A vast civilization once stood on the banks of the Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma. Initially a small farming village, Spiro Mounds fueled its expansion and became one of the most important regional centers in the Mississippian culture. Spiro’s trade network spread from the Rocky Mountains to the Virginia coast and from the Great Lakes to Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center gives visitors a unique glimpse into the culture of these prehistoric Native peoples. Museum exhibits, guidebooks and walking trails immerse visitors in this fascinating period of Oklahoma history.

Learn more via Crossroads from the Oklahoma Historical Society.

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR

If you’re from Catoosa or surrounding areas, you know “Blue” as the friendly cement whale with a toothy grin wading in an offset pond. The waterfront structure has become one of the most recognizable attractions on Route 66.

Hugh Davis built the Blue in the early 1970s as a surprise 34th anniversary wedding gift for his wife Zelta, who collected whale figurines. Davis unveiled the 80-foot-long whale that he constructed out of pipe and concrete originally for his kids, but by the mid-1970s, Blue had quickly evolved into a local summer hot spot and family travel destination.

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR

James Herman Banning was born in Canton, Oklahoma Territory, on Nov. 5, 1900 on an Oklahoma homestead to caring parents Riley and Cora Banning.

Banning attended school in a small schoolhouse his parents built. He later relocated to Guthrie to attend Faver High School. In spring 1920, Banning took his first airplane ride while attending an air circus in Iowa. His curiosity and enthusiasm developed immediately after his first trip through the clouds.

Banning would eventually earn pilot’s license number 1324 in 1926, becoming the first African-American aviator to obtain a license from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR

Historic Fort Gibson was established in 1824 and was located farther west than any other US military post in existence. The remote region was truly the western frontier.

Originally built to protect the US border and to maintain peace between American Indian tribes, Fort Gibson was intermittently occupied by military troops until it was abandoned in 1890. When the soldiers arrived in Fort Gibson in April 1824, they arrived with their supplies, tents, draft animals, a few keelboats and equipment to build a fort.

Today, Fort Gibson Historic Site is designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service.

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR

For each item on display at the Oklahoma History Center, hundreds more are in storage with every piece acting as a portal to the history of a notable person or a big story.

The Curators’ Corner, a new space in a small nook on the third floor of the Oklahoma History Center, is being used to reserve space for new arrivals or old stories that catch a historian’s eye.

Museum curators specifically choose the artifacts based on the unique and compelling stories they tell. The artifacts in Curators’ Corner will rotate approximately every six months in the Noble Foundation Gallery.

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR

In 1950, the world’s first yield sign was placed at the corner of First Street and Columbia Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The intersection was believed to be the most dangerous in Tulsa, and Officer Clinton Riggs, Tulsa native and police officer, developed a new idea to alleviate collisions.

The original sign was yellow, keystone shaped and read “Yield Right of Way” in bold black letters on a bright background. Within one year of the sign’s posting, collision rates dropped dramatically. Inspired by its success, Tulsa posted additional signs throughout the city, and they became an invaluable addition to road safety.

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR

Genealogy is more popular than ever as it serves as a useful tool to learn more about ourselves in present time. Since 1893, the Oklahoma Historical Society has been collecting resources to help Oklahomans learn about their family trees.

The OHS Research Center offers free access to websites like Ancestry.com and Fold3. These websites have resources, including United States census records; birth, death, marriage, military and immigration records; American Indian resources; Freedmen’s Bank records; and countless others. At the research center, you also can view the largest collection of Oklahoma newspapers in the state.

Read Crossroads for more information.

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR

The most notorious outlaws of yesteryear Oklahoma will forever live in infamy.

Belle Starr, nicknamed Queen of the Oklahoma Outlaws for her style and crack shot, fled authorities by hiding in the San Bois Mountains caves, now known as Wilburton and Robbers Cave State Park.

Pretty Boy Floyd was raised in Sallisaw and robbed 50 banks during 1931. He reportedly stole from the rich and gave to the poor.

Bonnie and Clyde, the notorious gangster duo, were responsible for many brutal crimes. They hid in Medicine Park in southwest Oklahoma. Today, their cottage is a favorite for many history buffs.

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR

In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore, an Episcopal minister, wrote a 56-line poem that changed Christmas forever. Now known as “The Night Before Christmas,” Moore’s poem created the modern image of Santa Claus.

His inspiration was two legendary figures, St. Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop known for gift giving, and Sinterklaas, the Dutch version of St. Nicholas.

Moore depicted Santa Claus differently than ever before with fur, named reindeer and a flying sleigh. However, illustrator Thomas Nast created the first likeness of a jolly, white-bearded Santa with a sack full of toys, red suit, North Pole workshop and elves.

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR

Oklahoma native Gayla Peevey is the famous voice behind the 1953 hit song, “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”

Peevey was born in 1943 in Oklahoma City and began singing at church during preschool. In fourth grade, Peevey appeared regularly on TV stations WKY and Channel 4 in Oklahoma City. At the age of 10, she caught the eye of Columbia Records.

Peevey and her mom traveled from Oklahoma to New York to meet with Mitch Miller, a well-known record company executive and producer. Together, they created the catchy, classic song that we play on repeat during the holidays.

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR

When people think of Oklahoma and its natural resources, it’s likely that oil comes to mind. However, it was a different black gold that fueled Indian Territory and present-day Oklahoma’s early economic growth — coal.

Rich deposits of coal in southeastern Oklahoma helped develop the railroad and with it came immigration and industry.

French explorer Jean Baptiste Bénard de La Harpe is credited with the first written account of the discovery of coal in Oklahoma in 1719, though it is known that the Plains Indians used coal in southeastern Oklahoma for hundreds of years prior to La Harpe’s account.

– Dr. Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma History Center

In 1909, oilman Bill Skirvin thought Oklahoma City needed a grand hotel.

He hired the architect Solomon Layton and built two wings of the ten-story Skirvin Hotel on lots south of the Frisco Depot on 2nd Street. In the 1920s, he added a third wing and topped it with more floors, including the Venetian Room. Then came the Great Depression, urban renewal and a banking crisis. The Skirvin closed in 1986.

In 1999, Mayor Kirk Humphreys thought Oklahoma City needed another grand hotel. With city support and historic tax credits, the restored Skirvin opened to national acclaim in 2007.

– Dr. Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma History Center

Tulsa’s Hex House was inspired by one of Oklahoma spookiest, true stories.

A 1944 investigation found two women had been under “hypnotic control” for seven years. They claimed that Carolann Smith was leading them to the good life in heaven. While the women lived in rags in an unheated basement and slept on orange crates, she lived in luxury.

Smith was convicted of suborning perjury, released a year later and never seen again.

The house was demolished in 1975, but was recreated in 2008 as an immersive walk-through attraction that has been called one of America’s best haunted attractions.

– Emily Long, Jones PR

As a teenager, Jack Zink built his first race car from leftover spare car parts. He quickly stepped up to stock and midget cars while earning a degree in engineering at Oklahoma State University. Before his racing career ended, Jack’s teams won the Indy 500 twice, in 1955 and 1956, created Pontiac NASCAR, and put the first turbine-powered race car on the track at Indy.

Zink’s other racing feats also included sailing championships and Baja 500 titles. As a day job, he built an international company called Zeeco.

Yes, Jack “liked to go fast.” He also liked to win.

– Dr. Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma History Center

S&H Green Stamps were highly popular U.S. trading stamps from 1930s to the late 1980s. The stamps were distributed as part of a rewards program operated by the Sperry & Hutchison company. The rewards catalog was the largest publication in America with the company distributing three times more stamps as the U.S. Postal Service.

Customers would receive stamps during checkout at department stores, gas stations and supermarkets, which were redeemable for products in the catalog. Additionally, it’s widely unknown that the highly sought-after stamps were printed in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, to be distributed all around the nation.

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR

In history, few achievements happen by accident. Most are accomplished by leaders, such as Cyrus Avery.

Cyrus’ family moved to Cherokee Nation in 1883 when he was 12 years old. He became an entrepreneur in Oklahoma City, Vinita and Tulsa, where he was elected as county commissioner and grew into an advocate for good roads. In 1925, after Congress funded the first interstate highway system, Cyrus was named chairman of a committee to select the first transcontinental highway.

Through no accident, the route came south from Chicago to Cyrus’ hometown, Tulsa. He called it Route 66, the Will Rogers Highway.

– Dr. Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma History Center

Robert Jeremiah Love was a Chickasaw cowboy who created a family tradition of overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities.

Challenges early in his life included the destruction from the Civil War and death of his parents. His first big opportunity was the construction of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1885, when Robert secured a contract to provide beef to construction crews. With cash and connections, he later founded the town of Purcell, chartered a bank and built the Love Hotel.

Seven decades later, his great-grandson, Tom Love, would overcome his own challenges to create Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores.

– Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma Historical Society

In the mid-nineteenth century, Mazeppa Thomas Turner, born to Scottish parents in Virginia, married a Chickasaw woman named Laura J. Johnson.

Mazeppa became a farmer in Murray County and in 1878, he and Laura moved into a cabin on the edge of Honey Creek, where Turner discovered a stunning 77-foot waterfall pouring into a natural pool below.

Today, this waterfall, located six miles south of Davis, Oklahoma, is reportedly the largest in the state of Oklahoma, as well as a feature of a 1500-acre popular recreational area. It’s known as Turner Falls, appropriately named after Mazeppa Thomas Turner.

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR

In 1953 WWII veteran Troy Smith converted an old log home into an upscale restaurant in Shawnee. In front was a little root beer stand called Top Hat.

By the end of the first year, Troy noticed that the net profit of the steak house was less than five percent of gross, while the net profit at the root beer stand was 20 percent. To increase the gross revenue, he added carhops, awnings, music and two-way speakers.

When he tried to franchise the concept in 1959, Top Hat was already taken. Therefore, the new name he selected was Sonic.

– Dr. Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma Historical Center

From 1898 to 1900, Anton Classen purchased several hundred acres of farmland north of 10th Street in Oklahoma City.

To add value to the land, Classen and his business partners built the territory’s first streetcar system in the winter of 1902-03. It ran east and west on Main Street and north on Broadway and Walker. Not surprisingly, it ended in the middle of the farmland Classen had been buying for $100 an acre. With access to town via streetcars, lots then sold for $1,000.

Today, the neighborhood at the end of the streetcar line is called Heritage Hills.

– Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma Historical Society

Leon Russell, born in Lawton but raised in Tulsa, is a musical genius who influenced artists such as George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Elton John.

Leon had his own band in the 1950s with friends such as J. J. Cale and David Gates. At the age of 19, he went to Hollywood where he earned a place in the famous Wrecking Crew as a keyboardist and arranger. A solo career followed, but he made history as an innovative producer behind the mixing boards.

In addition to the music he gives us, Leon founded The Church Studio recording studio in Tulsa.

– Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma Historical Society

Many people across the United States join to recognize the Mexican celebration known as Cinco de Mayo, which is separate from Independence Day.

However, many fiesta-goers will be surprised to learn that this day actually commemorates the Mexican army’s surprising defeat of French soldiers at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo isn’t celebrated nationwide, but is heavily recognized in the southern town of Puebla, a sister city of Oklahoma City.

Local events include Dancing in the Gardens: Cinco de Mayo Kick off with Salsa Night and the Cinco de Mayo at Calle dos Cinco.

– Jake Pasdach, Jones PR

On July 17, 1863, two Civil War armies met on a battlefield near present-day Checotah.

The Northern army had two advantages. They had 12 pieces of heavy artillery, but more importantly, they had a unit of the First Kansas Colored Infantry composed of African Americans fighting for freedom. The Southern army, consisting primarily of Indian troops, had only four pieces of artillery. With a “rebel yell” the Confederates charged, but the members of the First Kansas held their lines and won the battle.

On one day, in one place, men risked their lives for a cause greater than themselves.

– Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma Historical Society

At a time when women could not vote, Kate Barnard blazed a path of activism and reform.

Kate was 16 years old when she moved to Oklahoma City in 1891. She taught school and trained as a stenographer, but turned to a career in labor organization and charity work by 1906 when she became a champion of reforms such as child labor laws, compulsory education and the eight-hour work day. She was elected one of Oklahoma’s first state officials, but defeated when she spoke up against the exploitation of Indian orphans.

Kate Barnard was the conscience of her generation.

– Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma Historical Society

In the tiny town of Milburn, Oklahoma, stands a wonderful and well-preserved piece of Chickasaw Nation and Oklahoma history.

From the outside, the white Victorian house is framed with towering crepe myrtles and a wrap-around veranda. The residence, built in 1895, became a place for official tribal and state business in the late 19th century and the setting of lavish social functions.

The residence, known as the Chickasaw White House, was also where Oklahoma’s ninth governor, William “Alfalfa Bill” Murray, married his sweetheart Alice in 1899 and was the birthplace of Murray’s son, Johnston Murray, Oklahoma’s 14th governor.

– Linda Miller, ionOK.com

Tulsa’s Cain’s Ballroom was initially built as a car dealership in 1924. The property was later leased to Madison “Daddy” Cain, who added a neon sign with animated dancers and charged 10 cents per dance lesson. He called the place Cain’s Dance Academy.

Cain’s was made famous by fiddle-playing Bob Wills, a big band leader who blended folk, country, jazz and popular music to create a new hot sound called Western swing. Each day over the noon hour, Bob and his Playboys would fill the airwaves on KVOO radio.

Today, the legend of Cain’s Ballroom continues to live on.

– Dr. Bob Blackburn, Oklahoma History Center