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 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.
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.
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.
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 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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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
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.
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.
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 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 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
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.
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
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
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".
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.
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 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'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.
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.
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
Love the videos love the work you put in, that whole town town area was just abandoned nice buildings for blocks all vacant, than you ran into all the bad roads they had yeah there's no aconamy there that poor town is broke but still a beautiful part of the country glad we got people like you that films so we can all see the buty American still has again thank you....
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.
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.
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.
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.
Proudly from Altus as were my family all the way back to the early days of the town. Many times I have thought to move back but the town is so depressed now. Thanks for the coverage.Gould is said as "Goold"
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 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
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.
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'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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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 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...
When it comes to the depopulization of rural regions - this is exactly what is happening to regions in Eastern Germany, e.g in the "Länder" of Saxony and Saxony - Anhalt which are lined up alongside the German - Polish border. Ever since the disappearance of the so - called "inner - German border" that mostly followed the Elbe river, Millions have left for regions in Western Germany. The irony is that Walter Ulbricht and his "fellows" have built this part of the Iron Curtain to do just that: to put an end to a growing drain of the population of the SBZ (Sowjetisch Besetzte Zone, Soviet - Occupied Zone), to stop people from leaving the now Communist part of Germany. When the "two Germanies" reunified in 1989 (thanks to the elder George Bush!), it was Westward Ho! for east Germans again. As a consequence, small towns in Eastern Germany have rapidly lost population and have become so empty that abandoned houses or factories have become increasingly important for "Urbexers" - which is a contraction of "Urban exploration" - meaning the exploration of "Lost Places", or abandoned structures of any kind. Even more interesting is some various footage about these Urbexers taking a look at abandoned Russian military facilities, located in the middle of nowhere in the "Land" Brandenburg east of Berlin (e.g. Fürstenwalde, Spremberg, Jüterbog, etc.). One important detail here is that you be very careful when you go cross - country, because the Russians have dumped their old ammunition just everywhere, so this leftover ordnance is a huge problem there, as there is tons of it around! Sadly, this does not keep some kamikaze explorers from digging out live ammunition (including artillery / mortar grenades) to sell it over the internet - which is not only strictly forbidden, but also extemely dangerous! By the way, two large (once Soviet) military training areas in Eastern Germany (Jägerbrück, Colbitz - Letzlinger Heide) are now used by the Bundeswehr and their Allies, including U.S. troops. What you can also see finally are ruined houses or mills with most of the stuff inside still there, left to rot!
That is unfortunate. I was stationed in what was then West Germany 1978-1981. It is a beautiful country and I admired the people there who work so hard and keep everything so spotlessly clean. The infrastructure was well maintained and if you made an effort to be friendly, the people were also friendly in return.
@@jeffsmith846 Thank you! I can return this compliment, as I have come into contact with U.S. service personnel on the occasion of an international shooting competition called the "Monte Kali Pokal", which took place on a U.S. small arms range near Darmstadt, Germany in 2005 or so. They were just as friendly, easy for a small talk, and always ready to help you. All the best!
@@joycelebaron2582 You are welcome! I really like to compare how Germany and the USA are sailing through rough seas, and found out that both countries have pretty much in common, in any sense. All the best!
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
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.
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.
Altus, Oklahoma is a long way from “disappearing.” Parts not seen in this video is it’s vibrant, progressive side and growing new businesses and neighborhoods.
I didn’t say Altus was disappearing. In fact I said that because of the military base, it would always do okay. That said, Altus has been steadily losing population since 1970.
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.
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'm from rural eastern Oklahoma. It's a completely different universe. Same struggles in a different setting. We always thought western Oklahoma was like a martian landscape.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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 live in Altus. It's a really friendly town. I love it
Hi
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.
“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 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 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.
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
The west of Oklahoma looks a lot different than the eastern portion.
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...
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.
Great video. A far cry from what life is like for me in OKC. Excited to see the panhandle.
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.
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 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 is so funny to watch, grew up in Duke Oklahoma about 15 Mike's away from altus. Love seeing your reactions to everything!
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
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.
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
That old gas station is awesome! Thanks for sharing.
I've never seen anything like it. :)
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
I grew up in Grove, OK on Grandlake. There are several small towns nearby that have been abandoned
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".
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 love the old gas station in Hollis.
It’s amazing. It should be a museum.
Thankyou so much for these videos. And commentary. James from oz
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.
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'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.
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.
Touring small towns is very interesting. Thank you.
My sons grandfather and great grandfather and mother were from Mangum. I haven’t been there in 30yrs but I remember the cotton fields
You are creating priceless historical documentation for future generations. Thank you.
Wow, thank you for that! :)
England calling.......another fascinating video just love seeing rural America. Keep up the good work.
Thank you, Phillip! :)
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.
I know Altus Oklahoma, I love the air base. I lived in Lawton Oklahoma.
Lord Spoda, now that was fun, and enlightening, thank you.
I’m addicted to your stuff. Keep going. Thx.
Thank you for watching, Pleaver! :)
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 👋
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
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! :)
Thank u for sharing these videos. Just very interesting
Thank you, Jerrod!
Love the videos love the work you put in, that whole town town area was just abandoned nice buildings for blocks all vacant, than you ran into all the bad roads they had yeah there's no aconamy there that poor town is broke but still a beautiful part of the country glad we got people like you that films so we can all see the buty American still has again thank you....
small towns are quieter fabulous there are not so many aggressive drivers thanks for sharing 🐃🐔🦆
Why do you think I’m only visiting places like this?!! I love these quiet, out of the way places. 😀
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.
this drive was more then fantastic, realy loved the gastation wow so cool, thanks for the ride
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.
Mangum, born and raised 🙋🏽♀️.
Awesome! A vid about Oklahoma. 😁
Stay safe from the heat! The grass is literally yellow!
Thank you for the tour!
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.
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.
Wish I knew more about that empty hotel, as you stated, what a shame. Thanks for the video!
My husband and I used to travel short distances hes gone now and im a happy armchair traveler thanks to you
Excellent!
No HOAs to worry about in these towns!
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...
Proudly from Altus as were my family all the way back to the early days of the town. Many times I have thought to move back but the town is so depressed now. Thanks for the coverage.Gould is said as "Goold"
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 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
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.
I’m from Hollis it makes me happy to see someone documenting it and the surrounding towns.
Thank you. Loved this video.
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'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
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. :)
Love your vids!
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
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!
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
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.
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 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...
Thank u your vlogs educate me
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.
That was me that drove by in the black pickup and trailer while you were in Vinson. I live on the west end of town, and own the feedlot you can see.
That's cool!
When it comes to the depopulization of rural regions - this is exactly what is happening to regions in Eastern Germany, e.g in the "Länder" of Saxony and Saxony - Anhalt which are lined up alongside the German - Polish border.
Ever since the disappearance of the so - called "inner - German border" that mostly followed the Elbe river, Millions have left for regions in Western Germany. The irony is that Walter Ulbricht and his "fellows" have built this part of the Iron Curtain to do just that: to put an end to a growing drain of the population of the SBZ (Sowjetisch Besetzte Zone, Soviet - Occupied Zone), to stop people from leaving the now Communist part of Germany. When the "two Germanies" reunified in 1989 (thanks to the elder George Bush!), it was Westward Ho! for east Germans again.
As a consequence, small towns in Eastern Germany have rapidly lost population and have become so empty that abandoned houses or factories have become increasingly important for "Urbexers" - which is a contraction of "Urban exploration" - meaning the exploration of "Lost Places", or abandoned structures of any kind.
Even more interesting is some various footage about these Urbexers taking a look at abandoned Russian military facilities, located in the middle of nowhere in the "Land" Brandenburg east of Berlin (e.g. Fürstenwalde, Spremberg, Jüterbog, etc.).
One important detail here is that you be very careful when you go cross - country, because the Russians have dumped their old ammunition just everywhere, so this leftover ordnance is a huge problem there, as there is tons of it around! Sadly, this does not keep some kamikaze explorers from digging out live ammunition (including artillery / mortar grenades) to sell it over the internet - which is not only strictly forbidden, but also extemely dangerous!
By the way, two large (once Soviet) military training areas in Eastern Germany (Jägerbrück, Colbitz - Letzlinger Heide) are now used by the Bundeswehr and their Allies, including U.S. troops.
What you can also see finally are ruined houses or mills with most of the stuff inside still there, left to rot!
That is unfortunate. I was stationed in what was then West Germany 1978-1981. It is a beautiful country and I admired the people there who work so hard and keep everything so spotlessly clean. The infrastructure was well maintained and if you made an effort to be friendly, the people were also friendly in return.
@@jeffsmith846 Thank you!
I can return this compliment, as I have come into contact with U.S. service personnel on the occasion of an international shooting competition called the "Monte Kali Pokal", which took place on a U.S. small arms range near Darmstadt, Germany in 2005 or so.
They were just as friendly, easy for a small talk, and always ready to help you.
All the best!
Thanks for the information, interesting!
@@joycelebaron2582 You are welcome! I really like to compare how Germany and the USA are sailing through rough seas, and found out that both countries have pretty much in common, in any sense. All the best!
That gas station is literally a time capsule. I'm impressed!
The gas station was a real sweet find. Nice one! 😅👍🏼⛽️
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
Love this video Lord Spoda ❤👍
Thank you, Tasos. You are awesome. 😂
@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip you are awesome!
Thank you for doing Olustee, I grew up there.
Born in Altus. Thank you for sharing 😊
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.
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.
Altus, Oklahoma is a long way from “disappearing.” Parts not seen in this video is it’s vibrant, progressive side and growing new businesses and neighborhoods.
I didn’t say Altus was disappearing. In fact I said that because of the military base, it would always do okay. That said, Altus has been steadily losing population since 1970.
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.
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.
I'm from rural eastern Oklahoma. It's a completely different universe. Same struggles in a different setting. We always thought western Oklahoma was like a martian landscape.
You were not wrong about western Oklahoma, at least parts of it.
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.
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