans on a chain conveyor that would run through the long fat of brine water.
The people left in towns like Gould are the very old who have no other place to go and others. They wouldn't have it any other way for the most part. The towns remind me of the one in "The Last Picture Show".
My mom and dad were born and raised in Hobart Oklahoma. I used to go there a lot in the 50's, 60's and 70's. The people were outstanding there. I miss it. Most of my family are buried in the Hobart Cemetery.
Ive been to Hobart OK and Hobart Australia.
My aunt lived in Sayre Oklahoma all while I was growing up! I love Western Oklahoma! Where the wind comes sweepin down the plains! ❤️ I live in Norman Oklahoma now. My home town is Paul’s Valley ok
Just moved from Blanchard and now in broken arrow. What a shocker this is, you need a pike pass to go anywhere! I miss I-35, it’s only been 3 months but being born and raised in Moore for the last 27 years, I miss home. Isn’t it crazy how our western state looks? Used to contract out at Altus Air Force base and that place was the last stop before you get to nothingville. Only hotel in Altus was used by airmen for ladies of the night, Lol.
Sayre was full of corruption many years ago & has been passed down to the offspring. School teachers were among the worst. Once heard the principal say they had one half breed in school as he ran down the line of new students. Only one example of the elite…in their minds.
I'm glad this popped up on my recommendations. It's a refresher to see ol rural Oklahoma being in South Oklahoma City with all the amenities especially all the hotels in our downtown area. The closest to rural I've enjoyed would be Spencer, Jones, Forest Park, Seminole, Earlsboro, and Banner Road in El Reno.
My family is originally from Mangum. My great grandparents lived at the end of Jefferson and my mom used to work the switchboard at the Franklin hotel about 1965. It was a great place to be a kid back then. I think they still hold the rattlesnake festival, but it's been a long time ago for me.
This was a very good video, good job ! These places are kind of the midwest version of Centralia Pennsylvania, such a shame of what's happening to these once vibrant towns
Oklahoma is part of the southern US, not midwest.
@@MbisonBalrog Balrog
It's in the middle of the country it ain't south and I'm from Oklahoma
Check out the Jesse James museum in Cement, Oklahoma
I can remember working for Hillary communications putting in fiber optics turning on and off services cement was one of my funniest ones because I had to turn off the internet to the police station and almost got arrested for doing that because they didn't want to admit that they forgot to pay their bill
You captured something rare in southwestern Oklahoma. Rain. Check out Fallis Oklahoma. Everything is still there. In the panhandle read the history of Wheelless.
The rain? I noticed that too! 🤷🏻♂️😅☔️
Thanks for the tip about Wheeless. I stopped there - not much there left to see, but still interesting. Will be in my next video.
Dave GoodRidge 💕
You are creating priceless historical documentation for future generations. Thank you.
Wow, thank you for that! :)
Thanks LS for this video of a part of the country I have never seen and one that is not usually given much coverage. As you were driving down the highway I could imagine the roar of tornadoes sweeping across the vast, flat and open landscape.
We do indeed have tornados still.
Exactly!! We watched Tornadoes in Snyder
@@okiekarma2944 Scary- im from New England and blizzards were fun if ur hunkered down and dont have to shovel!
At Gould that big blue tank is also a water tower.. sometimes those old water towers the towns cant afford to tear them down so they buld the big blue water tanks.
I live in Mangum and go to Blair for good food at Luigi’s. Seven miles east of Blair is Warren which has a great cafe run by three generations of good cooks. Fifteen miles north of Mangum is Willow which has the Haystack Diner, an excellent place for breakfast. A few more miles north is Carter, home to an excellent burger cafe. This region is very economically distressed but there are very nice nuggets of gold to be found. Like the Now and Then store in Hobart.
I've found that food in the restaurants in these places like this is always good.
Steven, Is the little burger stand on the square across from the courthouse still operating?
@@wolffzambelli2701 The Hamburger Inn was severely damaged by fire in February 2021 after 92 years of providing great food. The structure remains but the insides were gutted. Several of the people working there are now running the Haystack Diner in Willow. A new hamburger cafe, Oscars, has opened one block east on Louis Tittle, Hwy 283.
Yes, the Warren Cafe in Warren has great burgers.
i lived in altus from 06 to18. i have a lot of memories there My first son was born there also.
THANKS.... We just moved to Lawton and get a kick out of seeing some of these very rural areas in Oklahoma.... God Bless rural America...
Thankyou so much for these videos. And commentary. James from oz
I grew up in a small community outside Ada, okla. One school with kindergarten through 8th, amazing how all these places have Disappeared simply because Walmart came to the big town and all the little stores left could not make it we had a church and a school and that was it after the store closed down.
Bing ??
I lived in Cromwell for six years, and I remember going to Ross Meadows every Saturday for the races. My dad worked with horses and also owned a horse. So for the last part of my time in Oklahoma, we were at the racetrack everyday lol
England calling.......another fascinating video just love seeing rural America. Keep up the good work.
Thank you, Phillip! :)
I lived in Elk City for 8 1/2 yrs. Nice place to live. Low crime , good people and great hunting and fishing. A lot of these towns died out some during the dust bowl. And after the oil boom of the ‘80’s. I loved it there. No light pollution at night. No air pollution. Great place to raise a family. As opposed to cities with all of the trash and high crime.
We will be visiting Elk City soon.
Used to go hunting in Lone Wolf and we would go eat at Back Door Steak House in Blair and it was awesome! I want to go back soon and check it out again!
I grew up in Carter, OK, on the Northfork of the Red River. It's about 20 minutes from Magnum and 20 minutes south of Elk City. My family is in the oilfield and farms. Pretty much the only thing that happens in Western OK. But you're right. There's something really beautiful about its desolate hills. I sure miss the way it feels. Luckily my family still lives there, so I get to visit some.
I drove through some astonishingly beautiful country from southwest Oklahoma up to the panhandle.
Somehow, this just came up on my feed today...and being an Okie expat, I had to check it out. When you were in Hollis, I kept looking for a chuckwagon. I believe the famous cowboy cook, Kent Rollins, and his lovely wife live in that area.
We rented a farm house in Frederick ok, in the 80s for $35.00 a month. All he wanted was for someone to watch over property so people would stop stealing his fuel. Great memories
you gave me quite a nice surprise..Hollis is where my grandparents lived and are buried there. My mother grew up there and she is 90+ now. Thanks for running me around those old streets of my memory.
It saddens me to see all our little towns dying out. I live in a BoomTown and it is dying out too. When I was a kid we had 5 pm traffic you couldn't get across the street for all the cars. Nowadays, it is just sad. Oil towns bursting with people or farming community towns in Oklahoma, now ghost towns. Everyone up and moved to larger cities in Oklahoma or left the State altogether. Guess that's progess for ya.
I left my little town in NE Oklahoma 24 years ago when I turned 18, I never thought I would ever go back. There was just NOTHING there but a lake. Now after lapping the globe 3 times and living in the biggest cities in the world. I cant wait to go back to rural Oklahoma and settle down. Its funny though cause when I left my hometown had 535 people now it has almost 700 people and is growing slowly. Though we do leave, some of us return when we realize that we were living good in rural Oklahoma.
So many viewers, judging from their comments, including myself, appreciate your video tours. Very educational. You may become Very Famous due to the service you provide. You have admirable values: appreciation of history, architecture, artwork, neighborhoods, good food - the animals. No animal escapes your notice. Good for you - I love it!
Wow, thank you!
I was hoping you would drive into Quartz Mt. State Park when l saw the mountains. My dad had a general store and restaurant there for years. Was booming forever. My late stepmother got sick and my dad's own health he had to close. So many countless good times on Lake Altus. There is actually A Brinkman , Oklahoma. Nothing there. Farms. Mainly farms and livestock in that area. Large Minanite community Sw Oklahoma as well. My mom was born in Hollis. My cousins raised in Altus. I lived there for about 3 years. BTW, Luigis in Blair. Good food. Go to Medicine Park next time. Love that place. I love you pops.. if you see this.
I am going to do a Medicine Park/Lawton video within a few months.
There actually is something at Brinkman. A vehicle scale. Drive on, read the weight shown by the big LED readout and you know what your vehicle weighs. Very convenient!
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip Medicine Park...well it is a bit touristy now - small scale. Really not much there although there has been a spate of construction along the creek - of which I would stay out of the water. There are weekend events that are ok for local fare. Sadly, The Old Plantation was gutted and remodeled (generic) and in the process the historic interior was lost. Medicine Park was way more interesting when it was a hippie commune! Lawton is another city that was a lot more fun way back then. A very dynamic local business class that has been replaced with corporate minions. Crime is a problem. They still have not caught the guy whom stopped his truck on a major busy road, stepped out and opened fire with an AK in a case of road rage. Lawton has made a number of national top 100 or even top 10 lists and not the good ones...
The Gas Station at 15:18 is amazing. The whole building inside and out including the tow truck is a moment in time WOW!
Yep. It looks like they closed the station at least 50 years ago and it's just sat there, untouched, ever since.
It was actually a functioning gas station till about mid ‘80’s. Someone added the pumps and fixed building up
I'm originally from Lone Grove in Carter County and now live in a smaller community here
in Southern Oklahoma and I've seen many small towns around me slowly get smaller and
empty buildings and houses that I grew up in or near where I have kinfolk and when older
people pass on and their children no longer have need of the houses and property it sits
and sits until they either fall down on their own or the city or county has them torn down
and when a business closes down due to various reasons the building usually gets another
business in it if it's lucky or they just fall down also and like the weather here in Oklahoma
it can change in an instance.
I lived in Oklahoma as a child and since then have spent most of my life in the northeast. The things I find remarkable watching these is how closely the houses are packed together given how much space there is to work with out there, and there are NO GARAGES... In a climate where the sun and wind are not the friendliest on paint you would think you'd see more of them
My sons grandfather and great grandfather and mother were from Mangum. I haven’t been there in 30yrs but I remember the cotton fields
He drives right by the house in Hollis I lived in 58 years ago. That preserved gas station from the'50s called "Busy Corner" where he gets out and walks around is where my grandfather died when I was 2 years old. The guy that bought that gas station about 20 years ago put in those pumps, pop machines and Coke signs and most of the stuff inside and turned it into a time capsule. It was pretty much stripped out when he bought it.
This is so true. Many of these small towns have nothing to offer their residents and the hardship to keep them within various codes, is a financial impossibility. Many structures should be torn down to remove possible arson and vandalism and the land reclaimed for farming or reforestation.
Recently moved to rural Oklahoma to escape the craziness of the west coast. It's really sad to see all the small towns in the plains states that have been destroyed by globalization.
Luigi’s is so good in blair! Mangum will never be a ghost town because that’s where the yearly Rattle snake derby is. Omg you made it to hollis 🤣 I was born here and I hate it lol 13:45 was my moms first rent house YEARS ago, I’m 40 so it was a long time ago 🤣 16:05 the museum is back east of where you are right now on the north side of road. You said gould right the 1st time. It has no stores, just post office and county barn lol and people of course
Lived in Altus and Blair as kid. Love the open spaces. Unfortunately I’m stuck in the mountains and trees of eastern Tennessee right now.
I love the old gas station in Hollis.
It’s amazing. It should be a museum.
I’m from Hollis it makes me happy to see someone documenting it and the surrounding towns.
I'm glad you are making these videos, but I do think there is a tiny bit of condescension in some of the things you say about the people living in these places. It might not be intentional, but small towns are often the most proud of their communities and many of those living there choose to live there. Oklahoma City is not too far away, has a relatively low cost of living, and a healthy job market. Those who cannot afford to move don't really have a choice, but I have a lot of family in this part of the state. They get along just fine. They are wonderful people with good lives. With only a few exceptions, these are where those people want to be and there is a bit of judgment for that in your constant surprise and jabs at things being "dead". Again, I do love the video. I just wish you'd talk to the people and maybe refrain from judging those who remain.
I agree with you
100% agree
My blood pressure always improves when I watch your videos. Grew up in OK but moved to Kommifornia for the last few decades. OK looks better all the time
Brings back great memories. I worked in the oil fields. From pipelines to drilling. Ruffnecking was a way of life, I did it for many years. Been and stayed at almost every town you mentioned. I lived in Mangum for several years at the hotel Franklin. I even cooked and washed dishes in the restaurant.. great food. Great people. We use to sneek up and hang out on the roof. The building looks the same, but the surrounding sure don't. It had the original elevator. Clerks counter, you could smell the history in the wood. The rooms had original furnishings, That's where I discovered that ghosts are lingering memories,, On my day off I would walk from the hotel and just walk. The town was doing good. A great place to raise a family, I was 17,18,and a little into19 years old living in that hotel, carnivals and rattle snake round up were common, not just there but all those small town,, it was a whole different world back then. In the 70s. To see it now, the town and those other towns just breaks my heart. I was born and raised in east Oklahoma have lot of family there but im going to stay on the east coast. Worked in the oil fields and all over Texas also. I can tell some stories... always day dreamed about going back to reminisce. But your kinda doing it for me, taking it off my bucket list.. a little history lesson for your viewers, every thing east of Tulsa, Oklahoma city, Dallas and Houston Texas is green country, mountains. Rivers, creeks and even trout streams, small and huge lakes, waterfalls. Bears and alligators, yes alligators, even in oklahoma,, don't believe, Google it. It's not all flat land and desert.. east Oklahoma city is green country when you drive out its flat and dry..really enjoy these videos. Keep up the good work.
Awesome comment. I really enjoyed reading it. :)
I really enjoy your videos! I'm also fascinated by old abandoned towns. The old gas station in this one was such a cool find! 👌
Thank you for the kind words, Sharla! :)
Went to elementry school in roosevelt......played those towns in summer baseball......we owned gas station and propane company 1960's looked about like that gas station
Johnson 👋
Thank you for reading the marker at vinson.. I looked at bench and wondered how many people sat on it when it was thriving. Thank you for taking me on this road trip. When my brother was alive he took me on trips like this.
Thank you for the kind words, Carol. :)
Enjoyed the tour, as I grew up on the prairie up north in Osage County and went to school in a small town (about 2,000 then) with some 1,100 residents now. Lots of abandoned houses and stores falling in, businesses moved on or gone out, and not enough revenue to get them taken down. There was an idea to let the fire department practice on them and then clean up the debris after but was deemed too dangerous for surrounding structures. Oh and, by the was it is true Darrell Royal was a national champion coach for Texas, but first he was an All-American football player at the University of Oklahoma for the legendary Bud Wilkinson. So, the University of Texas Darrel K. Royal Stadium...... is named for an OU football player.
Hello Ranger, I myself grew up on the prairie in Northern Washington County, In a town that had 535 people right next to the lake. There are still 570 people in my hometown but it keeps going. As a Teen in the 90's I would regularly make the trip over to "Paw" and hang out over there rather than go to Bartlesville or Tulsa. I played Football so I always loved our away games in Shidler because all my friends from PAW would come over and cheer me on cause it was close. I still love the area and make trips back there every 5 years or so. I have traveled all over the world but my heart is still in Green Country and I am currently looking into buying a new homestead in the Hulah/Bowring area.
As an oilman in the year of our lord 2022, I am always amazed driving through rural OK to the courthouses throughout. Can’t help but wonder what those folks do these days, sad, but also so amazing to see the past in the living flesh. Okla is so rich in history.
Lol...I was raised in Martha Oklahoma..6 miles NW of Altus..my Great grandfather Clarence Pigg helped build the school & Baptist church..we lived 1/4 mile south of town. His eldest son was the school principal ..
Mangum has a snake hunt every year.
That gas station!!
Also, that used car haha
Funny thing is that I use to live in altus in the mid seventies and everyone of those towns had at least some life to them never would imagine that it changed that much, couple of good fishing holes down there thoe
I’m addicted to your stuff. Keep going. Thx.
Thank you for watching, Pleaver! :)
I lived in Altus in the late seventies working for the telephone company. I was the installation repair foreman for many of those towns you were driving through. Even back in the 70's you saw a lot of those abandoned buildings and homes. I was told that back in the 30's those towns were populated with a lot people who supported the agriculture in the area. Mostly cotton. As farming became more mechanized, there was less need for workers, so the populations diminished. But there is still lot's of money in agriculture in those areas, just not many people. The City of Altus would be the same way if the Air Force base closed. If you hit these rural towns early in the morning you will find the favorite cafe the farmers meet at before they go check on their properties. Just look for the pickups and you'll find a good place a good breakfast and a chicken fried steak for lunch. I miss those times.
Hi Mike.. Yes, we had some good times working together in Altus while working for the telephone co, during the mid-late 70's. Altus started going down hill in 1970 when the Air Force did away with the Intercontinental Strategic Ballistic Missle program. Although during the mid-late 70's the Air Force still operated the Strategic Air Re-fueling force with the KC 135 tankers. Four of them in the air at all times & 8 sitting on stand-by at the Hurry House at all times. Remember when the buried cable to the Hurry House got wet and we lost all communications with the Control tower & the Hurry House. The pilots & crew had to man their aircraft until we got the cable fixed ?? The Air Force wasn't very happy over that deal. Altus was full of GOOD people both local & Air Force. My neighbors on both side were Air Force Major & Full Bird Coronel. We occasionally went to Lake Altus for the week end together.. Good time had in Altus !! 1974- 1978. Still got your MG ? Still got my Jeep..lol
@@ronh5422 Hey Ron, it's a small world
@@ronh5422 Yeah, They also got mad a me when we cut over Bld 185 because the security alert system would not function. They also had to keep the pilots on stand by. I do remember that wet cable, isn't that the time when the guards didn't communicate and the night guards came and arrested you? Yeah, still got the MG and have it all restored, just need to finish the paint job.
Great comment!
@@MH-wg6bz No I got arrested when we lost the cable under the runways between Radar Approach Control (RAPCON) & the Control Tower. We had problem isolated to a manhole about 20 yds off the east runway. We had 5-6 vehicles around that manhole since about 3-4 am and the MP's finally found us about 8am.. Couldn't launch or land anything. Had to get the base comm. officer to come get me out of the brig. Funny thing they left my crew and their vehicles at the manhole.. lol.. Remember the fiasco we went thru in the installation of the new MAC & SAC headquarters system?? Had to get Blue from OKC to come diagnose the problem Bouno had designed into it. Took 3-4 days and nothing could fly.. Both our crews worked round the clock trying to get that thing to work. Heads rolled over that one.. That investigation went all the way SWBT Co. Headquarters in St. Louis.. Bouno never allowed back on base and was forced to retire early- like next month after investigation.. LOL
this drive was more then fantastic, realy loved the gastation wow so cool, thanks for the ride
You should have gone a few miles east and checked out the Wichita Mountains, Mount Scott & Medicine Park just north of Lawton & Ft. Sill.
Scott 👅
And he should have grabbed a burger at Meers
@@dbprice100 B 😯
I have been homebound for a few months. It is a real joy to travel with you. Thank you.
Glad your riding with us, Peggy. :)
If you visit Oklahoma again please keep Ponca City in mind. It was home to Conoco (Continental Oil Co) founded by E.W. Marland. He built his home here (The Palace on the Prairie) and held fox hunts and Pelosi matches on the grounds.
If you
Should be polo matches, not Pelosi.
Touring small towns is very interesting. Thank you.
Fascinating clip. It reminds me of the film Hell or Highwater. Spending my life in the NYC metro area, that film stunned me?
We have East Coast towns and cities that are also desolate and abandoned, but I think it’s the expanse?
It also reminded me a bit of another film, A Trip to Bountiful?
You see these homes and storefronts and realise that people occupied these places, raised a family made a livelihood.
Thanks for the clip.
If you want to be amazed at what still passes for a town go to a place like Quinton where there was a lead smelter or Bowlegs in the old Three Sands oil field. What you were amazed were streets look good compared to some of those towns I mentioned.
used to work in Oklahoma City at a distributor for appliance parts. I shipped stuff all over the state, Thank you for giving me a glimpse of what these towns looked like
I lived in Altus and loved it!! Great people in Oklahoma. Did you go to Martha?
I don't care what city or state you're going through, those "little holes in the wall" seem to have the best eats around. I can remember them being called "greasy spoons!"
I know Altus Oklahoma, I love the air base. I lived in Lawton Oklahoma.
Great video.
Grew up in Altus (88’) and running around those same towns in SW OK.
Luigi’s in Blair is a great place to eat.
Mom & Dad still live there, north of town and the runway just off Race Track Road.
It’s Gould, “oo”.
I'm in ponca city and we have so many grasshoppers at my house I have to bat them away from my door before I open it to go in. Rascals are all sizes and shades...our grass is dried out and yellow
I spent the day in the panhandle today and the grasshoppers there are the size of small birds! :)
That gas station was a real gem in Hollis.